M6:3459 — چون غرض دلاله گشت و واصفی / از سه گز کرباس یابی یوسفی

Translation: When the matchmaker becomes biased and a describer, / For three yards of coarse canvas, you will find a Joseph. Meaning: This verse serves as a warning: if an intermediary, a broker, or a describer acts with ulterior motives, they possess the power to devalue the most precious things, making a Joseph seem purchasable for a mere trifle.

This verse by Mawlana delves into the profound impact of a matchmaker's or intermediary's intentions on how we perceive value and direct our understanding. The story preceding this couplet narrates how Khwarezmshah's heart grew cold toward his beautiful horse due to the cunning words of Emad al-Molk; he, through his rhetoric, fabricated a flaw in the horse, alienating the king from it. Mawlana generalizes this truth, stating: "When the matchmaker turns biased and a describer, / For three yards of coarse canvas, you will find a Joseph."

This 'matchmaker' (dallāla), the go-between in transactions or introductions, if corrupted by ulterior motives (gharaz), possesses the power to distort truth and genuine value. "Three yards of coarse canvas" (seh gaz karbās) symbolizes the cheapest, most worthless commodity, while "Joseph" (Yusuf) represents the pinnacle of beauty, perfection, and intrinsic worth. Through this allegory, Mawlana makes a clear allusion to the Quranic story of Prophet Joseph, whom his brothers sold for a paltry sum—"a meager price, a few dirhams"—and regarded him as "among those who showed no interest in him," thus deeming him worthless. When the matchmaker's bias intervenes, they can sell you a Joseph for the price of coarse canvas, or buy one from you, making it appear worthless in your eyes.

I have emphasized repeatedly that this intentional bias, this malice, has deep roots in human nature. The world is the eternal arena of Habil and Qabil's conflict, and we must not imagine that the Qabil-like figures have vanished. No, they are alive and sometimes appear more successful than ever. This destructive power of the biased intermediary is not limited to material transactions or marriage. Mawlana extends it to the realm of faith, stating: "When the time of separation from life comes, / The devil acts as the matchmaker for your faith." This means that in the throes of death and dying, Satan appears as a biased broker, attempting to buy a person's faith for a mere trifle, even "a jug of water" (abríq-i āb), referencing the tale of the dying ascetic. And this jug of water is a pure "illusion" (khayāl), a mere deception; the intention of that demonic broker is nothing but "to tear apart" (takhriq), to rend and fragment truth and faith.

The verse emphasizes that the "foolish" (ablah) and gullible person hastily sells their faith for these deceptions. This phenomenon is not confined to the moment of death. Mawlana asks: "Now that you are healthy and stout, / Do you give away sincerity for an illusion?" Even in health and during life, many of us sell our higher values and faith for "walnuts" (gardakān), meaning we exchange the essence of our soul and the kernel of truth for worldly deceptions and hollow appearances. This world, in Mawlana's words, is a "rotten walnut": "The world is a rotten walnut, O faithful one; / Test it little, observe it from afar." Its exterior seems to hold a kernel, but when cracked open, it is found to be hollow and decayed. Many fields of knowledge that captivate people, or many positions and reputations, ultimately prove to be this "rotten walnut."

The profound lesson Mawlana imparts from this anecdote and verse is about the importance of relying on "one's own eyes" (chashm-i khod) versus "others' eyes" (chashm-i dīgarān). Khwarezmshah "abandoned his own eye and chose his [Emad al-Molk's] eye; / He left his own sense and heard his word." He abandoned his present-seeing eye and trusted Emad al-Molk's far-sighted eye, which was not the result of benevolent foresight but of malice. The wise person is "far-sighted" (dūrandīsh), meaning they foresee consequences and are not fooled by deceptive appearances and the "unripe fruits" of false promises. "If you see its end from the beginning, / You will be free from its weak deception." We must not entrust our minds and perceptions to just anyone, but rather trust the most reliable teacher and guide, one who has no personal agenda and seeks only our benefit. This verse is a call to awaken reason and assert independence of judgment against biased descriptions.

Key takeaways

• Discern the true value of things and your faith independently, free from biased intermediaries.
• A biased intermediary possesses the power to transform values, making precious 'Josephs' appear worthless.
• Satan, acting as a broker, can steal one's faith in critical moments for a mere 'jug of water'.
• The world and its deceptions are, in Mawlana's view, like a rotten walnut: attractive on the outside, hollow within.
• Relying on 'others' eyes' and abandoning 'one's own' is the primary cause of deception and loss of values.
• Far-sighted reason, focusing on consequences, is the only way to escape the trap of deceptive appearances and false promises.