M6:3217 — چون دو دیدی ماندی از هر دو طرف / آتشی در خف فتاد و رفت خف

Translation: When you perceived duality, you were stuck from both sides; A fire fell upon the bat's wing/head, and the bat was gone. Meaning: This verse warns of the peril of perceiving duality in existence; whoever sees two instead of the One will be deprived of both, and that limited, twilight-seeing aspect of their being, enslaved by division, will ultimately be consumed by the flame of truth.

This verse is a masterpiece, articulating the monotheistic essence of Rumi's thought and his warning against the delusion of perceiving duality in existence. Rumi relentlessly calls us towards unity, stating here that if you perceive two in the world, you remain deprived of both sides; meaning, you attain neither the reality of one nor the reality of the other. This dualistic vision itself acts as a veil, obstructing union.

Rumi employs a wondrous allegory to elucidate this truth: 'A fire fell upon the bat's wing/head, and the bat was gone.' 'Khaf' here can mean a bird's wing or a bat – a creature that, due to its aversion to light, symbolizes imperfect and dim-sighted vision. When fire (symbolizing the light of truth, divine love, and the divine presence) falls upon this dualistic vision or this bat-like existence, it annihilates it. This is precisely what we call 'fana' in mysticism: the annihilation of that aspect of existence which prevents the apprehension of Tawhid (Divine Unity).

I have often explained this truth using Rumi's metaphor of 'iron in the furnace of fire.' Just as dark iron, when intensely heated in a furnace, absorbs all the qualities of fire – becoming hot, burning, and luminous – so too does the spiritual seeker in the furnace of divine proximity become transformed, acquiring divine attributes. They become 'filled with God.' Their 'khaf'-like being, that part of their existence which bore the color and scent of self and perceived duality, can no longer withstand the fire of unity and is effaced. There is no longer iron and fire, but only fire made manifest. This is 'Ṣibghat Allāh' (the Dye of God); the divine dyeing vat into which, if one enters, one becomes monochromatic, no longer capable of perceiving duality.

Another key point, which Rumi elaborates upon in the second book, in the story of the man named 'Omar' in Kashan, directly explains this verse. He recounts that in a city where all shops operate under a single will (united, as Rumi puts it, in their refusal to serve someone named Omar), if a stranger with that name enters and approaches one shop, they are directed to another. This man, being 'aḥwal' (cross-eyed or confused) and perceiving the shops as separate entities, fails to understand that all the shops in this city are one. Consequently, because of his dualistic vision (believing one shop differs from another), he remains deprived of both sides (i.e., of bread from any shop). This allegory is a precise illustration of 'When you perceived duality, you were stuck from both sides.' Perceiving multiplicity where unity reigns leads to nothing but deprivation. That 'khaf' which is enslaved by this scattered, dim vision cannot endure the light of unity and is effaced by it. This annihilation is not a calamity but the essence of freedom and salvation: freedom from the constraint of dualistic vision and union with the singular Truth.

Key takeaways

• Perceiving duality in existence prevents the attainment of truth in either aspect, leaving the seeker deprived.
• Dualistic vision is symbolized by the bat, trapped in the darkness of ignorance and veils.
• The fire of truth, divine love, or the divine presence annihilates and consumes that which perceives duality.
• The concept of 'fana' (annihilation of the dualistic self) is essential for achieving 'baqa' (subsistence in unity).
• The allegory of iron in the furnace and the story of the man named Omar in Kashan are clear examples of this verse in Rumi's explanation.
• Liberation from the perspective of 'two' is a prerequisite for attaining the truth of 'One'; this is not a calamity, but salvation itself.