M6:2694 — نور او را زان زیانی نابده / وان حدث از خشکیی هیزم شده

Translation: Its light suffered no harm from that [shining on the impurity]; and that impurity (hadath), from its dryness, had become firewood. Meaning: The universal divine light, by shining upon even impurities, is not diminished; rather, it transforms the impurity itself by drying it, turning it into useful firewood.

Mowlana, in these verses, initiates a profound discussion where he likens divine universal grace (lutf-i 'āmm) to the sun's light, explaining its modus operandi. As I've always emphasized, for God to bestow His grace, qābiliyat (worthiness) is not a condition, and Your universal grace seeks no justification (sanad). This couplet follows directly from that conceptualization.

I firmly believe that Mowlana, in this and subsequent verses, introduces us to a divine factory of transformation. Hadath, meaning impurity or waste, represents the most extreme and repulsive form of defilement in existence. Yet, the sun, oblivious to the nature of this hadath, shines upon it. This radiance not only leaves the sun's light nābada zīyānī (unharmed) — meaning absolute purity remains pure — but also performs an alchemical act upon it. The hadath, under the sun's gaze, dries up and turns into hīzum (firewood). This is a fundamental metamorphosis: from absolute impurity to a usable fuel that can generate light and heat. This, however, is merely the beginning of the story.

With this example, Mowlana aims to convey that in the realm of existence, evils and impurities are not merely refuse to be discarded. The universal divine grace shines upon them and, in an astonishing manner, transforms them into virtues and beauties. This process of transformation is more than mere forgiveness; it is a genuine mahw al-sayyi'āt (erasure of evil deeds) that not only removes the effect of sin but alters its very essence. It is precisely like the hadath turning into light, or decomposing in the soil to become nabāt (plants), nargis (narcissus), and nasrīn (jasmine). This is God's method of turning venom into nectar, and bad into good. This perspective forms the bedrock of Mowlana's optimistic and hopeful view of the world; a world whose earth's stomach is perpetually warm, digesting and transforming impurities into purities.

Key takeaways

• Divine universal grace (lutf-i 'āmm) extends indiscriminately, without cause or justification, even to impurities.
• God's light and grace, even when shining upon impurities, remains unharmed and preserves its inherent purity.
• Divine grace possesses an alchemical power, transforming impurities (hadath) by drying them into firewood – a useful substance that produces heat and light.
• This transformation is a key step in Mowlana's analogy for God's process of mahw al-sayyi'āt (erasing evil deeds) and transmuting bad into good.