M1:1717 — این دریغاها خیال دیدن است / وز وجود نقد خود ببریدن است

Translation: These alas'es (dariyghā) are the imagination of seeing [the past], / And a cutting-off from one's present reality (naqd-e khod). Meaning: This verse warns that dwelling on past regrets and saying "alas" is an illusion that severs one from the tangible reality and bounty of their current moment.

This verse, without a doubt, encapsulates one of Mowlana's most crucial teachings on 'time' and the 'present moment.' Unlike many great Persian poets—such as Hafez, who constantly evokes the past with 'yād bād' (remember that time) and nostalgic sweetness, or Sa'di, who contemplates future generations and the passage of life—Mowlana adamantly insists on living in the 'now' and releasing the past. The sentiment of 'yād bād' or the thought of 'many blossoms will grow after us' holds no place in Mowlana's worldview.

I have clearly demonstrated this in the story of the Merchant and the Parrot. When the Indian parrot, upon hearing the message, pretends to die, and the merchant cries out 'Dariyghā! Dariyghā!' in sorrow and regret, Mowlana abruptly intervenes and states: "These alas'es are the imagination of seeing [the past], / And a cutting-off from one's present reality (naqd-e khod)."

Uttering these 'alas'es signifies the loss of one's present capital. Lamenting what has passed is nothing but fantasizing and deprives a person of their only asset, which is their 'now.' The past is over; finished! Mowlana, immediately after this warning, provides the merchant with an answer, attributing the events to 'Ghayrat-e Ḥaqq' (Divine Jealousy/Will), against which there is no recourse: "It was the jealousy of God, and with God there is no remedy; / What heart is not torn into a hundred pieces by God's decree?" This is an explicit invitation to surrender to divine will and return to the present moment.

An anecdote recounts that one day, in Mowlana's gathering, the subject of Shams-e Tabrizi arose. A certain Sheikh Badr al-Din, present among the attendees, regrettably exclaimed, 'Ḥayf, ḥayf, dariyghā!' (What a pity, alas!). Mowlana suddenly became angry and retorted, 'Why pity? What is pity? What place does pity have among us?' He added, 'You are now with someone in whom there are a hundred thousand Shams-e Tabriz.' This means focusing on the 'now,' on what is, not on what has gone.

Even in his profound grief for his dearest disciple, Salah ad-Din Zarkūb, whose death was a major spiritual blow to Mowlana, the tone of his 'dariyghā' is different. He says: "Oh, alas, alas, alas, alas, / Over such a hidden eye, a manifest eye has wept."

This 'alas' is not for the loss of Salah ad-Din, but for the state of the observer himself; for the fact that 'we, the blind, are weeping over that seeing one.' The implicit meaning of these verses is: 'Weep for your own state, not for the dead; it is for the living that one should weep.' This implies that even pain and sorrow should be turned back upon oneself, transforming them into a means for self-knowledge and living in the present.

This is the philosophy of 'Sufi ibn al-waqt' (the Sufi, child of the moment); that is, the Sufi belongs to their own time and does not dwell on the past or future. True repentance is also understood from this perspective: completely abandoning and stepping out of the past, not merely feeling remorse. A person must transform so utterly that they not only no longer desire to commit the sin but also are not tormented by its memory. This radical shift in temperament and transformation into a new being is the return to one's true origin. Our present is our only capital. Some squander their present for the sake of the past or the future, whereas we possess nothing but this very moment. This is Mowlana's profound philosophy that should be a guiding principle in life.

Key takeaways

• Regret and nostalgia for the past are illusions that disconnect us from the 'cash-on-hand' reality of the present.
• The present moment is humanity's sole true capital and possession.
• Mowlana vehemently emphasizes living in the 'now' and liberating oneself from the shackles of past time.
• Accepting 'Divine Jealousy' (Ghayrat-e Ḥaqq) as the cause of events invites us to surrender and return to the 'now.'
• Even in grief, one must turn sorrow inward, using it for self-knowledge within the present moment.