M6:1867 — این زمان سرها مثال گاو پیس / دوک نطق اندر ملل صد رنگ ریس

Translation: In this age, heads are like mottled oxen; The spindle of speech spins a hundred colors among nations. Meaning: This verse describes our current world, where minds and beliefs are inherently diverse, and human speech continually produces and weaves a multitude of religions, philosophies, and ways of life among different communities.

This verse offers a vivid and precise depiction of the nature of the world we inhabit; a world Rumi calls the 'realm of multiplicity' (ʿālam-i kasrat), in contrast to the 'realm of unity' (ʿālam-i waḥdat) that will eventually manifest. As I have consistently emphasized, understanding Rumi is impossible without grasping this fundamental dichotomy—multiplicity versus unity.

Rumi directs our attention to the present moment and this world with the phrase "īn zamān" (in this age). He states that "sarhā misāl-i gāw-i pīs" (heads are like mottled oxen), meaning minds, thoughts, and beliefs are mixed and diverse, much like a piebald or multi-colored ox. The 'mottled ox' is a metaphor for heterogeneity and lack of uniformity. This is a description, not a complaint. Rumi is not lamenting multiplicity here; rather, he sees it as the inherent nature of this realm.

The core insight, however, lies in the second hemistich: "dūk-i nuṭq andar milal sad rang rīs" (the spindle of speech spins a hundred colors among nations). Human speech, or nuṭq, acts like a spinner's spindle, constantly producing and weaving. What does it weave? "A hundred colors" (sad rang), among "nations" (milal). Here, milal does not refer to 'nation' in the modern political sense, but rather to religions, creeds, and sects. Rumi states that this world, by its very nature, cannot have a single religion, a single doctrine, or a singular ideology. It is a characteristic of this realm that discourse generates hundreds of types of religions, philosophies, ethics, and languages. This pluralism is not an accident but a structural feature of existence here. Indeed, the very existence of this world depends on this 'war of contraries' and 'multiplicity'; were it not for this diversity, this world would not endure.

As I have previously indicated, Rumi immediately draws a conclusion in the subsequent verses: "nowbat-i sad-rangī ast o sad-dilī / ʿālam-i yak-rang kay gardad jalī" (It is the turn of a hundred colors and a hundred hearts; when will a world of one color be manifest?). In this hundred-colored world, 'oneness' or unity can never be clearly manifest. Here, we live veiled by multiplicity, and as long as this is the realm of multiplicity, true unity will remain hidden. Unity is concealed beneath multiplicity, and only through eyes 'anointed with the kohl of unity' can its veil be lifted. This is a crucial point: this inherent pluralism of our world is neither a flaw nor a sign of error; rather, the function of this world is to host multiplicities and, within itself, nurture a unity that will be revealed in the Resurrection. In truth, it is these 'mottled oxen' (symbolizing the bearers of multiplicity) who will be 'slaughtered' (naḥr) on the Day of Sacrifice, i.e., in the Resurrection, so that the 'essence of humanity'—the Perfect Human, the manifestation of unity—may encompass land and sea, and the world become one-colored. This is a vision of the world's divine future, not a description of its current state.

Key takeaways

• This verse describes the pluralistic and diverse nature of the current world, rather than criticizing it.
• The phrase 'heads are like mottled oxen' is a metaphor for the variety and heterogeneity of beliefs, thoughts, and religions.
• The 'spindle of speech' symbolizes discourse and language, which in this world, creates the multiplicity of faiths and schools of thought.
• Rumi emphasizes that in this realm of multiplicity, true unity remains hidden and unmanifest.
• Pluralism is an inherent, structural feature of this world, giving meaning to its existence.
• True unity, embodied by the 'essence of humanity' or the Perfect Human, will be revealed in the Resurrection and at the end of time.