M4:1760 — حمد گفتی کو نشان حامدون / نه برونت هست اثر نه اندرون

This couplet is spoken in the context of a flatterer who offers insincere praise to a patron. Rumi, through the voice of the discerning observer, highlights the disjunction between the spoken word ('praise') and the absence of its true effects. Genuine praise, especially in a Sufi context, is not merely a verbal act; it is a transformative experience that manifests both outwardly in one's actions and inwardly in one's spiritual state.

The preceding verses discuss the signs of 'pure sacrifice' (پاک‌بازی) and 'good-doers' (نیکوکار), emphasizing that true generosity and good deeds bring inner vitality and spiritual harvest. By contrast, the flatterer's 'praise' (حمد) is empty because it produces no such fruit. There is no 'trace' (اثر) of sincerity, neither in their outward demeanor nor in their inner disposition. Rumi contrasts this with the 'praise of the gnostic' (حمد عارف) in the following verses, which is validated by their very being and liberation from worldly attachments. The couplet thus serves as a critique of hypocrisy and a call for authenticity, suggesting that true spiritual states leave an undeniable imprint on the individual.