M6:3152 — چونک قبح خویش دیدی ای حسن / اندر آیینه بر آیینه مزن

Translation: O you who deem yourself fair, when you saw your own flaw in the mirror, do not strike at the mirror within the mirror. Meaning: This verse addresses the human propensity to project one's own shortcomings onto others, instructing us to rectify ourselves rather than blame or confront the mirror (others) that reflects our imperfections.

Mowlana, in this and the surrounding verses, unveils one of his deepest psychological teachings, stemming from a captivating tale: that of the lion and the rabbit. The lion plunges into the well to battle its 'enemy,' only to fight its own reflection. This is a potent parable for humanity.

I contend, without a doubt, that Mowlana here engages in a profound psychoanalysis of the human self. We are accustomed to projecting our own flaws and weaknesses onto others. While ostensibly clashing with another person, deeper inquiry often reveals that we are, in fact, warring with a shadow of our own being. This phenomenon, termed 'projection' in modern psychology, is beautifully illustrated in Mowlana's verse.

'O one who deems yourself fair, when you saw your own flaw in the mirror'; observe how he addresses the recipient as 'fair' (حسن), implying: O you who perceive yourself as good and beautiful. This itself contains a deep irony: you see yourself as flawless, yet your flaws are reflected in another. The other person is a mirror-plate for you. When you behold your own defect in this mirror, 'do not strike at the mirror within the mirror.' That is, instead of lashing out at the mirror (the other person) or blaming it, turn back to yourself. If you wish to eradicate the root of enmity, you must do so within your own being, not in the other.

Mowlana elaborates: 'Your ugly habits showed your face in him / For he was a mirror-plate to you.' This means that what you find displeasing in another is often a manifestation of your own undesirable character. The other has merely shown you your own visage. This resonates deeply with Hafez's verse: 'Do not fault the libertines, O pure-hearted ascetic / For the sins of others will not be written against you.' However, Mowlana takes it a step further, suggesting that the other's sin is, in essence, your own, of the same kind as your own transgression.

Mowlana then employs the analogy of the star and the water: 'A bright star is striking the water / And you are throwing dirt on the reflection of the star.' If a star is reflected in the water, and you deem it unlucky, and to dispel its ill-fortune you throw dirt into the water, you have only obscured the star's reflection, while the unlucky star remains in the sky. The path to remedy lies in returning to the origin. This is a lesson I have emphasized repeatedly: instead of fighting the 'reflection,' one must reach and heal the 'origin.' This verse and those around it convey a single message: 'Cultivate essence-seeing, O crooked-gazer.' One must liberate oneself from distorted perception and gaze upon the source. To borrow a Platonic phrase, one must transcend the shadows and reach the Forms. What we perceive in this world as wrath and love is but a shadow of divine attributes, and what we find as flaws and crookedness in others is a reflection of our own existential defects and sins, made manifest in the mirror of others.

Key takeaways

• Projection of Faults: Most flaws we perceive in others are reflections of our own inner imperfections, not necessarily their inherent nature.
• Others as Mirrors: Every individual serves as a mirror, reflecting our own character and conduct back to us.
• Attacking the Self: Blaming or confronting others is akin to attacking one's own reflection in a mirror, ultimately harming oneself.
• Self-Rectification: Instead of battling the 'reflection' (others' faults), one must identify and rectify the 'original' (one's own faults).
• Deep Perception: It is essential to move beyond superficial 'reflections' and cultivate 'essence-seeing' (asl-bīnī) for true understanding and remedy.