M6:77 — امر آید در صور رو در رود / باز هم ز امرش مجرد می‌شود

Translation: The Command enters forms, it courses through them, Then from that very Command, it becomes disembodied again.

Meaning: This verse describes the cyclical manifestation and return of the divine Command, which takes on forms in the world and then withdraws, becoming abstract once more, much like meaning transcends its linguistic container.

In this verse, Rumi unveils one of his deepest ontological truths: the relationship between amr (Divine Command) and ṣūrat (form). I firmly believe that Rumi describes a dynamic and dialectical process here, in which the amr, the Divine Command, manifests itself in material and mental forms, yet never remains confined or imprisoned by them, continually returning to its state of abstraction and formlessness. This cycle of manifestation and reversion is the pulsating heart of existence and our perception.

To grasp this point, we must turn to the realm of our minds and perceptions. Just as a building first exists as an abstract design in an architect's mind (amr), then manifests as a tangible structure (ṣūrat), and even after the building's decay or destruction, its original design and idea persist in the architect's mind (a return to abstraction), so too is the Divine Command. Forms in this world are temporary and transient manifestations, but the meaning and command hidden beyond them are eternal and imperishable. This perspective aligns profoundly with Neoplatonic thought and Plato's Theory of Forms, and its roots can also be found in the writings of illuminationist philosophers like Sohravardi, with his concept of ṭibāʿ-i tām (perfect natures).

Rumi, at this juncture, also challenges the philosophy of causality. He repeatedly emphasizes that in the natural world, we do not have ʿillat mūjida (efficient causes, i.e., causes that bestow existence); rather, all natural causes are ʿillat muʿidda (preparatory causes). All true agency, all actual bestowal of existence, comes from the higher realm. Our thoughts, our souls, and even the bread we eat, though they acquire forms in this world, have their true origin in the formless realm. We merely prepare the vessel for the Divine Command to indwell.

In the subsequent verse, Rumi explicitly connects this phenomenon to the noble Quranic verse, "Alā lahu al-khalqu wa al-amr" (Indeed, to Him belong creation and command, Quran 7:54), stating: "khalq ṣūrat, amr jān, rākib bar ān" (Creation is the form, Command is the soul, riding upon it). This demonstrates that khalq (creation) pertains to the realm of forms, while amr is the soul and spirit of those forms, riding upon them. This verse, in essence, serves as a profound prelude to understanding this Quranic distinction and Rumi's worldview, which sees forms as the foam on the sea and the spirit as the boundless ocean of meaning. The reader of the Masnavi must transcend the "straw and debris" of words to grasp the clear water of meaning; just as the Divine Command, having passed through forms, returns to its state of abstraction.

Key takeaways

• The Divine Command (amr) manifests in the forms of the material world but is never confined by them.
• This verse describes the cycle of manifestation and return of meaning from the formless realm to the world of forms and back again.
• Rumi illustrates this process with the analogy of an architect's mental blueprint (abstract idea) becoming a physical building, while the idea persists beyond the structure's decay.
• In Rumi's view, natural causes are merely "preparatory causes" (ʿillat muʿidda); true creative causality originates from the transcendent realm.
• "Creation" (khalq) refers to forms, while "Command" (amr) refers to the soul and spirit that ride upon these forms, referencing the Quranic verse "To Him belong creation and command."