M6:1462 — در گداز این جمله تن را در بصر / در نظر رو در نظر رو در نظر

Translation: Melt this entire body into vision; / Go into the gaze, go into the gaze, go into the gaze. Meaning: Rumi emphasizes that one must transform their entire being into the faculty of perception, immersing oneself completely in profound, inner vision.

This couplet is a distillation of Rumi's epistemology and an unequivocal command: "Melt this entire body into vision; / Go into the gaze, go into the gaze, go into the gaze." It instructs you to dissolve your entire being—this physical body, this earthly frame—into your eyes, into your gaze. This, Rumi asserts, is the only task truly worthy of you, and it is what remains and truly serves you: this act of profound "gazing" or nazar.

As I have often reiterated, Rumi declares: "We are all eye; the rest is mere skin." Our very essence lies in this act of seeing. He calls this seeing nazar, and it finds its Western philosophical equivalent in contemplation: a deep, penetrating gaze into the cosmos and the depths of one's own being. This is also a Quranic imperative, as in "Let man look to his food" (Q. 80:24). One should not live with eyes shut; even when consuming food, one must not merely focus on its pleasure. Instead, one should delve into its depths: from where did this food come? What effect will it have on me? Is it lawful? And beyond that, why am I eating it? To merely fatten the body, or to nourish the soul? This nazar extends to intellectual and spiritual sustenance too; one must discern the sources of nourishment for one's mind and soul.

As Sohrab Sepehri beautifully put it, "We are nothing, we are gaze." Rumi's words echo this sentiment, stating that humanity is merely a pair of eyes, with the rest of one's being no more than skin. Elsewhere, Rumi speaks of the "kohl of the gnostics": "Seek the kohl that gnostics use, / So your stream-like eye may become an ocean." One must apply this kohl to one's eyes so that a narrow, stream-like vision transforms into a vast ocean; meaning, one attains an infinite capacity for perception and breadth of insight.

"This vision, from you, shall come to fruition, / The rest of you is fat and flesh, warp and woof." Here, Rumi explicitly devalues the physical body. This "fat" (shahm) and "flesh" (lahm) serve no higher purpose; "Your fat brings no light to candles, / Your flesh offers no kebab to the inebriated." Your true worth lies not in fat and meat, but in this very faculty of perception and seeing. Therefore, you must condense your entire body and physical being into this gaze. You must "Go into the gaze, go into the gaze, go into the gaze." This repetition is not just for emphasis, but an invitation to a "perpetual journey" within the gaze; a complete immersion in observation.

Different forms of "gazing" exist, of course: "One gaze sees two cubits of the road, / Another sees both worlds and the King's face." Some see no further than their own nose, while others perceive both realms and even the face of the King—the absolute Truth and divine Beauty. The difference between these two is immeasurable. To achieve that profound gaze, one must seek the "kohl of the gnostics." This nazar is antithetical to "seeing double" (du-bīnī) or hawl (strabismus), where one perceives multiplicity instead of unity. Rumi seeks to abolish this "seeing double," which stems from our illusions and fantasies, through "true gaze," leading us to "unity."

This emphasis on nazar and "action" (amal) is also intertwined with the concept of "regret for lost opportunities" (hasrat-i fawt). One who, in this world, fails to "gaze" deeply will, after death, be consumed by "regret." "Regret" is more searing than "fire" itself, for it is unproductive and offers no possibility of amends. This nazar is a form of "work," a kind of "swimming in the ocean of meaning," that saves one from remaining caught in "foam" (kaf) and mere "forms" (naqsh-hā). The "foam" (appearance) is nourished by the "sea" (inner reality), and beneath every "form" (surat), a "meaning" (maʿnā) lies hidden. "When you see the foam, behold the ocean of creation." It is this nazar that rescues us from the "crisis" (bohrān) after death: "The sea has cast you into your crisis." Therefore, this couplet is an invitation to transform into pure "seeing," to grasp the depths and "meaning beneath the form" before it is too late and "opportunities" are lost.

Key takeaways

• Human existence must be transformed into a faculty of perception and inner observation; true reality lies in seeing, not in the physical body.
• "Nazar," or a penetrating gaze, is the sole enduring and effective action available to humans, unlike the ephemeral body which holds no ultimate value.
• Rumi distinguishes between superficial seeing (two cubits of the road) and profound vision (both worlds and the King's face), urging humans to seek the "kohl of the gnostics" for expanded insight.
• The couplet serves as a command to combat "seeing double" (du-bīnī) and illusions, aiming for "unity" through authentic observation.
• Immersing oneself in nazar is a form of spiritual "work" (kār) that saves one from "regret for lost opportunities" (hasrat-i fawt).
• One must perceive "meaning" beneath "form" and "water" beneath "foam," penetrating to the depths of existential truths.