M6:3228 — ور به یک دکان علی گفتی بگیر / نان ازینجا بی‌حواله و بی‌زحیر

Translation: And if at one shop you had said 'Ali,' / you would receive bread from here, without being sent elsewhere and without distress. Meaning: This verse, part of the Kashan parable, illustrates that by aligning one's perspective with ultimate unity (symbolized by 'Ali'), one escapes wandering and deprivation, receiving their needs immediately and without further toil.

This verse concludes the extensive and deeply significant parable of the 'Man named Omar in the city of Kashan,' a tale Rumi spins to expound on unity and multiplicity, and the consequences of 'dubini' (double vision) or 'ahwal-chashmi' (squinting eyes, seeing double). The city of Kashan in this narrative symbolizes a world where the fundamental truth of unity prevails, yet our 'ahwal' eyes perceive it as multiple, giving rise to suffering and deprivation. In Rumi's story, set in a city where all shops share a single identity and allegiance (here, loyalty to Ali), a man named 'Omar' is denied bread at every turn, sent from one shop to the next. He wanders endlessly, bewildered, because he fails to grasp that, in essence, all these shops are one. He never reaches his destination, never sates his hunger, perpetually flitting from one remedy to another, yet none truly satisfy. This particular verse marks the turning point, opening the path to salvation. Rumi declares: 'And if at one shop you had said 'Ali,' / you would receive bread from here, without being sent elsewhere and without distress.' This implies that if the same wandering man, at that very first shop, had declared his name to be 'Ali' (or fundamentally changed his inner 'name' from Omar to Ali), he would have received his bread instantly, without being directed elsewhere, and without the sorrow that springs from wandering and deprivation. 'Ali' here transcends a mere historical name; it symbolizes an identity aligned with the singular truth of the cosmos. This is not to be misconstrued as discounting other figures, for Rumi himself says elsewhere: 'The living, abiding Imam is that wali / Be he from the lineage of Omar, or from Ali.' What truly matters is 'that wali,' the 'living Imam,' for 'wherever a rose branch grows, it is a rose,' carrying the essence of truth. Thus, the issue is not whether one's name is 'Omar' or 'Ali,' but whether one's vision is 'ahwal' or 'unity-seeing.' If you possess dual vision, you remain deprived of the bread of life, ceaselessly flitting from one door to another. But if you declare your 'name' as 'Ali'—that is, if you align your inner self with the singular truth of the world and shed this double vision—there is no more wandering. Life gains meaning, and one is freed from this 'Kashan full of fear and hope' (this material world), attaining inner peace. One no longer seeks temporary remedies or fleeting comforts, for the river of their soul is filled with the pure water of unity, leaving no room for debris or melancholy. As Rumi says: 'Sorrow does not abide in the hearts of gnostics / When the stream flows swiftly and powerfully.' This insight is the essence of 'lover-like devotion,' which frees a person from ennui and brings forth genuine laughter. In such a state, what once appeared as mere 'images' or imagination becomes 'reality,' and the basket of our soul fills with the fruits of truth; much like Bilqis, who initially mistook the glass floor for water, but upon realizing the truth, submitted to it and became a monotheist.

Key takeaways

• Wandering and deprivation stem from 'double vision' and the inability to perceive the fundamental unity of existence.
• Choosing the 'name of Ali,' or aligning with singular truth, is the path to liberation from being redirected and attaining one's goal directly.
• The meaning of life depends on freedom from confusion and the establishment of a unity-seeing perspective.
• Inner identity (e.g., the 'name of Ali') is not merely a title, but a symbol of our existential state and stance toward truth.
• The riverbed of the soul must be filled with the pure water of unity, leaving no room for the debris of melancholy and sorrow.
• What appears as 'imagination' to the squinting eye is 'reality' and the fruit of truth to the unity-seeing eye.