M6:3799 — زر به کاغذپاره‌ها پیچیده بود / تا وجودش بود می‌افشاند جود

Translation: Gold was wrapped in scraps of paper; As long as he existed, he continued to scatter generosity. Meaning: This verse describes the ceaseless and unbidden generosity of Sadr-e Jahan, a wealthy benefactor who gave to the needy with complete sincerity and without being asked.

This verse presents us with a pristine image of the highest echelons of generosity, a portrayal embedded in the story of Sadr-e Jahan of Bukhara, illustrating how a human being can embody divine attributes. Sadr-e Jahan, by his established condition, would turn away from those who asked with their tongue; yet, without the needy uttering a word, he would wrap gold in scraps of paper and bestow it upon them. These 'scraps of paper' (kāghaz-pāreh-hā) hold a subtle significance: valuable gold is wrapped in something trivial, ensuring that the act of giving itself is devoid of any pretense or self-display. Here, the value resides in the essence of the giving, not in its outward grandeur or pomp.

Mawlana in this verse clearly emphasizes two fundamental characteristics of this generosity: First, 'As long as he existed, he continued to scatter generosity' (tā wujūd-ash būd mī-afshānd jūd), which speaks to the ceaseless and uninterrupted flow of this benevolence. For Sadr-e Jahan, generosity was not an incidental or occasional act, but an integral part of his very being and existence. This quality, without hesitation, Mawlana compares to the 'pure-gambling' (pāk-bāzī) of the sun and moon. The sun and moon, without any expectation of return, give light, warmth, and radiance. They bestow without wages, without obligation, without cause, and without expectation, just as God Almighty is the Absolutely Generous, and the Prophets, with their divine character, demanded no recompense from people. This 'pure-gambling' means to lose purely and sincerely, to give all you have without anticipating any return or reward. Love, too, is such a gamble where there are no winners or losers; the very act of loving is the goal and the end itself.

I consider this the same essential point that William Blake, the English poet, beautifully expressed: 'Should the moon and the sun doubt, they will immediately go out.' Doubt, calculation, and cessation are antithetical to the nature of true generosity. Authentic giving does not entertain doubt; it possesses its own pure actuality and flows without interruption or calculation. Sadr-e Jahan was likewise; as long as he existed, that is, as long as he breathed and had life, he emanated this grace.

From a deeper perspective, Mawlana sees the sun as a symbol of that annihilation (fanā) which is the ultimate perfection of the seeker. The sun, by radiating its light, gradually moves towards extinction and 'non-existence,' giving its entire being to others. This annihilation through giving is the noble destiny prescribed for true lovers and seekers. In such a station, one transcends even the realms of gratitude and complaint, for these imply duality and distance. Generosity, here, is not an action to attain a status, but is the status itself; it is the manifestation of an existence that finds itself in beneficence and self-sacrifice.

Key takeaways

• True generosity is unbidden, uncaused, unwaged, and without expectation, akin to divine grace and the sun's light.
• Genuine beneficence is an intrinsic part of one's being, flowing as long as the person exists.
• Continuity and ceaselessness in giving signify purity of intention and detachment from self-serving calculations.
• Unreserved self-sacrifice and total bestowal of one's being is a path towards annihilation (fanā) and the highest spiritual perfection.