M6:3013 — نه هزارش وام بد از زر مگر / بود در تبریز بدرالدین عمر

Translation: He had nine thousand (dinars) of debt, yet Badr al-Dīn ʿUmar was in Tabrīz. Meaning: This verse opens the story of a dervish burdened by immense debt, whose sole hope and confidence lay in the legendary generosity of Badr al-Dīn ʿUmar, the muhtasib (market inspector / public moral authority) of Tabrīz.

Here we encounter the beginning of a story that Mevlānā narrates in the sixth book of the Mathnavī; a story about a debt-ridden dervish whose only hope lay in the assistance of the muhtasib of Tabrīz, Badr al-Dīn ʿUmar. This verse simply, yet profoundly, portrays the dervish's dire situation alongside his boundless reliance on the muhtasib's generosity. «He had nine thousand (dinars) of debt»; this sum, in that era, was undoubtedly a hefty debt, indicating the dervish's immersion in liabilities. However, «yet Badr al-Dīn ʿUmar was in Tabrīz»; this single 'yet' (مگر) opens up an ocean of hope and certainty. This muhtasib, as Mevlānā describes in subsequent verses, was no ordinary person, but an embodiment of profound generosity and a heart as vast as the sea. Mevlānā refers to him as «A muhtasib whose heart had become a sea» and «Every strand of his hair, a Hātem-kadeh», meaning he possessed a heart as expansive as the ocean, and every single hair on his head radiated generosity on par with the legendary Hātem al-Tāʾī. This description is not mere literary hyperbole; it was based on this absolute certainty in Badr al-Dīn ʿUmar's munificence that the dervish became «careless of debt and a seeker of loans» (لاابالی گشته زو و وام‌جو). In other words, with heedlessness and indifference to the magnitude of his debt, he continually borrowed from others, knowing that the sea of Badr al-Dīn ʿUmar's generosity guaranteed all these loans. This situation itself speaks to a complete reliance and unquestioning trust, in which the indebted person, despite the heavy burden of debt, is at ease and «joyful like a smiling rose», because he has entrusted his heart to an «ocean of generosity» (قلزم اکرام‌خو) that will never disappoint him. In this way, Mevlānā creates not just a narrative, but a profound lesson on the nature of hope and trust, whether placed in earthly benefactors or in the realm of the unseen.

Key takeaways

• The verse illustrates the dervish's absolute reliance on the boundless generosity of the muhtasib of Tabrīz.
• The character of Badr al-Dīn ʿUmar is depicted as an embodiment of extreme benevolence and magnanimity in subsequent verses.
• The word 'yet' (مگر) in this verse signifies hope and certainty amidst dire circumstances.
• The dervish's trust in the muhtasib had freed him from the worry of heavy debts.
• The story implicitly teaches a profound lesson of reliance and unwavering trust in a generous source.