M6:1291 — چون رخت را نیست در خوبی امید / خواه گلگونه نه و خواهی مداد

Translation: Since your face has no hope for inner beauty, Whether you apply rouge or you apply kohl, it makes no difference. Meaning: This verse asserts that if one's inner self is devoid of genuine beauty and hope for intrinsic radiance, then any external adornment or pretense is utterly futile and without effect.

This verse is embedded within Mowlana’s sharp and incisive admonitions, directly addressing those who claim false or superficial insight and gnosis. I contend that Mowlana here clearly delineates the boundary between substance and accident, between authenticity and borrowed pretense. His words, though seemingly about physical beauty, inherently point to the entirety of human spiritual existence.

As I have frequently elucidated, Mowlana consistently contrasts 'borrowed color' (rang-i barbasteh) with 'grown color' (rang-i rasteh). The latter is that which originates from the very essence of a person's soul, blossoming from their own being. The former, 'borrowed color,' is an external addition, an artificial and imposed veneer. Rouge (golgooneh) and kohl (medād) are precisely of this 'borrowed' kind. When the face of your soul lacks an inner core from which to hope for genuine, natural radiance, what utility can these external embellishments possibly offer? None! They are like an ill-fitting patch on old garment, destined to fall away, bringing nothing but exposure and disgrace.

I interpret this verse as Mowlana’s stark warning to anyone who imagines they can 'tie a branch to a tree' and call it a true 'branch' (ʿarjun). This 'art of the branch' will ultimately never substitute for a naturally grown branch. The truth is that humanity, wittingly or unwittingly, will one day step into the 'realm of silence' (ʿālam-i khāmūshi), a place where 'the arts of disputation and rhetoric' (funūn-i qīl-u qāl) are no longer effective, and all external displays crumble. In that moment of 'departure' (raḥīl) and unveiling, our sole capital is that which has become 'part of our soul,' not the lexical or academic pilferings by which we 'stole knowledge from books' or 'appropriated the words of God’s men.'

So, where lies the path to salvation? Mowlana, prior to this very verse, has shown the way: 'For a day or two, polish your breast / Make that mirror your book.' The heart must be polished so that truths may be reflected within it, rather than adorned with false and borrowed colors and patterns. This polishing, in itself, is the genesis of inner youth, just as 'the aging Zuleikha became young from the shadow of Joseph, the master of fortune,' or 'a parched branch was transformed into a flourishing palm tree by the Marian grace.' These narratives all indicate that true transformation springs from within. Otherwise, any attempt at external beauty, when inner hope is absent, is sterile and meaningless. The injunction, 'Seek the present now, abandon what has passed' (naqd jo akūn, rahā kon mā mazā), also aligns perfectly with this perspective: grasp your present moment and your inner state, not the past nor external displays.

Key takeaways

• True beauty originates from within and cannot be achieved through external adornment.
• Pretense and outward show without inner substance are ultimately futile and expose one's emptiness.
• At the moment of death, only what has become an intrinsic part of one's soul endures.
• The authentic path involves purifying and polishing the inner self, rather than adding borrowed veneers.
• Instead of dwelling on the past or external displays, one must embrace and cultivate their 'present' inner state.