M6:2722 — چون ببینی بر لب جو سبزه مست / پس بدان از دور که آنجا آب هست

Translation: When you see the intoxicated green on the riverbank, then know from afar that water is there. Meaning: This verse suggests that the visible vitality and joy of a person are outward signs of an inner spring of spiritual grace and freshness, just as verdant grass along a stream indicates the presence of flowing water.

This verse emerges from Rumi’s profound discourse on the superiority of 'cash over credit' (siylī-yi naqd az ʿaṭā-yi nasīya bih). He elevates the conversation from a mundane exchange between a rich merchant and a dervish to the exalted plane of a dialogue between the Lover and the Beloved—God and the human being. Rumi posits that if a 'slap' is received from the Beloved's hand, its origin makes it sweet and intoxicating: خاصه آن سیلی که از دست تو است / که قفا و سیلی‌اش مست تو است ('Especially that slap that comes from Your hand, for its back-of-the-neck and its slap are intoxicated by You'). In this station, superficial bitterness or sweetness loses meaning; what truly matters is 'presence' (ḥuḍūr), the 'cash' (naqd) reality of the Beloved, not the 'credit' (nasīya) of future promises.

Following this prelude, Rumi turns to the significance of signs. Just as a deer's track signals its passage, and the musk's scent leads to the deer itself, seeing a vibrant, 'intoxicated' green grass on a riverbank is definitive proof that water is flowing there or has recently passed. This is an ontological rule: 'Wherever you see a beautiful garden, it is proof of a hidden rain.' This hidden rain falls by night, unseen by anyone, yet the garden's freshness and vitality by day testify to that unseen downpour. Nature, in this sense, provides a tangible analogue for understanding profound human realities.

It is here that Rumi connects his words to the enlightened mystic (ʿārif). When you encounter a mystic whose 'time is happy' (waqtash khush ast), who is light-souled and soaring, and whose expansive spiritual state and tranquility affect you, 'know that there is a secret' (bidān khabarī hast). Know that you are in the presence of someone who has been quenched by a hidden spring of divine grace. This mystic is the 'intoxicated green' by the stream, and their very existence is evidence of the 'water' flowing within them—water that signifies divine knowledge, love, and the presence of God. This 'report-of-the-present-state' (naqd-i ḥāl) of the mystic is an outward manifestation of God's 'cash presence' in their soul.

This concept also resonates with the Quranic verse, sīmāhum fī wujūhihim min athar al-sujūd ('their marks are on their faces from the trace of prostration'); sīmā in Arabic means a distinguishing sign or mark. This unfeigned mark, appearing on the faces of true believers from their deep prostration and profound connection with the Lord, was an external sign of an inner, spiritual truth. Regrettably, some nowadays artificially and hypocritically create such 'marks,' whereas this sign ought to be the natural fruit of an authentic inner life and divine love. The true mystic is the sign itself; their joyful and light-winged existence is testimony to the hidden rain of divine mercy that has fallen upon their soul, conveying this truth to us without a shadow of doubt.

Key takeaways

• The outward vitality and joy of a mystic are signs of an inner spring of divine grace.
• The immediate 'cash' presence of the Beloved (God) surpasses future promises; even His 'slap' is a form of grace.
• The mystic's tranquility and lightness of spirit are contagious, signaling a hidden source of divine nourishment.
• Unseen grace, like hidden rain, manifests through the freshness and vibrancy of the 'garden' (the mystic's soul).
• Like the 'sīmā' in the Quran, a true spiritual sign is free from hypocrisy and is the natural fruit of inner love.