M6:3056 — یوسف و موسی ز حق بردند نور / در رخ و رخسار و در ذات الصدور

Translation: Joseph and Moses both received light from the Truth; In their countenance and visage, and in the essence of their hearts. Meaning: This verse states that prophets like Joseph and Moses were graced with divine light from God, which manifested both in their outward beauty and in their inner spiritual insight and divine knowledge.

In this verse, Mowlana points to a profound and illuminating truth: the divine light (noor-i ḥaqq), this sacred essence, manifests in two distinct ways within the beings of prophets and saints. One is in their rokh and rukhsār, meaning their outward beauty and countenance; the other is in their dhāt al-ṣudūr, their hearts and innermost beings, which serve as the abode of divine knowledge (ʿilm-i ilāhī) and heavenly revelation (waḥy-i rabbānī). This dual manifestation of light unveils the secret relationship between the apparent and the hidden. As you know, gnosis is not merely internal; rather, the inner dimension manifests through and is interwoven with the outer.

Regarding Joseph, the story of his radiant face and unparalleled beauty is widely narrated in sacred texts, from the Quran to the Torah, as well as in Persian literature. It is the famous tale of Zulaikha, who, to silence her accusers, presented Joseph to them. Such was his overwhelming beauty that instead of cutting their citruses, they cut their own hands, exclaiming: “Ḥāsha lillāh, mā hādhā basharā, in hādhā illā malak karīm” (God forbid, this is not a human, this is but a noble angel). This was the manifestation of God's light in Joseph's face, dazzling eyes and captivating minds.

For Moses, however, the story is a little more complex and perhaps less known. As I myself have found traces of this narrative mostly in commentaries such as Abu'l-Futūḥ Rāzī's exegesis. It is said that when Moses returned from his communion with God on Mount Sinai (Kūh-i Tūr), his face shone with such radiance that his wife, Safura, was blinded by looking at it, and other people could not bear his sight. For this reason, Moses was compelled to wear a veil (niqāb) over his face so that its light would not harm the eyes of the people. Mowlana immediately brings up another well-known tale here: “Noor-i rūyash ān-chenān burdī baṣar / ke zumurrud az do dīdeh mār kur” (The light of his face so stole sight / as emerald blinds the eyes of a serpent). This was an ancient popular legend that emeralds could blind snakes, even though Abu Rayhan Biruni, that great scientist, proved its falsity through his experiments. But the important point is that in literature and mysticism, such legends serve a metaphorical and symbolic function, and Mowlana employs them to convey the intensity of Moses’s facial radiance. As he also alludes in another ghazal: “Aždahāst bar rah, ʿishq ast ān zumurrud / az barq-i ān zumurrud īn dafʿ-i aždahā kun” (A dragon is on the path, love is that emerald / with the flash of that emerald, repel this dragon).

Thus, this light on Moses’s face was so brilliant that it compelled him to veil himself. This veil, however, according to Mowlana, was no ordinary covering. God commanded Moses to fashion it from his own garment, his gilīm. Why? Because “kān libās-i ʿārif āmad amīn” (for that garment belonged to a trustworthy gnostic). Meaning, the clothing of a gnostic like Moses, who is devoted to truth and trustworthiness, had itself become imbued with sanctity and blessing. That kasā (cloak/garment) “az noor-i ṣabrī yāfte ast” (has acquired resistance from light), meaning it itself gained resilience against the light and could serve as its cover, because “noor-i jān dar tār-o-pūd-ash tāfte ast” (the light of the soul was interwoven into its threads). This is a very subtle and profound point: the gnostic's soul is not only luminous, but his material existence also partakes of that light, and even his clothing radiates from his soul's light, acquiring a spiritual quality. This indicates that, in Mowlana's view, the distinction between body and soul, though real, does not signify absolute separation. Rather, the spirit flows into the body, coloring it with its own essence.

This dhāt al-ṣudūr that Mowlana speaks of is the locus of revelation, inspiration, and divinely bestowed knowledge (ʿilm-i ladunī); it is where the maxim “Man ʿarafa nafsahu faqad ʿarafa rabbahu” (Whoever knows himself, knows his Lord) takes on meaning. Here, the divine light illuminates not only the physical eye but also the eye of the heart, bringing forth a knowledge that is a form of self-awareness (khwishtan-shenāsī). This inner light is what Mowlana himself possessed, leading him to consider the Mathnawi not merely a commentary on the Quran, but in his own words, “the Quran in the Persian tongue”—a Quran that flowed from his own dhāt al-ṣudūr.

Key takeaways

• Divine light manifests in prophets in two forms: outward beauty and inner knowledge.
• Joseph's beauty is an example of God's light appearing on the visage, astounding minds.
• Moses's facial light was so intense it required a veil; even this veil gained blessing from the gnostic's garment.
• Folklore (like the emerald and snake) serves as a metaphorical tool for Mowlana to convey deeper truths, irrespective of scientific accuracy.
• The garments of gnostics partake in the light of their souls, acquiring spiritual properties, demonstrating the interconnectedness of body and soul.
• The 'essence of hearts' (dhāt al-ṣudūr) is the core of revelation, inspiration, and divine knowledge, leading to self-knowledge.