M6:1040 — کو به نزد من همی‌ارزد دو کون / من به جانش ناظرستم تو به لون

Translation: That [slave] is worth to me the two worlds; I am attentive to his soul, you to his color. Meaning: Abu Bakr declares to the seller that Bilal's true worth, for him, lies not in his outward appearance but in the essence of his soul, a value that outweighs both worlds.

This verse encapsulates the utterance of Siddiq-i Akbar, Abu Bakr, during the pivotal tale of his purchase of Bilal from the stone-hearted Jew. Mowlana masterfully employs this narrative to articulate one of his core epistemological insights. The Jewish seller, steeped in his mercantile cunning, erupts in scornful laughter, believing he has outwitted Abu Bakr by selling a "worthless" slave for an exorbitant price. But Abu Bakr, whose insight transcends mere appearances, responds with a profound rebuke: "O fool, you gave away a gem for a mere nut, like a child!" Unwittingly, you relinquished an invaluable gem for something trivial, akin to a child bartering a precious stone for a walnut.

The fundamental truth, Mowlana insists, is that the real value of any person or thing lies in their essence and soul, not in their physical form or superficial attributes. Bilal, despite being an "أسود غلام" (a black slave) and outwardly devalued in the society of his time, was of such lofty inner essence and spirit that Abu Bakr declares: "That [slave] is worth to me the two worlds." He is worth both this transient world and the enduring afterlife.

Here, Mowlana clearly delineates the fundamental contrast between two modes of perception: "I am attentive to his soul, you to his color." I, meaning the gnostic and insightful human, focus on the essence of the soul and the truth of being, seeking value from within. But you, O worshipper of appearances, attend solely to "lon"—to color, surface, form, and external manifestations. This difference in perspective marks the boundary between wisdom and ignorance, serving as the criterion for distinguishing true values from deceptive appearances.

Mowlana further expands on this theme elsewhere, stating: "Pure gold is made to appear black / For the envy of this abode of fools." Gold, inherently red and precious, sometimes disguises itself with a layer of blackness to appear worthless, protecting itself from swindlers and the covetous eyes of fools. This is precisely the method of the Malamatiyya, where mystics, to keep outwardly-focused people at bay, cloaked themselves in garments of blame and indifference. Bilal, in Abu Bakr's eyes, is that same pure gold darkened, his black exterior concealing his brilliant inner essence from the short-sighted. This story is not merely about Bilal's value, but about every hidden gem in the world that only the eye of the soul can discern.

Key takeaways

• A person's true worth lies in their inner essence and soul, not in their physical appearance or color.
• Mowlana contrasts two modes of perception: superficiality versus insight and inner vision.
• What appears worthless to the outwardly focused may be a gem worth two worlds in the eyes of a gnostic.
• Mowlana uses the metaphor of 'red gold made black' to allude to the Malamatiyya method of concealing inner essence from the ignorant.
• This verse is an invitation to transcend judgment based on appearances and to discover hidden truths.