M6:3221 — گر نبودی احول او اندر نظر / او بگفتی نیست دکانی دگر

Translation: Were he not cross-eyed (or dim-sighted) in his perception, he would have said, 'There is no other shop [different from this one].' Meaning: This verse suggests that true insight reveals the underlying unity of all phenomena; perceived differences and separate options are merely products of a limited, dualistic vision.

I interpret this verse within the framework of Rumi’s remarkable parable about a man named 'Omar' seeking bread in the city of 'Kashan.' This city, Rumi describes, was inhabited by Shi'ites who held an aversion to the name Omar. Rumi paints a picture of this Omar-named man going from one bakery to another, only to be refused bread and directed to the next shop. But who, then, gets to buy this bread?

Here, Rumi, with his characteristic profound insight, labels this 'Omar-named' man as 'ahwal' (cross-eyed, double-sighted, or lacking deep spiritual perception). The crucial point of this verse lies precisely here: 'Were he not ahwal in his perception, he would have said, 'There is no other shop [different from this one].'' Had this man not possessed an ahwal vision, had he seen the world as unified rather than fragmented, he would have readily understood that there was no distinction between the shops in Kashan. All held a singular stance. Thus, moving from one shop to another was futile, leading to nothing but wandering and deprivation.

What is the purpose of this parable? Rumi suggests that this 'Kashan of dust,' this very natural world in which we live, bears many similarities to that city. We too, in this world fraught with fear and hope, wander from 'shop' to 'shop.' Today, seeking psychological remedies; tomorrow, spiritual solutions; the day after, a philosophical school. Each time, we are referred: 'Go to that other shop.' This aimless wandering, this 'sargardāni,' is a consequence of that very 'ahwali.' It means we perceive the world as fragmented and disparate, whereas, in its depths, a single, unified truth flows. The bread of truth is granted only to those who have grasped this singular truth, not to those entangled in names and sectarian divisions, seeing the world through an ahwal eye.

Rumi proceeds to say, 'the illumination of that non-ahwali'—that is, the light of corrected vision—if it were to shine upon this person's heart, his 'Omar' would transform into 'Ali.' Nicholson interprets this as the man discerning no difference between Omar and Ali. But I wish to go further. Elsewhere, Rumi states, 'Thus, the living, abiding Imam is that Saint / Be it from the lineage of Omar or from Ali.' For Rumi, the essence is spiritual guardianship and truth, not names, lineages, or sects. If we possess the insight of unity, we see that beneath the apparent multiplicity of names and shops, a single truth lies hidden. The bread of truth is only found by one who has exchanged that (sectarian) name for the name of the unified truth, and cast aside that ahwali vision.

Key takeaways

• An 'ahwal' (double-sighted) perception prevents one from seeing the underlying unity within apparent multiplicity.
• Aimless wandering from one 'shop' to another in life is a result of dualistic vision and failing to grasp the single truth.
• Overcoming 'ahwali' means recognizing the inherent oneness of all paths leading to the same Truth.
• To attain the 'bread of truth,' one must transcend names and sects, cultivating a vision of unity.
• A life of wandering and melancholy stems from this inability to perceive the integrated nature of existence.