M6:3767 — ما کنون دیدیم شه ز آغاز دید / چندمان سوگند داد آن بی‌ندید

Translation: What we now see, the King saw from the beginning; How many times did that unrivaled one warn us with oaths?

Meaning: This verse articulates the bitter regret of belated realization, contrasting our present, hard-won understanding with the prescient foresight of an incomparable guide who knew the ultimate outcome from the very start.

Here, we encounter a profound moment in the Masnavi, where Rumi conveys a fundamental truth through a narrative allegory. The princes, now ensnared by captivating forms and suffering the pangs of love, look back with deep regret, lamenting: “What we now see, the King saw from the beginning; How many times did that unrivaled one warn us with oaths?” This means that what has now become manifest to us, whose pain and regret we feel with our very souls, the matchless King (here symbolizing the father, the master, the enlightened guide) knew from the very beginning. He warned us repeatedly, dissuading us from this path. This is not merely an individual lament but a reflection of a broader principle that Rumi immediately expounds upon after this verse.

I firmly believe that Rumi here refers to the role of prophets and saints. That “unrivaled King” is, in truth, an allusion to the prophets and divine guides who, unlike us—who only grasp truths “now,” after calamities and trials have occurred—were aware of the “end” of matters “from the beginning,” drawing from the fount of insight. Rumi states: “Prophets hold a great right over us / For they foretold our ultimate end.” Whence does this immense right arise? From their clairvoyance, their ability to foresee the ultimate outcome (ʿāqibat-e kār), and to inform us, whose gaze is limited to the present moment, of the final destiny. This is precisely the far-sighted intellect (ʿaql-e dūr-andīsh) that religions seek to cultivate in us, as opposed to the superficial intellect that only sees today.

The fundamental philosophy of religion, as I have always emphasized, is to cultivate our eternal life (ḥayāt-e ukhravī). Prophets were not primarily concerned with this world; they entrusted its affairs to human reason, for humanity to manage. They did not come to teach us politics, agriculture, or industry. The ultimate goal of prophethood is not the administration of worldly life (tadbir-e maʿāsh-e dunyā), but the administration of the Hereafter (tadbir-e maʿād). For this temporary life and earthly passage, religion has offered minimal guidance, always with an eye toward the eternal destination. This implies that in every choice and every attachment, we must possess foresight and remember the warnings of that “unrivaled one.” This lament, “what we now see,” is, in fact, the cry of humanity that failed to heed the warnings and is now caught in the net of tribulation, understanding only when it is too late; quite unlike that sagacious being who saw everything from the outset.

Key takeaways

• The verse expresses the regret of our belated understanding compared to the foresight of wise guides.
• The "unrivaled King" symbolizes prophets and saints who knew the ultimate outcome of affairs from the beginning.
• Religion and prophets, through their "far-sighted intellect," inform us of the consequences of actions, preventing us from being enslaved by the "now."
• The fundamental philosophy of religion is not to manage worldly affairs but to guide towards eternal, otherworldly life.