M2:295 — زان سبب فرمود یزدان والضحی / والضحی نور ضمیر مصطفی

This couplet appears in a section where Rumi is discussing the nature of 'day' (روز) as a symbol of spiritual clarity, revelation, and the manifestation of divine beauty. He contrasts 'day' with 'night' (شب) which represents concealment and the physical, earthly body. The preceding verses establish that the 'day' of truth is the 'day' of the saints and prophets, whose spiritual light makes the literal sun and moon seem like mere shadows.

Here, Rumi directly links this concept to the Quran. The phrase "والضحی" (wa al-ḍuḥā) is the opening oath of Surah 93 of the Quran, 'Ad-Duha' (The Morning Brightness). By swearing "By the morning brightness," God is, according to Rumi, swearing by the radiant inner essence (ضمیر) of the Prophet Muhammad, who is referred to by his honorific 'Mustafa' (the Chosen One). The Prophet's inner being is so pure and luminous that it embodies the very 'morning brightness' by which God swears. This interpretation elevates the Prophet's spiritual reality to a cosmic principle, making him the ultimate 'day' in Rumi's symbolic schema, a source of divine light and guidance.