M6:1039 — پس جوابش داد صدیق ای غبی / گوهری دادی به جوزی چون صبی

Translation: Then Ṣiddīq replied, "O foolish one! You gave away a jewel for a walnut, like a child." Meaning: This verse recounts Abu Bakr al-Siddiq's response to the Jewish seller of Bilal the Abyssinian. Abu Bakr tells the seller that he failed to recognize Bilal's intrinsic worth, a true jewel, and sold it for something as trivial as a walnut.

This verse is a shining jewel within the story of Bilal the Abyssinian and Abu Bakr al-Siddiq; a narrative that Rumi employs to unveil some of existence's most profound truths. Abu Bakr, having purchased Bilal, confronts the seller—a Jew intoxicated by the perceived high price received for a "black-faced" slave, and who considers Abu Bakr "dull-witted" and "light-headed." Abu Bakr's response, though, pierces to the core: "O foolish one! You gave away a jewel for a walnut, like a child." You sold a unique gem for a mere handful of walnuts, like a child who cannot discern the value of a diamond from a pebble, and sells it for a crust of bread. This is precisely the point Rumi alludes to in Book One: "Whoever buys cheap, sells cheap / A child will give a jewel for a loaf of bread."

This is no mere rebuke; it is the most fundamental critique of a superficial gaze upon existence. The seller's folly lay in seeing only Bilal's lon (color/appearance) and not his jān (soul/essence). He looked at Bilal's outward form, while Abu Bakr beheld his inner reality, his radiant spirit, and unwavering faith. Siddiq explicitly states, "I gaze upon his soul, while you upon his color." This distinction is the key to understanding the world in the Mathnawi: the apparent world is a veil over a hidden reality, and those who do not see beyond forms remain deprived of understanding the essence of being.

Rumi further elaborates on this truth with a clearer example in the same discussion: "He is red gold, but made to appear black / For the envy of this abode of fools." That is, this pure essence is like red gold deliberately darkened to hide it from greedy eyes and plunderers. This analogy carries two profound meanings: First, it recalls the "Malāmatī" tradition, where mystics, to escape public adulation and self-display, clad themselves in the garment of blame and ignominy. They blackened the red gold of their being with the tar of self-reproach to remain safe from hypocrisy and delusion. Second, it refers to the historical practice of people hiding their gold and silver during times of insecurity and raids; to preserve their wealth, they would make it appear black so it seemed worthless, deterring avarice. This wisdom sheds light on Bilal's stature; as if he too was a jewel deliberately wrapped in a "black" cloak, so that only discerning eyes would recognize his worth.

I believe this verse and Bilal's story unequivocally reveal one of Rumi's most fundamental mystical teachings: truth is hidden behind appearances, and only the eye of insight can distinguish the jewel from the stone, and the soul from the color. This is a call to transcend form-worship and attain insight into character, and this is the very path the Mathnawi has come to pave.

Key takeaways

• The story of Bilal and Abu Bakr serves as an allegory for discerning hidden values behind outward appearances.
• The Jewish seller symbolizes folly and a superficial view of existence, unable to distinguish soul from color.
• Rumi emphasizes that the true essence of humans and objects is often concealed beneath a veil of unappealing exteriors.
• Recognizing the 'red gold made to appear black' demands an insight that moves from form to essence.
• This verse is a profound critique of those who measure worth based on superficial and material judgments.