M1:1556 — هر یکی از وی مرادی خواست کرد / جمله را وعده بداد آن نیک مرد

This couplet establishes the character of the merchant as generous and dutiful. As he prepares for a long journey to India, he follows the custom of asking his entire household—enslaved men and women alike—what souvenirs they wish for. Their requests are for tangible things, or murād, worldly desires. The merchant, described as a "good man" (nīk mard), readily promises to bring back these gifts.

This scene serves as a crucial setup for the contrast that follows. The material requests of the household staff highlight the very different, non-material nature of the parrot's request. While they ask for objects, the parrot will ask for a message—a connection to its kin, a plea for spiritual guidance on how to achieve freedom. The merchant's simple, good-natured promise here sets the stage for the far more complex and spiritually consequential promise he will make to the bird.