M2:151 — مردهٔ خود را رها کردست او / مردهٔ بیگانه را جوید رفو

This couplet is the core of Jesus's complaint to God about his foolish companion. The man has been pestering Jesus to teach him the divine name that can resurrect the dead. Jesus sees this as a profound spiritual misdirection.

The 'dead self' (murda-ye khod) is the man's own spirit, which is lifeless, un-revived, and in desperate need of attention. He has abandoned this crucial inner work. Instead, he fixates on the 'stranger's corpse' (murda-ye bīgāna), which represents a fascination with external miracles and powers that have nothing to do with his own salvation.

Rumi uses this story to critique a common spiritual error: prioritizing outward shows of power or knowledge over the essential, inward task of vivifying one's own soul. The companion wants the power of a prophet without having done the work to purify the self. He is like someone who ignores his own mortal illness to dabble in healing others, a futile and misguided effort.