M6:3567 — توانگری پنهان کنی در ذل فقر / طوق دولت بسته اندر غل فقر

Translation: You conceal affluence within the abjection of poverty, And have bound the collar of prosperity within the shackles of indigence.

Meaning: Mawlana suggests that true wealth and good fortune are not found in outward possessions, but rather emerge from the depths of poverty and self-annihilation; prosperity and success are intrinsically linked to embracing the hardships and disciplines of a simple, unattached existence.

Mawlana, in this verse, speaks of the antitheses and contraries that form the very foundation of creation and the dynamism of existence. Here, he employs this general rule to unveil the secret of spiritual affluence. This world, as attested by great philosophers like Ibn Sina and Mulla Sadra, is built upon 'clashing' and 'contradiction.' As the saying goes, "Were it not for contrarieties, the ceaseless flow of divine bounty from the Generous Source would not endure." This means that if there were no opposition and interaction between forces and elements, divine grace would cease to flow, and the world would halt. This is precisely what we observe in physics, for example, in Carnot's principle, where work and motion are only possible when there is a potential difference or temperature gradient; no work is done in absolute cold, nor in uniform heat, but rather the exchange between hot and cold drives the engine of the world.

It is for this reason that Mawlana says: "You conceal affluence within the abjection of poverty." The peak of true power and self-sufficiency is hidden within apparent lowliness and indigence. This is a fundamental law in spiritual journeying: from the heart of poverty and emptiness arises true inner richness and spiritual independence. This poverty, however, is not material poverty in the sense of destitution, but rather mystical poverty (faqr ila Allah); it is the act of not seeing oneself, of emptying oneself of ego and attachments to become a vessel for the manifestation of divine richness. "And have bound the collar of prosperity within the shackles of indigence"; meaning that true happiness and good fortune, which sits like a collar around one's neck, is bound within the chains of poverty. This signifies that the path to such fortune passes through the bonds of inner poverty and through liberation from attachments.

Mawlana then offers numerous examples to expand upon this idea, illustrating how contraries are hidden within each other and emerge from one another: "Contraries concealed within contraries / Fire hidden within burning water." This reflects an older physical notion that the heat of hot water was due to the presence of fire particles within it. Or, "A garden enclosed within Nimrod's fire"; verdant gardens, manifestations of life, contain within them dry wood that can fuel Nimrod's fire. Similarly, "Incomes grow from generosity and spending"; profits and benefits grow from giving and spending, not from hoarding and avarice. This is a Quranic and prophetic promise: "Charity never decreases wealth," but rather "the effervescence and increase of gold is in zakat." Zakat, meaning growth in Arabic, signifies both the spiritual growth of the soul and the increase of wealth.

Mawlana elevates this idea beyond the sensory to higher realms: "Sweet fruit concealed within branch and leaf / Eternal life beneath death." Death, which outwardly appears as the annihilation of life, is in truth a veil over eternal life. "He takes from me a motley cloak / I take from Him an eternal life"; death takes from us the worn-out garment of the body, but in return grants us an eternal life and true existence. "Waste becomes the strength of the earth by a certain manner / From that food the earth gives birth to fruit"; waste and refuse, outwardly insignificant and worthless, turn into fertilizer and nourish the earth, from which sweet fruits are born. All this is a sign of the world's dynamism, where existence and beauty emerge from non-existence and outwardly undesirable forms.

Finally, Mawlana reaches the pinnacle of this contradiction and unity in being: "An existent hidden in non-existence / That which is prostrated to within the nature of the prostrator." Existence arises from non-existence, and the sājid (prostrator) holds within the depths of its being the masjood (that which is prostrated to). This is a profound reference to the unity of existence (wahdat al-wujud) and divine unity (tawhid), where between the servant and God, the worshiper and the worshipped, the prostrator and the prostrated, veils are lifted in an unquantifiable and incomparable connection, and ultimately, unity is perceived. This is the secret Shams-e Tabrizi also alluded to: if the Kaaba were removed, people would seem to be prostrating to each other, for all are the Face of God. This verse embodies Mawlana's insight into how being emerges from non-being, and affluence from the depths of poverty, in an eternal dance of contraries.

Key takeaways

• True affluence lies not in material poverty, but in spiritual poverty: emptying oneself of ego becomes the locus for divine abundance.
• The order of creation is founded upon 'contradiction' and 'clashing'; the dynamism of the world arises from the interaction of opposites.
• Increase and blessing are gained through generosity and giving, not through avarice and hoarding wealth.
• Death is a veil over eternal life; true existence begins after liberation from the confines of the physical body.
• Existence arises from non-existence, and within the prostrator, the object of prostration is hidden; symbolizing the unity of being and the lifting of veils between servant and God.
• Mawlana extends concrete examples (fire in water, garden in Nimrod's fire, waste and fruit) to spiritual realities (eternal life in death, prostrator and prostrated).