M6:1384 — پس خلیفه‌ش کرد و بر تختش نشاند / بر سپه بگزیدش و فرزند خواند

Translation: Then he made him his caliph and seated him on his throne; / He chose him over the army and called him his son. Meaning: This verse highlights the peak of Sultan Mahmud's affection and generosity towards the Hindu slave boy, whom he appointed as his successor, adopted as his son, and elevated above all his commanders.

This verse marks the climax and turning point in the story of Sultan Mahmud and the Hindu slave boy, a narrative Mowlana borrows from Attar's Masiḥatnāmeh and recounts with admirable precision. As is characteristic of Mowlana, this anecdote serves as an elaborate allegory to illuminate profound truths. Here, Mahmud of Ghazni, whose terrifying might and ruthlessness were legendary—so much so that the slave boy's mother used his name as a curse—reveals an astonishingly different aspect. 'Then he made him his caliph and seated him on his throne; / He chose him over the army and called him his son.' This means that the one from whom they fled in terror as a 'hell-dweller' not only spared his life but elevated him to the highest office, chose him above all his commanders, and adopted him as his own son.

This astounding reversal is a prelude to Mowlana's central theme of human 'inverted perception' (warunah-bini), a concept he frequently revisits throughout the Mathnawi. What appears from afar, based on hearsay and false assumptions, to inspire dread and fear, sometimes, upon closer, unmediated experience, transforms into a fount of mercy and grace. The slave boy in this tale represents humanity, and Sultan Mahmud symbolizes spiritual 'poverty' (faqr). Just as the slave's mother terrified her son with Mahmud's name, and the boy himself perceived Mahmud as a formidable and merciless figure, so too does human nature and the lower self instill fear in us regarding faqr—spiritual destitution and the relinquishing of attachments. However, this verse demonstrates that if a person bravely embraces this 'Mahmud' (faqr), they are not annihilated but rather ascend to the apex of perfection and proximity to the Divine. Faqr is a ladder to spiritual advancement; yet, the human ego, with its self-deceiving fears, often pushes one away from it.

Mowlana here explicitly shows that our judgments are often superficial, based on conjecture and assumptions, rather than on truth. This Sultan Mahmud, who once seemed capable of killing with 'a hundred swords,' now bestows the reward of 'caliphate' and 'adoption.' This complete transformation in the slave's status symbolizes the profound metamorphosis that occurs in spiritual journeying: what initially appears terrifying and arduous ultimately becomes a source of honor and elevation. It is here that Mowlana urges the audience to look not at the deceptive perceptions of nature, but at the essence and truth of every phenomenon, and to dare to confront the 'Mahmud of faqr' so that its hidden mercy and nobility may be revealed.

Key takeaways

• This verse symbolizes an unexpected shift from fear to mercy and grace.
• What appears dreadful from afar can, upon closer encounter, be a source of honor.
• The narrative serves as a prelude to Mowlana's concept of human 'inverted perception'.
• Sultan Mahmud here is an allegory for 'spiritual poverty' (faqr), which, despite initial fears, leads to elevation.
• The story illustrates that our judgments are often superficial and based on conjecture, not truth.