M6:3220 — او بگوید رو بدان دیگر دکان / زان یکی نان به کزین پنجاه نان

Translation: He will say: "Go to that other shop; / One bread from there is better than fifty of these." Meaning: This verse recounts the words of a shopkeeper who, refusing to sell bread to a person named "Omar" (an undesirable name in the Shi'i town of Kashan), dismissively directs him to another shop, implying that one bread from there is worth fifty from his own.

Mowlana, in this verse, alludes to a charming and profound allegory of the city of Kashan, which at the time, like Qom and Sabzevar, was predominantly Shi'ite. Imagine, in such a town, where its people share a unified sentiment (in this case, an aversion to the name 'Omar'), a person named 'Omar' goes to a shop to buy bread. The shopkeeper, with polite but firm words, directs him to another shop, saying: "Go to that other shop; / One bread from there is better than fifty of these." This is, in fact, a complete rejection and dismissal, with the implicit message that even if you go to every shop in town, you will receive the same answer, because all shops are, in this sense, 'one.'

This tale is an allegory of the knowledge of unity and multiplicity. The individual named 'Omar', in this parable, symbolizes the 'ahwal' or 'double-sighted' person; that is, someone who perceives multiplicity and is oblivious to inner unity. He fails to understand that these shopkeepers, though seemingly numerous, are unified in a common intention and will. Thus, being rejected by one shop means being rejected by all shops in the city. This is the 'hawaaleh-ye ja-be-ja' (referral from place to place) that keeps a person in spiritual wandering and homelessness. Mowlana states that this 'ahwal'-ness prevents one from attaining 'nan' (bread), which signifies spiritual sustenance and divine gnosis.

I have always emphasized that for Mowlana, these names and appearances are veils over reality. Although at first glance the story might carry historical or religious connotations, Mowlana transcends them. In other verses, he explicitly states: "Thus the living, ever-present Imam is that Saint / Whether from the lineage of Omar or Ali." It is here that Nicholson rightly points out Mowlana's aim to move beyond these superficial divisions. 'Omar' in this story is no longer merely a historical name but a symbol of the 'ahwal-bin' ego, the ego afflicted by duality and discord. And 'Ali' symbolizes the unity-seeing eye, the symbol of sainthood (wilāyat) and submission to the singular Truth. One who changes their 'name' from 'Omar' (discord) to 'Ali' (unity) will no longer need referrals from shop to shop and will receive 'bread without referral and without sorrow.'

This verse teaches us that in this 'Kashan of fear and hope' (which is the world of nature and earthly life), if we seek spiritual 'bread' with a double-sighted eye and a disturbed heart, we will always be adrift, referred from one shop to another. The way to liberation from this 'malāl' (ennui) and 'sargardāni' (wandering) is to change our perception. We must 'wash our eyes, and see differently'; cleanse the inner eye from the dust of multiplicity and make it 'shah-shenās' (king-recognizing) to discern the 'King in every garb.' It is then that 'life gains meaning,' and a person is freed from referrals and from this 'aimless wandering,' finding their home in the 'Beloved who fills both realms.' This is the truth of union (wisāl) that frees a person from the metaphysics of separation (firaq) and places them in the perpetual presence of the Beloved.

Key takeaways

• The Kashan parable illustrates unity in collective sentiment: rejection from one source implies rejection from all.
• The character 'Omar' symbolizes a dualistic mindset (ahwal) that obstructs the reception of spiritual sustenance.
• True spiritual nourishment ('bread') is attained only when one sheds divisive identities ('Omar') and embraces unity ('Ali').
• The phrase "one bread from there is better than fifty of these" is a dismissal of the differentiating eye that fails to perceive underlying oneness.
• Spiritual wandering and ennui stem from an inability to recognize the Beloved's unified presence everywhere and within oneself.
• Attaining spiritual insight necessitates cleansing the inner eye to transcend superficial distinctions and grasp universal truth.