M6:1471 — خاصه درویشی که شد بی جسم و مال / کار فقر جسم دارد نه سؤال

Translation: Especially the dervish who has become without body and wealth; The significance of poverty lies in the self's effacement, not in begging. Meaning: This verse explains that true dervishhood is not merely lacking possessions or resorting to begging, but rather a profound spiritual state of detachment from the physical self and material wealth, leading to true self-annihilation (neyasti) which holds immense spiritual importance.

Here, Mowlana draws a crucial distinction between true poverty and mere begging. First, we must address the word kār. I have noted repeatedly that in classical Persian literature, the term ahammiyat (importance) as we use it today did not exist. Instead, our great masters would say falān chiz kār dārad, meaning "that thing is important." Thus, kār-i faqr jism dārad means "real poverty is what holds significance."

Now, what is this faqr-i jism (poverty of the self) that Mowlana emphasizes so much? It refers to true, voluntary poverty, a poverty that one has chosen, not a state of destitution imposed by circumstances, where the person secretly longs for wealth and possessions. This dervish is one who has become bī-jism u māl (without body and wealth), meaning they have reached the station of neyasti (non-being, self-effacement). This neyasti, as I have stated before, is the highest stratum of gnosis that dervishes achieve by taking little from the world, abandoning the false self to find the true self, and forgetting everything but God. This poverty entails emptying oneself of all that is not God and adorning oneself with His remembrance.

In contrast, su'āl means begging, seeking alms. Mowlana explicitly states that su'āl has no value, no importance. The beggar, or sā'il, is one whose wealth has melted away, meaning they are poor, but this poverty is involuntary. If they could, they would be wealthy and enjoy possessions. But they have fallen into begging out of necessity. This sā'il is not the dervish Mowlana refers to. The true dervish is qāniʿ (contented), what we call khorsand (satisfied) in Persian: "If there is any gain in this world, it is with the contented dervish / O God, enrich me with dervishhood and contentment." The contented dervish is one who is satisfied with what they have, meaning they have consciously and willingly accepted poverty and severed their heart from worldly attachments. This faqr-i jism is a poverty that truly empties and lightens the individual's inner being, rather than merely showing their outward appearance to be without wealth. This is the mystical and Gnostic poverty in which the individual's soul is purified of all but God.

Key takeaways

• The word kār here means 'importance'; true poverty is important, not begging.
• Faqr-i jism refers to true, voluntary poverty, not involuntary destitution or mere material lack.
• A true dervish is one who has become 'without body and wealth,' reaching the station of 'non-being' and detachment.
• Su'āl (begging) is an insignificant act distinct from true poverty; the sā'il (beggar) is poor by compulsion.
• The genuine dervish is qāniʿ (contented) and khorsand (satisfied), embracing poverty consciously and voluntarily.