M6:3230 — اندرین کاشان خاک از احولی / چون عمر می‌گرد چون نبوی علی

Translation: In this earthly Kashan, from strabismus (double-vision), Why do you wander like Omar, since you cannot be Ali? Meaning: This verse questions why individuals in the material world wander aimlessly due to their dualistic perception, implying that merely adopting a different name or identity (like Ali, in contrast to Omar) without changing one's fundamental vision will not lead to true fulfillment.

This verse by Mawlana, like many others in the Mathnavi, presents a profound and multi-layered allegory rooted in historical and social realities of his time, yet reaching into the deepest human condition. Mawlana refers here to the familiar story of Kashan, a city that, like Qom and Sabzevar, was predominantly Shi'ite in an era when most of Iran was Sunni. Such cities often held a particular aversion to the name 'Omar'. Imagine a person named 'Omar trying to buy bread in such a city. Even if he offers 'a hundred dang'—a hefty price—no baker would sell to him. If he goes from one shop to another, from one referral to the next, all will refuse him, because in their collective rejection of 'Omar, all shops are 'one'; it is as if there is only one seller in the city.

Mawlana now extends this allegory to the realm of existence and the condition of the 'double-sighted' human being. He asks: 'In this earthly Kashan, from strabismus (double-vision) / Why do you wander like Omar, since you cannot be Ali?' This 'earthly Kashan' (Kashan-e Khāk) is the material world where we live. Ahwali (strabismus or double-vision) signifies a perception that sees multiplicity instead of unity, fragmenting a singular reality into many parts. Mawlana inquires: Why do you roam aimlessly in this world, like that 'Omar in Kashan, seeking the bread of existence (meaning and tranquility) but finding none? He immediately adds: 'Chun nabavi Ali?' (Since you are not Ali?). This crucial phrase can have two meanings. Firstly, merely changing one's name or adopting a superficial affiliation with 'Ali' (who, in contrast to 'Omar, would be accepted by the Kashanis) does not solve the underlying problem, which lies in your ahwali, not in the name you bear. If you remain double-sighted, even with the name 'Ali', you will not find the bread you seek. Secondly, Mawlana elsewhere explicitly states: 'Then the living, abiding Imam is that Wali / Be he from the lineage of Omar or Ali.' From this perspective, for Mawlana, authenticity lies with the station of walayat (spiritual guardianship) and guidance, not with lineage or an external name. A person who, on the path of truth, cultivates nā-ahwali (non-double-vision) and unity of sight, finds that 'Omar' and 'Ali' no longer hold essential distinctions; both become manifestations of a single, unified truth. Indeed, it is this illumination (ishrāq) of nā-ahwali that opens the eye of the heart, allowing 'Ali's essence to settle in the heart in place of 'Omar's name.

This wandering in the 'earthly Kashan' is a direct consequence of this double-vision. The double-sighted human constantly moves 'from this corner to that corner,' searching for 'new narratives' and 'good' in external places. As Mawlana says, they suffer from constant 'referral' (havāle-ye jā-be-jā); they visit this doctor, try that yoga, read this book, and watch that program, but they never find peace because they have lost their true home. They are lost in 'Kashan, full of fear and hope' (Kashan-e pur-khawf-o-rajā)—this world full of anxieties and expectations.

The path to liberation, however, is to open the 'eye that sees unity' (dīde-ye vahdat-bīn). When one's vision is cleansed of ahwali, one becomes a 'friend who sees the Beloved throughout both realms' (dūst-pur bīn ʿarṣe-ye har do sarā)—perceiving the divine presence in all existence. Only then does one become free from constant referral and wandering, and life gains its true meaning. Such a person no longer laments 'Alas!' (darīghā) or reminisces 'Would that it were!' (yād bād), but becomes an 'Ibn al-waqt'—a child of the moment, living fully in the present, unburdened by past or future. The stream of their soul fills with the clear water of truth, leaving no room for the debris of sorrow and confusion. Mawlana even suggests that in such a vision, what once appeared as 'reflection' (aks) and 'imagination' (khayāl) is, in fact, 'reality' itself. This is why he alludes to the story of Balqis and Solomon: Balqis mistook the glass floor for water and lifted her skirt, but Solomon's palace floor was made of glass, and her illusion of water stemmed from double-vision or lack of discerning the truth. Mawlana says, 'Do not be naked like Balqis from the bubble'—do not be deceived by appearances, but see the truth beyond the image. This materialization of the imaginary and the actualization of the reflection is one of Mawlana's most brilliant mystical teachings, rooted in the different levels of existence and the reality of imagination within the cosmic order. In this state, water yields fruit, and a reflection fills the basket, because 'I desire an eye that is king-discerning / So that it may recognize the King in every guise,' and all forms and appearances are manifestations of truth, not mere illusion.

Key takeaways

• Wandering and spiritual malaise in the material world originate from ahwali (double-vision), not from a flawed reality.
• Merely changing one's name or external identity (e.g., Omar to Ali) without an inner shift in perception does not resolve spiritual wandering.
• Unity of vision (nā-ahwali) means perceiving the singular Truth within the multiplicity of appearances.
• Freedom from constant referral and aimless seeking is achieved by opening the eye that discerns unity.
• The material world (Kashan-e Khāk) is fraught with fear and hope; only a unified vision leads to tranquility.
• What appears as an illusion or reflection to the double-sighted eye is, for the truth-perceiving eye, reality itself and the fruit of existence.