M6:3224 — چون شنید او هم عمر نان در کشید / پس فرستادت به دکان بعید

Translation: When he, too, heard "Omar," he withheld the bread / Then he sent you to a distant shop. Meaning: This verse illustrates the plight of a man in a unified city who, due to an undesirable name, is refused bread. Shopkeepers, acting as one, send him from one place to another, pretending other options exist, but in reality, all are denying him sustenance.

This verse emerges from Rumi’s profoundly insightful parable of a man named 'Omar' in the city of 'Kashan.' Kashan, in Rumi’s time, was a predominantly Shi’a city, where the name 'Omar' carried historical and religious connotations that were, shall we say, less than favorable. Rumi leverages this social context to illuminate the profound truth of unity (waḥdat) versus multiplicity (kathrat).

My reading of this anecdote proceeds as follows: Imagine a city where all shopkeepers are of one mind, essentially one in spirit. A man named Omar enters a bread shop. Upon hearing his name, the baker 'draws in' (dar kashīd) his bread, refusing to sell it. Yet, instead of an outright rejection, he directs Omar to a 'distant shop' (dukān-i baʿīd), implying a solution lies in merely changing locations. This is precisely what the verse states: "When he, too, heard 'Omar,' he withheld the bread / Then he sent you to a distant shop." This referral to a 'distant shop' is not an act of kindness, but a subtle deception; the next baker will behave identically, for they are all one, of a single voice. Rumi underscores this later in the story, when the first baker whispers to his colleague, "Understand my voice," signifying, 'you, too, must deny him bread.'

The key to grasping this parable lies in the concepts of aḥwalī (being squint-eyed, seeing duality) and nā-aḥwalī (seeing unity). The man named Omar is aḥwal; he perceives multiplicity, believing the shops are distinct and that a different one might offer him bread. If he were nā-aḥwal, he would realize the fundamental unity of all the shops. He would understand that as long as he bears the 'name of Omar' (symbolizing a fragmented, dualistic worldview), he will find no bread anywhere. Rumi implies that if this individual were to symbolically change his 'name' – his inner identity and perspective – from 'Omar' to 'Ali' (representing a unified, monistic vision), he would instantly receive his sustenance and be freed from his wandering. This, of course, transcends mere names; it is an allegory for a profound transformation of inner vision.

The 'Kashan of dust' (kāshān-i khāk) symbolizes this mundane world, replete with 'fear and hope' (khūf-u rajā) and pervasive confusion (sargardānī). Humans who navigate this world without a unified vision are constantly drifting from one door to another: from one 'doctor' to another, one 'yoga' class to another 'meditation,' one 'tranquilizer' to another 'psychotropic.' These are all referrals to 'distant shops'; they are external, superficial remedies because these individuals have lost their true home and purpose. Their lives are bereft of meaning, and to escape malāl (weariness, depression), they resort to any diversion.

In stark contrast to this aimless wandering, Rumi proposes the 'unity-seeing eye' (dīda-yi waḥdat-bīn). He echoes the Quranic dictum: "Wherever you turn, there is the Face of God." If we possess a truth-recognizing eye, we will see the 'expanse of both worlds' (ʿarṣa-yi har du sarā) filled with the Beloved. We are then liberated from being 'referred from place to place' and from doubt and confusion. As Rumi himself says, "I go boldly, as if returning home / I do not turn my head, nor do I steal my way." This is the point where one transcends merely seeing an 'image' (ʿaks) to intuiting 'reality' (ḥaqīqat), much like Balqis, who mistook Solomon’s glass palace floor for water. The aḥwal is deceived by the image; but the ʿārif (gnostic) who is nā-aḥwal perceives reality beyond every form and image, and with a lover's soul, expels all weariness.

Key takeaways

• The world of apparent multiplicity is deceptive for the 'squint-eyed' (aḥwal); truth lies in underlying unity.
• Wandering from one 'shop' to another (seeking external solutions) stems from a failure to perceive inner unity.
• The names 'Omar' and 'Ali' symbolize contrasting worldviews (fragmented vs. unified), not superficial distinctions.
• Life's weariness and meaninglessness arise from a failure to see the unity of existence and losing sight of the soul's true home.
• Freedom from doubt and aimless wandering is only achieved by transforming one's vision and attaining the 'unity-seeing eye'.