M6:3231 — هست احول را درین ویرانه دیر / گوشه گوشه نقل نو ای ثم خیر

Translation: The cross-eyed one (ahwal) in this desolate abode / from corner to corner seeks a new 'transfer' (naql-i now), saying 'then good (thumma khayr)!' Meaning: This verse describes the plight of a person with a distorted, 'double-seeing' vision who constantly wanders in this world, believing that true good or fulfillment lies perpetually in the next place, always external to their present state.

This verse explicitly refers to a remarkable and profound allegory by Mawlana, the story of Kashan and the 'man named Omar.' In my view, this is one of the most crucial keys to understanding the doctrine of Tawḥīd-i Afʿālī (unity of acts) and the quest for unity within the Mathnawī. There, Mawlana recounts the tale of a man named Omar who entered a Shi'ite city like Kashan. Every shopkeeper who heard his name would not only refuse him bread but would also direct him to another shop, saying, 'Go, get bread from that one; it is better.' This 'redirection from place to place' (ḥavāle-ye jā-ba-jā) and 'new transfer' (naql-i now) is precisely what this verse describes. But what was the man's problem? He failed to realize that all these shops were, in essence, one; all followed a single will. His 'cross-eyed' (aḥwal) vision perceived a multiplicity that, in hidden reality, was a unified whole.

I strongly contend that this 'ahwal' (cross-eyedness) refers to a deficiency in one's monotheistic vision. Someone who sees the world as a fragmented multiplicity, rather than a single entity stemming from one Will, constantly moves from one corner to another. Each time, hoping for thumma khayr (an Arabic phrase from the Quran, 'Wherever you turn, there is the Face of God,' which this echoes, though with a different implication here), meaning, they believe goodness and salvation lie 'there,' in the next place. What they fail to realize is that until their vision unifies, every place will remain this 'desolate abode' (vīrāne-ye deyr). This world is a 'desolate abode' that, for the ahwal, promises a 'new transfer' or a 'redirection' at every turn, but in practice leads only to wandering and deprivation of 'bread' (spiritual sustenance).

Here's the crucial point: Mawlana, through this allegory, suggests that the problem is not with 'Kashan' (the world) or the 'shops' (the manifestations of existence); the problem lies with our 'name' and our 'ahwal' vision. If that man had identified himself as 'Ali,' he would have received bread without any redirection. In fact, if his ahwal vision were cured, and he understood that beyond the apparent names and forms, a unity is hidden (whether his name was Omar or Ali), he would be freed from this wandering. This is what Mawlana emphasizes in other verses: 'So the living, standing Imam is that saint / be it from the lineage of Omar or Ali.' What matters are the 'good and ill inclinations' within us.

This 'wandering' (sargardānī) and 'futility' (yāveh-gardī) are the results of losing one's true abode and the meaning of life. One who possesses a monotheistic vision, and whose 'truth-recognizing eye sees the Friend permeating both realms' ('bar do chashm-i ḥaqq-shenās āmad ū rā / Dūst por bīn ʿarṣe-ye har do sarā'), is freed from 'redirection from place to place' in this 'Kashan full of fear and hope' ('Kāshān-i por-khawf-o-rajā'). They no longer knock on every door, constantly seeking 'psychotropic pills' or 'yoga' to alleviate their 'melancholy' (malālat), because their soul is filled with 'sharp strength' ('quvvat-i tīz'), and 'grief does not linger within the hearts of mystics' ('gham na-pāyad dar darūn-i ʿārifān'). Mystics, being 'home-bound' ('khāne-row'), 'do not turn their heads or proceed stealthily' ('sar na-gardānam na dozdāne-rowam'); they know their home and boldly advance towards it. For me, this verse is Mawlana's warning to those who, caught in a pluralistic worldview, remain oblivious to the truth of unity and are steeped in the 'melancholy of existence.'

Key takeaways

• The 'cross-eyed' (ahwal) vision signifies a failure to perceive unity within multiplicity, leading to perpetual wandering in the world.
• For one with distorted perception, this world is a 'desolate abode' where perfection is always 'there,' never in the present moment or here.
• The problem lies in one's individual perception, not in the world's reality; changing one's 'name' (vision) is key to liberation from confusion.
• One who recognizes truth and sees the Beloved everywhere is freed from constant external seeking and being redirected from place to place.
• Finding one's true abode and the meaning of life requires a monotheistic vision that eradicates melancholy and existential wandering.