M6:3818 — روز دیگر با رگو پیچید پا / ناکس اندر صف قوم مبتلا

Translation: Another day, he wrapped his leg with a rag, A disgraced (nākes) one, in the ranks of the afflicted stood. Meaning: This verse describes yet another deceitful tactic employed by the greedy jurist, who feigned injury to solicit alms by joining the ranks of the ailing.

This verse continues the narrative of the greedy jurist that Mawlana recounts. This jurist, after failing to gain wealth through conventional begging, resorts to a new stratagem: he wraps his leg with a rago—an old piece of cloth—to feign illness and positions himself "in the ranks of the afflicted" (dar saff-e qowm-e mobtalā). The term nākes, which Mawlana uses here, derives from the Arabic root naks, meaning disgraced or with one's head bowed. He thus, in a state of self-abasement, disguises himself among the sick.

I interpret this as Mawlana's subtle yet pointed critique of the jurists of his era. While Mawlana himself was a jurist and possessed jurisprudential knowledge, he never fully aligned with the institution, especially its worldly and avaricious practitioners. Unlike Ghazali, who openly discussed the "arrogance of jurists" and the worldly nature of jurisprudence, Mawlana seldom engaged in direct confrontation. Yet, he would occasionally deliver a sting (nish mizad) to reveal his perspective. This greedy jurist symbolizes those who, instead of embracing contentment (qana'at) and spiritual chastity, pursue worldly gains at any cost, even sacrificing their dignity, devising various tricks to achieve their ends.

However, the core lesson of this anecdote extends far beyond merely critiquing jurists; it leads us to one of the most profound teachings of the Masnavi: "Mūtū qabla an tamūtū"—"Die before you die." The jurist in the story only obtained towfir and ghanā'im (gains or benefits) when he presented himself as "dead" and shrouded. Mawlana crafts this event into a symbol for mowt-e ekhtiyāri (voluntary death), a death that is not physical and inevitable, but chosen and spiritual. This death is a death to owsāf-e bashar (human attributes) and the commanding self (nafs-e ammārah); it is a dying to worldly desires and attachments. The ocean (the divine ocean of secrets, bahr-e asrār) holds the "dead" afloat and elevates them, but it drowns the "living" (those alive to their lower selves). Thus, the condition for entering the "ocean of secrets" is voluntary death.

This mowt-e ekhtiyāri signifies contentment and the liberation of the soul from worldly bonds. It does not mean "killing the self" (koshtan-e nafs)—a misguided notion, for the self is created to be a tamed mount for the intellect (aql). Rather, it means managing the self and making it subservient to reason. The intellect must be the master, and the self its servant. If the intellect is overcome by the self, it too transforms into a mere self. "Killing the self" is not about annihilating one's faculties but about the self being as "dead" in the hands of the intellect, so that it shows no defiance and becomes obedient. Such contentment, if not accompanied by inner joy and intimacy with oneself, leads to irritability and ill-temper. One can only live sweetly amidst bitterness if one's "rose garden is within," and this mowt-e ekhtiyāri springs from an inner companion and spiritual joy. Only then do "worldly possessions"—here, a spiritual bounty—come to the person naturally, freeing them from the bonds of trickery and greed.

Key takeaways

• The verse reflects Mawlana's implicit critique of worldly and greedy jurists who resort to any trick for material gain.
• The term nākes (disgraced) highlights the abasement the jurist willingly enters through his deceit.
• This narrative symbolizes mowt-e ekhtiyāri (voluntary death): only by 'dying' to the lower self and worldly attachments can true (spiritual) gains be attained.
• Voluntary death implies contentment (qana'at), which must arise from inner richness and joy, not external coercion.
• Managing the self means taming it to be subservient to the intellect (aql), not annihilating its inherent faculties.