M6:3819 — تخته‌ها بر ساق بست از چپ و راست / تا گمان آید که او اشکسته‌پاست

Translation: He tied planks to his shins, both left and right, So that it might be thought that he was broken-legged. Meaning: This verse describes how a greedy jurist feigned disability by strapping planks to his legs to elicit pity and obtain money.

This verse is embedded within the tale of a greedy jurist who resorts to elaborate stratagems to acquire worldly wealth. In Mawlana's narrative, the "jurist" here is not an embodiment of religious scholarship in its purest form, but rather a figure consumed by worldly covetousness – a critique Mawlana, much like Ghazali, levels at the jurists of his era. This character, first appearing as an impoverished elder, then a feigning invalid, and here, faking a broken leg by tying planks to his shins, symbolizes the futility of the 'partial intellect' (ʿaql-i juzvī) and the 'commanding self' (nafs-i ammāra) which, in pursuit of material gain, does not hesitate to sacrifice its dignity. By tying planks to his legs, this jurist attempts to mislead the "Sadr-i Jahan" (chief dignitary), hoping to profit from this deception.

This deceitful act by the jurist stands in stark contrast to the principle of 'voluntary death' (mawt-i ikhtiyārī) that Mawlana champions as the secret to true prosperity. While the jurist seeks to gain something through feigned helplessness, the path of the true mystic is to "die before you die." Voluntary death implies dying to human attributes, dying to greed and avarice, and dying to worldly attachments. Mawlana declares: "The ocean holds the dead upon its head / While the living, how can they from the ocean flee?" This profound statement signifies that only by dying to selfish desires does one become light-hearted and capable of floating on the ocean of divine mysteries. To be 'alive' in the sense of being entangled in attachments acts like a weight, drowning one; but 'dying' in the sense of liberation from attachments keeps one afloat and propels them forward.

Thus, in this verse, the jurist, by tying planks to his legs, performs a 'false death' and 'deceptive disability' to gain wealth, while the true mystic, through a 'real death' to the self, attains boundless spiritual treasures. This beyt is not merely a narrative account; it is an epistemological allegory illustrating the clash between worldly greed, which leads to cunning, and contentment coupled with annihilation of the self (fanāʾ), which opens the doors to divine grace. The jurist wants to take money through deceit; the mystic dies so that spiritual gains may reach him. This is the crucial difference between 'trickery' (kayd) and the prophetic injunction "Mūtū qabla an tamūtū." Mawlana, though a jurist himself, held a critical view of the institution of jurisprudence and its proximity to power, and the avarice he observed in the jurists of his time. He expressed this through subtle barbs in his verses, once remarking: "You have consumed this world, and out of greed, you desire / To take that world along with this world." This meant, for Mawlana, that these jurists wished to have both worlds, which he considered the epitome of shamelessness.

Key takeaways

• The verse depicts the cunning and shamelessness of a greedy jurist who resorts to any disguise for worldly gain.
• This jurist's behavior symbolizes the impotence of the 'partial intellect' and 'commanding self' when faced with worldly temptations.
• Mawlana contrasts these deceptive ploys with 'voluntary death' (mawt-i ikhtiyārī), the path the mystic takes to attain true spiritual riches.
• Voluntary death means dying to human attributes and worldly attachments, leading to buoyancy and immersion in the ocean of divine mysteries.
• This contrast is an epistemological lesson between deception and contentment: deception for false gain, contentment for divine grace.
• Mawlana criticized the jurists of his time for their greed and proximity to power, and this verse reflects that critique.