M6:2093 — شاه امروزینه و فردای ماست / پوست بندهٔ مغز نغزش دایم است

Translation: He is the King of our Today and our Tomorrow; The skin is forever a servant to his precious kernel. Meaning: The Divine man holds dominion over our present and future, and all outward forms—including his disciples and even the material world—are perpetually subservient to his profound inner essence and deep wisdom.

This couplet, which I believe was composed in the latter years of Rumi’s life and embodies the essence of his vision, points to the pivotal role of the Perfect Human, whom he calls the “Divine man” or “wali,” in human existence. Rumi makes here a profoundly assertive claim: this wali is the sovereign and ruler of all our existential moments, holding sway over both our “today” and our “tomorrow.” He is not merely a preacher who offers vague promises for the future and defers us to the afterlife; rather, he is the one who says, “The promise was made by you, but he fulfilled it.” It is he who “manifested and prepared Paradise for us right here.” These are Rumi’s own words, which leave no room for speculation.

The phrase “King of our Today and our Tomorrow” is remarkably intertwined with Rumi’s emphasis on the “cash-in-hand” (naqd-i ḥāl) and the “son of the moment” (ibn al-waqt) aspects of the Sufi. This Divine man embodies the perfection of presence in the here and now; he fully comprehends and realizes the present moment, and he transforms the future into immediate reality within this very instant. Unlike the literalist shaykhs and jurists who offer delayed promises, the Divine men prioritize the “cash” over the “credit.” They bring forth spiritual and gnostic fruits in this world, enabling the “harvest” (ḥaṣād) and reaping of the crop within the souls of their disciples. The outcome of their work is “growth” and “blossoming” (nabāt), not merely “sowing” for an uncertain future.

The second part of the couplet presents a crucial and deep-rooted allegory found throughout the Mathnawī: “The skin is forever a servant to his precious kernel.” Rumi repeatedly alludes to and emphasizes this duality of “skin” and “kernel,” “form” and “meaning,” “body” and “soul.” Here, “his precious kernel” (maghz-e naghz-e ū) refers to the intrinsic, formless essence and truth of the Divine man—that profound wisdom, authentic gnosis, and formlessness from which all forms arise and to which they return. This is the “revelation of the heart” (waḥy-e dil) that prompts silence from “the abundance of my speech,” and, as Wittgenstein would put it, conveys “the unsayable” through “showing” to the ear of the soul.

In contrast, the “skin” (pūst) is everything that appears and originates from that essence: from the outward actions and speech of the Divine man to his followers and disciples, and even the sensible world itself, which is but “the foam of the sea, the forms of the world.” This “skin” is perpetually bound, subservient, and obedient to that “precious kernel,” rather than the kernel being enslaved by the skin and confined to outward appearances. I have demonstrated this clearly in its proper context: “The soul of the Sacred Law and the soul of piety is the gnostic” (jān-e sharʿ wa jān-e taqwā ʿārif ast); meaning, the Sacred Law and piety, which are akin to the skin and form, must ultimately lead to becoming a gnostic (which is the kernel and soul). This Divine man himself is the embodiment of this kernel, and all outward manifestations come to serve and obey him. It is his “kernel” that transforms the soul and “changes” a person, not merely outwardly meaningless actions.

Key takeaways

• The Divine man is the absolute sovereign of our present and future; he not only promises, but actualizes that promise in this very world.
• This 'Master of the Magi' (pīr-e mughān) embodies the 'son of the moment' (ibn al-waqt) approach to life, perfecting the present and realizing the future within the current instant.
• Rumi distinguishes between 'skin' (outward form) and 'kernel' (essence): all worldly appearances and even the followers of the Divine man are servants to his inner, formless wisdom.
• True gnosis and transformation depend on reaching the 'precious kernel'—the rich inner reality of the Divine man—rather than merely adhering to outward forms and actions.
• By embodying truth in the present, the Perfect Human 'prepares Paradise for us right here,' unlike those who only defer to the future.