M6:3248 — هیچ ناورد از ره کدیه به دست / غیر صد دینار آن کدیه‌پرست

Translation: From the path of kadiyeh (begging), he brought forth nothing, Except a hundred dinars, that kadiyeh-parast (begging-devotee).

Meaning: This verse relates how the individual who resorted to begging for a good cause managed to collect only a meager hundred dinars, and Mowlana subtly critiques this act by labeling the person a 'devotee of begging.'

This particular verse, from the sixth book of the Masnavi, appears within the narrative of the debtor and the guarantor, subtly but clearly revealing Mowlana's stance on the phenomenon of begging. In this tale, the guarantor (pāy-mard), in an effort to repay the debtor's loan, resorts to collecting money through begging. The verse states that he "obtained nothing from the path of kadiyeh (begging) / except a hundred dinars." This implies that his efforts yielded only a paltry sum.

The crucial point, however, lies in the term kadiyeh-parast. Kadiyeh means begging, and it is noteworthy that even the Arabic word takaddī (to beg) is derived from this very Persian root, a detail Mowlana himself would have recognized. When Mowlana uses the phrase "that kadiyeh-parast," he is unequivocally referring to the same guarantor who had adopted this method to raise funds. This appellation, kadiyeh-parast, does not merely denote someone who begs; it implicitly points to an individual for whom begging has seemingly evolved into a habit, a doctrine, or even a form of worship. This indicates that Mowlana, despite the seemingly benevolent purpose for which the begging was undertaken in this instance, harbors no fondness for kadiyeh-garī (the act of begging) or kadiyeh-parastī (devotion to begging). The meager amount collected—just a hundred dinars—serves as further evidence of the barrenness and futility of this path. For Mowlana, begging, even when veiled by altruistic intentions, is not a method capable of yielding genuine and lasting results; rather, it steers humanity toward the worship of the act of begging itself, diverting attention from the true source of sustenance.

Key takeaways

• Mowlana implicitly disapproves of begging (kadiyeh) and the devotion to it (kadiyeh-parastī), even when undertaken for benevolent purposes.
• Begging is presented as an unfruitful and unblessed path that yields meager and unsustainable results.
• The term kadiyeh-parast signifies not just the act of begging, but an ingrained reliance on it as a way of life or a primary source of sustenance.