M6:2719 — هین بیا ای جان جان و صد جهان / خوش غنیمت دار نقد این زمان

Translation: O Soul of souls and a hundred worlds, come forth! Sweetly seize and cherish the cash of this present moment. Meaning: This verse is a direct invocation to the Divine, urging the seeker to recognize and value the immediate, 'cash-like' presence of God in the present moment, holding it as a precious bounty.

Mowlana, like many mystics, profoundly emphasizes the singular importance of ḥāl (the spiritual state) and aknun (the present moment). This invitation to seize the naqd-i īn zamān (the cash of this moment) stems from a deep mystical insight: truth, while transcending sequential time, reveals itself in the immediate now. The distinction between naqd (cash/present) and nasiye (credit/future promise) in Sufism separates direct divine experience from deferred promises of bliss. The ascetic (Zāhid) sells his paradise on credit, postponing it to the afterlife, whereas the mystic (ʿĀrif) finds his paradise here, in this ḥāl, as an immediate naqd.

In the Masnavi, this meaning expands significantly. Mowlana suggests that for the lover, even a 'slap' from the Beloved's hand is naqd and sweet, for it signifies the Beloved's immediate presence: “Especially that slap which comes from Your hand / For its sting and its back-of-the-neck blow make me drunk with You.” This reveals a crucial truth: for the lover, whatever comes from the Friend—be it bitter or sweet—is desirable and immediate (naqd), because it bears the mark of His presence. This immediate presence is infinitely superior to any deferred promise of sweetness that may never materialize.

To address the “Soul of souls and a hundred worlds” is to invoke the Divine Source of being, implying: O Origin of existence, in whom a hundred worlds are absorbed, since You are present now, in this very moment, You must be seized as a bounty. Here, Mowlana resonates with Hafez, who proclaims: “I am a disciple of the Master of the Magi, do not be upset with me, Sheikh / For you made promises, but he fulfilled them here and now.” The mystic perceives his paradise not in an illusory future but actualizes and benefits from it in his ḥāl, in this very world.

This seizing of the present moment does not imply disregarding the past or ignoring the future; rather, it means that everything that truly is, occurs in this very instant. Sufferings and tribulations, if they arrive by divine decree and from the hand of the Friend, are naqd—the immediate manifestation of His presence—and should not be shunned. Even if God's presence reveals itself as 'bitterness' and 'darkness,' for the awakened seeker, this bitterness too is a sign of His presence. The treasure of this time is precisely this unmediated manifestation. This is the difference Mowlana draws between those who lament (daryghā-sāyān) and those who live in the 'now' (aknun-zīyān); daryghā is a theft from the present, a clinging to a lost past, whereas naqd-i īn zamān is living in presence, without expectation of tomorrow's promises. This cherishing of the immediate is the insight that allows one to grasp truth in the luminosity of the present moment, refusing to trade it for the false promises of the future.

Key takeaways

• Divine presence is immediate (naqd) in the present moment.
• Present spiritual experience is more valuable than any future promise of bliss.
• Even tribulations, if from the Beloved's hand, are valuable manifestations of His immediate presence.
• Cherish the present moment and do not postpone spiritual experience.
• The mystic's paradise is attainable here and now, not in a promised future.