M6:3588 — خشکی نخلش همی‌گوید پدید / که ز فرزندان شجر نم می‌کشید

Translation: The dryness of its palm tree clearly speaks / that it used to draw moisture from the children of the tree. Meaning: This verse asserts that the visible decay of something reveals the prior existence of hidden channels of nourishment that have now ceased to flow, specifically referring to the spiritual sustenance parents derive from their children.

This verse unveils a profound truth: that affairs in this world do not always flow through visible and material channels. Here, Mowlana teaches us to always pay attention to the “hidden qanats” and “secret paths” that remain unseen by our eyes. He illuminates the relationship between parents and children with a vivid example. Notice that in the preceding context of this verse, Mowlana speaks of ʿayn, which in Arabic means both ‘spring’ and ‘eye’. He engages in an artistic wordplay to explain how parents draw water from the child’s eyes (symbolizing the child’s vitality and spirit) to keep the “gardens of mother and father” fresh. This nourishment, I assure you, is not material; it is of the same kind as Gabriel’s strength, which came “from the vision of the Loving Creator,” not “from the kitchen.” Thus, the palm tree that has withered in this verse symbolizes the parents. This dryness is not merely a superficial symptom; rather, it is a clear and evident testimony to the prior existence of a vital connection that has now been severed. It is as if the very nature of the palm tree loudly proclaims, “I was once irrigated from elsewhere, from an invisible source.” This is the same lesson reiterated throughout the Masnavi: our vision must not be confined to apparent causes. Our life, our growth, and even our decline always have hidden and immaterial roots. It is like the civilization of the qanats, as the late Bastani Parizi eloquently described; these underground channels, though hidden, sustained the lives of nations for centuries. When they were blocked, cities withered. This verse tells us that in human relationships and existential bonds, such hidden qanats also exist; if they dry up, life itself will wither. Therefore, the dryness of the palm tree is not just a consequence but itself a sign—a sign of the hidden, spiritual conduits that used to flow from child to parent and are now interrupted. This is a message to the heedless: O heedless ones, know that your souls, even unknowingly, are connected to thousands of other “hidden qanats.”

Key takeaways

• Nourishment and life do not flow solely through material and visible channels; “hidden qanats” are perpetually at work.
• Apparent decay (like the palm tree’s dryness) can itself be clear evidence of a severed hidden, vital conduit.
• Human relationships, especially between parents and children, contain deep and immaterial life-giving currents.
• Mowlana invites us to see beyond appearances and discover the spiritual roots of existence, just as Gabriel drew strength from the “vision of the Loving Creator.”