M6:4238 — رو به مصر آنجا شود کار تو راست / کرد کِدیَت را قبول او مرتجاست

Translation: Go towards Egypt, there your affair will be set right; He (God) accepted your kediyeh (supplication), for He is the mortajā (the one to whom hopes are directed). Meaning: This verse conveys a divine message to a man in need, promising that his desires will be fulfilled by traveling to Egypt, as his supplication has been accepted by God, the ultimate fulfiller of hopes.

This verse, part of the profound story of the man seeking treasure in the Masnavi, narrates how divine aid manifests as a hidden message after a human's fervent plea. A man who has squandered his inheritance and fallen into poverty, turns to God, crying out, "sustenance or death." God answers this prayer through a hātif – an unseen voice from beyond the veil of the hidden.

Soroush describes the hātif as a "speaker from beyond the veil of the unseen." This term historically referred to mythical beings whose voices ancient Arabs heard in the deserts; a voice that originated not from an ordinary human, but from the unseen realm. Even today, Arabs use the word hātif for telephone, indicating the deep semantic roots of the word.

The hātif's message to the man is clear and decisive: "Go towards Egypt, there your affair will be set right." This means, turn your direction towards Egypt; there your matters will be organized and relief will be found. The key lies in the second part of the verse: "He accepted your kediyeh, for He is the mortajā." Kediyeh means begging and supplication, a word Soroush traces back to its Persian root gedāyi (begging), which also gives us the modern takaddi. God has accepted this man's begging and request. This acceptance of prayer demonstrates God's immediate and constant presence, contrasting sharply with philosophies that speak of an "eclipse of the divine" (like Buber). God is always active and provident; it is we who are distant from Him.

The emphasis on "He is the mortajā" is also noteworthy; it means God Himself is the object of hope and the fulfiller of needs. This phrase imparts a deep assurance in divine generosity and responsiveness to prayer. It is crucial to remember that the answer to prayer is sometimes indirect, sometimes delayed, and sometimes tied to a long journey or unexpected effort, but divine wisdom and expediency are always at work. This journey to Egypt, for the treasure-seeking man, is itself part of this wisdom; a journey that, despite its hardships and even the shame of begging, leads him to his destination and fosters his growth. This separation from his initial place and journey to another serves as a metaphor for the soul's spiritual journey to return to its origin, a journey in which divine grace is both guide and support.

Key takeaways

• Divine assistance can manifest through unseen inspirations or truthful dreams.
• God accepts sincere supplications from His servants, even if born of desperation and begging.
• The answer to prayer is not always immediate or direct; it can require journey, effort, and patience.
• God is the ultimate source of hope and the fulfiller of needs, never truly absent.
• Separation and travel (both physical and spiritual) can be integral to the path of relief and growth.