In Book 3, Section 182 of Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, the dialogue between a beloved and a lover illustrates a core Sufi concept: physical space and circumstances are defined entirely by spiritual relationship rather than material attributes. When asked which city is the most pleasant, the lover replies that it is whichever city the beloved dwells in. Rumi expands this with two vivid metaphors: a king's presence turns a space as narrow as the eye of a needle into an open plain, and a moon-like Joseph transforms the depths of a dark well into a paradise. Through these symbols, Rumi teaches that the external world is secondary to the inner state of love, and that the presence of the Divine Beloved is the only true source of comfort and expansion.