M1:241 — می‌بلرزد عرش از مدح شَقی / بدگمان گردد ز مدحش مُتَّقی

Translation: The Throne quakes from praising the wicked; The pious man grows suspicious from such praise. Meaning: This verse warns that inappropriate praise and flattery directed at the wicked and corrupt shakes the Divine Throne, instilling doubt and suspicion in the hearts of truly pious and God-fearing individuals.

This verse, unequivocally, stands as a thunderous warning from Mowlana concerning the perils of flattery and undeserved praise. I believe Mowlana here lays down a foundational ethical and mystical principle: when we elevate impurity as purity, and attribute divine qualities to pharaoh-like figures, divine wrath is unleashed, and God's Throne trembles. This is not merely poetic imagery; it reflects an ontological truth. False praise disrupts the order of existence, shaking, as it were, the very pillars of being.

Mowlana has profound insights regarding flattery, considering it an utterly unseemly act. Praising others publicly, in his view, is like a poison. Though it may appear friendly, it is fed into the soul of the individual and, sooner or later, exerts its destructive influence. He draws upon history, offering the potent example that Pharaoh was not born Pharaoh; he "became Pharaoh from the abundance of praise." People lauded him so much, saying "you are God," that he eventually believed he must indeed possess some share of divinity. This is a crucial lesson on society's role in corrupting rulers and the powerful.

I fully agree that such inappropriate praise does not solely affect the one being flattered; it also instills suspicion in the pious and righteous. One who looks upon the world with discernment and seeks truth becomes doubtful about the very foundation of virtue upon hearing praise for charlatans and oppressors, thus exposing their faith to harm. This flattery not only corrupts the praised but also erodes trust in the virtuous, making the distinction between right and wrong increasingly difficult.

Mowlana himself never engaged in such practices. While poets like Anvari would laud tyrannical and unlettered rulers, proclaiming Sultan Sanjar as the "foremost of creation," Naser Khosrow would vehemently declare: "I am not one to cast this precious pearl of Persian verse before swine." Mowlana, undoubtedly, belongs to this same lineage; he would never squander the precious gem of his words. He deemed praise fitting only for the "omniscient King" and the "chosen of God" – for that divine physician who, out of absolute grace, sometimes expressed wrath and took a life to bestow a hundredfold in return. Mowlana's praise was directed solely towards the absolute source of goodness and perfection, never towards those who ascended to power out of mere lust and ambition.

Key takeaways

• Undeserved praise and flattery of the wicked and oppressors provoke divine wrath and cause God's Throne to tremble.
• Flattery acts as a poison; even if seemingly friendly, it corrupts the individual's soul, leading them to depravity (as Pharaoh declared himself God due to excessive praise).
• Such false praise not only corrupts the lauded individual but also instills suspicion in the pious, eroding their trust in true virtues.
• Mowlana considered flattery an unseemly act and never engaged in it; he regarded his words as precious, reserved only for the praise of Truth and its adherents.
• Mowlana's understanding of praise establishes a sharp distinction between worthy praise (directed towards divine perfection) and undue praise (directed towards worldly power).