M1:1151 — عُمر همچون جوی نو نو می‌رسد / مستمِرّی می‌نماید در جسد

This couplet is the core of a philosophical argument Rumi is making about the nature of reality. The preceding verses establish that the world of forms (like speech) arises from a formless source (the "sea of thought") and is in constant flux, returning to that source moment by moment. Here, Rumi applies this principle of perpetual creation and annihilation directly to human life (ʿumr).

He uses the image of a river (juy) to explain this. When you look at a river, it appears to be a single, stable entity. But in reality, it is composed of ever-new water arriving and passing away. Our life, Rumi argues, is the same. Each instant, a new life-moment is granted by God, replacing the one that has just vanished. What we perceive as a stable, continuous self or a solid stretch of time is an illusion created by the sheer speed of this renewal.

The next verses (M1:1152-54) reinforce this with another image: a spark whirled quickly in a circle appears as a continuous ring of fire. The illusion of continuity (mustamirrī) is a product of the incredible velocity of God's creative act (ṣunʿ). This is a key concept in Ash'arite theology, often called tajdīd al-khalq (the renewal of creation), which Rumi renders here in a powerful, accessible metaphor.