M6:4143 — جمله می‌گویند اندر چین به جد / بهر شاه خویشتن که لم یلد

Translation: Everyone in China earnestly says About their King, 'He has not begotten' (lam yalid).

Meaning: The people of China believed their king to be eternal and without offspring, akin to God. This verse serves as a warning to the prince, cautioning him against seeking a daughter from a king who, in their perception, has no children.

This verse is part of the older brothers' warning to the eldest prince, who intends to propose to the King of China's daughter. Here, the brothers caution him that in the city of China, the King is believed to be an eternal being who is 'lam yalid' — 'He has not begotten,' nor was He begotten. This phrase is, without doubt, a direct reference to the third verse of Surah Al-Ikhlas (Quran 112:3), which describes God as independent of procreation and birth.

From Rumi's perspective, this King symbolizes the Absolute Truth and the primordial Beloved, who transcends all human attachments and needs. Seeking a daughter from such a King signifies an unawareness of the Beloved's true essence. As the King in the subsequent verses tells the suitor, 'First prove that I have a daughter, then come to propose.' This illustrates that the true Beloved cannot be understood or attained through worldly or human criteria.

A notable point in this story is the King's violent portrayal, threatening beheading if the suitor fails to prove his claims about a wife and child. Rumi here highlights a significant aspect of classical Persian literature: the cheapness of human life and how deeply violence permeated even the descriptions of the Beloved. For instance, Hafez speaks of 'her hair, like a noose... where you see heads severed without fault or crime,' or describes the Beloved with epithets like 'Turk raider' and 'bloodthirsty lion.' These seemingly contradictory descriptions, applied to the most tender beings (the Beloved), underscore the normalization of violence in that era and how even God was sometimes depicted with such attributes. This presents a peculiar contrast: how the description of the most delicate merged with the most brutal.

Ultimately, this verse and the ones that follow underscore the 'gambler's' nature of the lover — one who takes risks and, without hope of winning, but rather with a willingness for annihilation, surrenders oneself to the Beloved. Despite these grave warnings, the prince does not waver from his path, signifying the madness and particular courage of true lovers.

Key takeaways

• The King of China symbolizes the Divine essence, which is 'lam yalid' – free from the acts of begetting or being begotten.
• Seeking a daughter from such a king represents ignorance of the eternal Beloved's true nature, which cannot be comprehended by worldly standards.
• Rumi explicitly points to the prevalence of violence in classical Persian literature and the use of epithets like 'bloodthirsty' and 'raider' even for the Beloved and God.
• The story of the gambling prince symbolizes a love that is ready to take risks and face annihilation for the Beloved, even in the face of death threats.