M6:3012 — آن یکی درویش ز اطراف دیار / جانب تبریز آمد وامدار

Translation: A dervish from distant lands / Arrived in Tabriz, burdened by debt. Meaning: This verse initiates a story about a poor, foreign dervish, heavily indebted, who sets out for Tabriz hoping to find a benefactor and alleviate his financial struggles.

In this tale of the indebted dervish and the Tabriz muḥtasib, I believe Mawlana brilliantly portrays the nuances and complexities of iḥtisāb (enjoining good and forbidding wrong) and the figure of the muḥtasib. Here, the muḥtasib is not the stern enforcer, but rather a source of immense generosity and giving—one who alleviates the burdens of the indebted.

This verse initiates the story: "A dervish from far-off lands / Came to Tabriz, burdened by debt." A dervish from a distant land, laden with debt, has set his hopes on Tabriz and journeyed to the city. He is indebted, yet this state of indebtedness, contrary to common experience, has not plunged him into sorrow.

In subsequent verses (to which I have alluded in my lectures), Mawlana introduces a character named Badr al-Din Omar, the muḥtasib of Tabriz, who is described as having "a heart like the sea" (be dil baḥr āmada). His generosity is such that "every hair of him was a Hātim-kade," a reference to Hātim Ta'i, the legendary paragon of liberality. Even Hātim himself, were he alive, would become his beggar and kiss the dust of his feet.

Our dervish, leaning on the support and hope of such a generous soul, had become "carefree and a seeker of loans" (lāubālī gashta zo o vām-jo); that is, he had taken loans from others without concern or apprehension, confident in this "ocean of generosity" (qulzum-i ikrām-khū). His cheerfulness and joy, in contrast to the grim faces of his creditors, was like "a smiling rose from that garden of the generous" (gul khandān az ān rawẓ al-kirām).

This depiction illuminates Mawlana's perspective on reliance and trust in an unbounded source, whether that source be a generous human being or, at a deeper level, the absolute divine benevolence. This seemingly simple story delves into the profound nature of tawakkul (trust in God) and illustrates how faith in generosity can lift the heavy burden of material worries from a person's shoulders.

Key takeaways

• This verse inaugurates a story that portrays the muḥtasib not as a strict enforcer, but as a source of profound generosity and giving.
• Despite his heavy debts, the dervish in the story is full of hope and carefree, due to his profound trust in the benevolence of a great generous figure.
• Mawlana here depicts deep reliance on boundless generosity, a trust that can lighten heavy burdens.
• This seemingly simple narrative uniquely explores the complexities of 'indebtedness' and 'trust' in the human spirit.