M6:2101 — آسمان‌ها بندهٔ ماه وی‌اند / شرق و مغرب جمله نان‌خواه وی‌اند

Translation: The heavens are slaves to their moon; East and West are entirely beggars for their bread. Meaning: This couplet asserts the exalted status of the Men of Truth, whose spiritual presence sustains the entire cosmos; from the heavens to the farthest reaches of East and West, all creation owes its sustenance and obedience to them.

This couplet, beyond any doubt, represents one of Rumi's most audacious assertions regarding the exalted station of the 'Men of Truth' or 'Divine Saints' (Awliyāʾ Allāh). He declares unequivocally that the entirety of creation—from the seven heavens to the vast expanse of East and West—is enslaved to the 'moon' of their being and subsists on the bread from their table. This is a sublime and cosmic claim, whose roots Rumi draws from religious and mystical texts and then profoundly elaborates upon.

I find this meaning deeply resonant with the Ziyārat Jāmi'a Kabīra, a prayer recited by Shi'ites, where we read: «بیمنه رزق الورا» — 'By their grace, creation is sustained.' Rumi applies this idea more broadly to all Men of Truth. Yet, he does not stop there; he invokes the famous Hadith Qudsi: «لولاک لما خلقت الافلاک» — 'If not for you, I would not have created the heavens.' This tradition, though not in the Quran, is widely cited in our narrative texts as a divine address to the Prophet.

The crucial interpretive point for Rumi is that he does not confine this divine address, this 'Lawlāka,' solely to the Prophet Muhammad; he deems it applicable to all Men of God and Divine Saints. Why? Because, from a mystical perspective, 'they are all one' («اینا همه یکی‌ان»). The souls of the Men of Truth are interconnected, originating from a single, unified reality. As Rumi himself states elsewhere: «جان گرگان و سگان از هم جداست / متحد جان‌های مردان خداست» — 'The souls of wolves and dogs are separate, but the souls of God's men are united.' Therefore, each Divine Saint, in their own right, is a manifestation of this cosmic truth: that existence endures by their grace.

It is from this premise that Rumi continues, «زانکه لولاک است بر تن توقیع او / جمله در انعام و در توزیع او» — 'For the 'Lawlāka' is the decree upon their body; all are in their grace and distribution.' It is as if God has given them a document bearing the 'Lawlāka' signature, signifying their existential centrality. All blessings and sustenance, within the divine system of distribution, reach creation through these Saints. They are the true benefactors of all beings. Were it not for the existence of these Men of Truth, the heavens would neither revolve nor radiate light, nor would they be a dwelling place for angels; spring would not visit the world, nor would the oceans be mighty, nor would fish or royal pearls emerge; nor would the earth reveal its hidden treasures or its outward jasmines. Sustenance itself is sustained by them; fruits are parched-lipped, awaiting the rain of their being.

Here, Rumi arrives at a more intricate yet illuminating point: the paradox of the world's apparent 'inversion.' He says: «این که معکوس است در امر این گره / صدقه‌بخش خویش را صدقه بده» — 'Because this knot of affairs is inverted, give charity to your own provider.' Outwardly, these Saints may at times appear poor and needy, and we offer them charity. Yet, Rumi emphasizes that this apparent poverty is precisely their inner richness. All the wealth, gold, silk, and possessions we hold are, in truth, by the grace of this very 'poor one' (faqir). Thus, our duty is to offer zakat and charity to this 'true rich one' who appears outwardly poor. This represents a profound intellectual and practical revolution in how we approach Divine Saints; a revolution that unveils the reality of existence from behind the veil of appearances.

Key takeaways

• The stability and sustenance of the entire cosmos, from the heavens to the East and West, is due to the grace of the Men of Truth.
• The Hadith Qudsi «Lawlāka lamā khalaqtu al-aflāk» (If not for you, I would not have created the heavens) applies mystically not only to the Prophet but to all Divine Saints (Awliyāʾ).
• Men of Truth, despite their apparent worldly poverty, are the true benefactors of all creation, and divine sustenance and mercy are distributed through them.
• Rumi perceives the world's apparent state as inverted: the outwardly rich are inwardly poor and dependent on the Saint, while the one who appears poor is the true source of richness and sustenance.