M6:3473 — چشم مهتر چون به آخر بود جفت / پس بدان دیده جهان را جیفه گفت

Translation: Since the Elder's (the Prophet's) eye was paired with the End, Thus, with that sight, he called the world a carcass (jīfa).

Meaning: The beyt states that spiritual leaders and prophets, due to their profound foresight and grasp of ultimate consequences, perceive the world's true, ephemeral value and deem it a worthless 'carcass'.

This beyt, in essence, is the climax and conclusion of an instructive story in the Mathnawi: the tale of a king enamored with a horse, and his minister, Emad-ul-Mulk, who, with carefully chosen words, dampened the king’s affection for the animal. The story aimed to illustrate how a counselor's perspective could sway that of a sovereign. Yet, Mowlana, as always, transcends the superficial to reach deeper layers of wisdom. He uses this narrative to expound on the crucial distinction between cheshm-e hāl (the eye of the present or surface) and cheshm-e maʾāl (the eye of the future or consequences).

I have frequently emphasized that true intellect (ʿaql) is foresight; the capacity to perceive the ultimate outcome of matters, not merely their transient appearances. The king viewed the horse solely with cheshm-e hāl, captivated by its beauty. Emad-ul-Mulk, however, utilizing cheshm-e maʾāl and considering the implications, highlighted a minor flaw in the horse's head, turning the king's heart away from it. Here, Mowlana goes further, stating that this ākhār-bīnī (end-sightedness) is the very quality of prophets and great spiritual figures. The mehter (Elder) in this beyt unequivocally refers to the Holy Prophet (PBUH), who, by virtue of his divine and timeless insight, viewed the world not with an earthly, desirous gaze, but with an eye connected to the ‘End’ and the ‘Consequence’.

This is the vision that led the Prophet to describe the world as jīfa (a carcass). A famous tradition attributed to him states: “Al-dunyā jīfa wa tālibuha kilāb” — 'The world is a carcass, and its seekers are dogs.' This stark expression conveys the profound insight that the world and its attachments, when measured against eternal truth, are hollow and worthless. Mowlana himself states elsewhere in the Mathnawi: “Jowz-e pūside ast dunyā ay amīn / emtehānesh kam kon, az dūr-ash bebin” ('The world, O trustworthy one, is a rotten walnut / Test it less, but observe it from afar'). The world is like a rotten walnut; it has an alluring exterior, but a hollow core. This applies not just to wealth and position, but also to many worldly 'sciences'; they may initially captivate, but ultimately prove to have no true kernel to offer.

Beyond the literal narrative, in Mowlana’s mystical view, it was God, the Dayyān-e Fard (the Unique Judge), who, az niyāz (out of necessity and divine wisdom), 'cooled' the king's heart towards the horse. Emad-ul-Mulk's words were merely a pretext, a 'sound of a door' – a closed door, whose true nature is only perceived by an eye whose 'vista has opened'. This illustrates that all events in the cosmos are, in reality, a veil over the actions of the Almighty, and apparent causes are merely a screen for the world's unfolding.

The fundamental lesson here is that we must not “dīd-e khod maghzār az dīd-e khasān” (abandon our own sight for the sight of the base). We should not surrender our inner vision to the gaze of others, especially the 'base' (khasān), for this can lead us towards the 'carcass'. We must exercise utmost care in choosing our guides and those who shape our discernment, for a blind guide cannot lead another blind person. This beyt reminds us that the true worth of things lies not in their appearance, but in their ultimate end and consequences; and only an eye that gazes towards the end is capable of grasping this truth.

Key takeaways

• True wisdom and intellect lie in foresight and perceiving the ultimate end of matters, not in being confined to surface appearances.
• The true value of the world and its attachments, when compared to eternal truth, is insignificant and hollow; the world is like a 'rotten walnut'.
• Prophets and divine elders view the world with the 'eye of consequences' (cheshm-e maʾāl), discerning its fleeting and baseless nature.
• Do not surrender your own insight to the 'gaze of the base' (dīd-e khasān); be vigilant in choosing your guides.
• All worldly events, even human interventions, are ultimately veils over God's action and divine wisdom.