M6:1274 — باز چادر راست کردی آن تکین / عشرها افتادی از رو بر زمین

Translation: Again that 'fair one' righted her chador; the 'ashrs' fell from her face onto the ground. Meaning: This verse illustrates the futility of superficial, external attempts to mask an inner or physical reality, showing how easily such efforts collapse.

This verse is embedded in a vivid allegorical tale from the Masnavi, 'The Old Woman and the Wedding,' which Mowlana uses to dissect the profound depths of human ignorance and self-deception. An old woman, whom Mowlana sarcastically calls 'kharif' (one who has reached the autumn of life) or 'mustakhif' (in a derogatory sense, referring to her debased state), desires to attend an aristocratic wedding and adorn herself. Her initial attempts with conventional cosmetics ('gulgooneh' – rouge and white powder) fail to conceal the wrinkles and 'lines of her face' ('sufra-ye ruyash'). It is at this juncture that Mowlana paints a startling and unsettling scene: the old woman turns to an illuminated, calligraphed manuscript of the Qur'an.

In ancient Qur'ans, 'ashrs' were golden markers placed at every tenth verse. This old woman, in the utter extremity of her self-delusion and lack of insight, scrapes these gold particles from the holy book and adheres them to her face with spittle ('khadow'), hoping to appear beautiful and become a 'jewel among the fair ones' ('negin-e halqeh-ye khuban'). But Mowlana, with his biting satire, highlights the futility of her efforts in the current beyt: 'Baz chador rāst kardi ān takin / ashrhā oftādi az ruy bar zamin.' He ironically calls her 'takin' (a Turkic word meaning 'beautiful' or 'unique'), underscoring the sardonic twist of fate against her fruitless endeavors. Each time she adjusts her chador on her face, those gold pieces—torn from sacred scripture and wrongfully affixed to a face steeped in hypocrisy—fall to the ground. This demonstrates that pretense and superficial adornment, even when utilizing 'sanctity' and 'reverence,' cannot endure.

From Mowlana's perspective, and in our elaboration, this tale transcends a mere anecdote about an old woman; it is an allegory for the human condition. It represents anyone who attempts to conceal inner flaws and the passage of time (symbols of existential truths) with deceptive appearances, and even by misusing sacred objects. These 'ashrs,' stripped from the Book of God and unable to withstand the reality of aging, symbolize the superficial, deceptive efforts people make to escape their true selves. Mowlana clearly shows that inner truths (like aging) will ultimately break through the veil of appearance, and any attempt at artificially 'forming' oneself is doomed to fail. It is the true 'formlessness' (bi-surati) of existence that reveals itself against deceptive 'forms' (surat). Finally, Mowlana immediately follows this scene by introducing Satan, who chastises the old woman for this 'rare disgrace,' stating that even he had not conceived of such an act. This emphasizes the profound error of the old woman, reinforcing that hypocrisy and ignorance can sometimes surpass even the devil's machinations.

Key takeaways

• Superficial beautification and external efforts to conceal inner truth are destined to fail.
• Misusing sacred objects for worldly, hollow ambitions is the epitome of self-deception and spiritual decline.
• The existential reality of a person (such as aging) ultimately emerges despite any artificial coverings.
• Mowlana uses sharp satire to depict the futility of hypocrisy and misplaced pride.
• This story serves as a reminder of the fundamental difference between genuine inner beauty and purity versus superficial, false glitter.