M6:3454 — کای اچی بس خوب اسپی نیست این / از بهشتست این مگر نه از زمین

Translation: Oh, brother (achi), is this not a most excellent horse? It must be from Paradise, not from Earth. Meaning: Khwarazmshah, captivated by the horse's apparent beauty and splendor, asks Emad al-Molk if this magnificent creature is of heavenly or earthly origin.

In this verse, Rumi brings to a head the story of Khwarazmshah, the horse, and his vizier Emad al-Molk. The Shah, whose perception is simple and immersed in the “eye of the present” (chashm-e hāl)—that is, the outward appearance of things—is utterly enchanted by the horse. He asks his vizier if this magnificent creature could possibly be from Paradise, indicating the ultimate level of his admiration and wonder; he perceives the horse as being beyond earthly creation.

However, this marks a turning point for Emad al-Molk's intervention and the impact of his words. As Rumi explains in subsequent verses (not this one), Emad al-Molk initially offers superficial agreement but immediately proceeds to point out a flaw in the horse—its head is “like a cow's”—thereby transforming the Shah's perception. Here, the distinction between “eye of the present” (chashm-e hāl) and “eye of the outcome” (chashm-e ma'āl) becomes evident. The Shah sees with chashm-e hāl, considering only the immediate appearance and moment. Emad al-Molk, however, views with chashm-e ma'āl, possessing a deeper, far-sighted gaze that can discern flaws and consequences. It is this chashm-e ma'āl that bestows wisdom and insight upon a person.

Rumi uses this narrative to teach us how the words and perspective of a malicious “matchmaker” (dallāla) or intermediary can alter the true value of something in another's eyes. “From three yards of canvas, you can find a Joseph”; meaning, a cunning dallāla can, with a few words, sell the Joseph of Canaan for the paltry price of three yards of canvas, just as Joseph's brothers sold him for a few paltry dirhams. This story carries a deeper allegory: that in the “hour of the soul's parting” and the distress of death, the “demonic matchmaker” (Satan) arrives and claims a lifetime's faith for the trivial price of “a jug of water,” even though that water itself is a mere mirage and illusion.

The most crucial lesson Rumi derives from this tale is a warning to safeguard one's “own eye” and “own intellect.” Khwarazmshah abandoned his own sight and chose Emad al-Molk's eye; he disregarded his own intellect and listened to his words. This means we should not lend our perception and reason to others or sell them to their opinions. We must discern truths with our own insight. Many things that captivate us are like a “rotten nut,” whose exterior is deceptive but whose interior is empty and hollow.

However, in a deeper reading, Rumi suggests that even these temptations and external influences are ultimately nothing more than pretexts. “This was a pretext, and that unique Judge [God] / in His wisdom, cooled the Shah's heart towards the horse.” This is the mystical approach that regards all apparent causes and means as veils over God's direct action, allowing the “cycle of heedlessness” to continue for a while.

Key takeaways

• The distinction between the 'eye of the present' (superficial perception) and the 'eye of the outcome' (deep, far-sighted insight) in understanding reality.
• How the words of a malicious intermediary (dallāla) can transform the true value of something in another's perception.
• The importance of safeguarding one's own intellect and insight against external, deceptive influences of the world.
• The analogy of the 'rotten nut' for the world and anything whose exterior is alluring but interior is hollow.
• In the mystical view, even temptations and external factors are mere pretexts for the realization of God's will and wisdom.
• Rumi emphasizes seeing with one's own eyes, not others', and judging with one's own intellect, not others' words.