M6:3018 — بر امید او بیامد آن غریب / کو غریبان را بدی خویش و نسیب

Translation: That stranger arrived, placing his hope in him; one who was both kin and relation to strangers. Meaning: This verse describes a dervish who, burdened by debt, arrives in Tabriz, relying entirely on the legendary generosity of an official who treated strangers as if they were his own family.

This verse is situated within the story of the Tabriz official, whom Mawlana portrays as a perfect mirror of generosity and grace. The indebted stranger arrives in this city not on the strength of his own purse or any worldly calculation, but "placing his hope in him" – hoping in one who was both kin and relation to those without a home or refuge. This is a crucial point that Mawlana articulates not out of habit, but out of wisdom: this official had made himself family to strangers. He looked upon the unfamiliar not out of mere pity, but out of an intrinsic, innate connection.

This dervish had taken loans without hesitation or worry, for his back was warmed by an ocean of generosity. This image of "having one's back warmed" is profoundly meaningful. As Mawlana elaborates in subsequent verses, one whose back is warmed by the "Sun of Arabia" – meaning the Holy Prophet – what grief would he then feel from Abu Lahab’s scowl? This reliance on "hope" is precisely the "certainty" (yaqin) that holds such a lofty position in Mawlana’s thought. This certainty is neither conjecture nor mere belief; rather, it is a form of inner vision, a kind of "arrival" (vusul) that frees humanity from doubt and fear.

Mawlana says elsewhere, "His back was warmed by the sun of Arabia; what grief has he from Abu Lahab's moustache?" This is not merely a historical anecdote but an articulation of a cosmic principle. Every act of generosity we witness in the world stems from the Absolute Generous (al-Karim al-Mutlaq), and every support among human beings is a reflection of divine backing. Thus, this stranger, though ostensibly relying on a human, is deeply connected in his soul to that boundless source of grace and hope.

This Tabriz official embodies the divine kindness and loyalty that Mawlana consistently refers to in the Masnavi. He is the "kin and relation" to strangers, not by blood and flesh, but by meaning and inner essence. This is the very relationship that the human soul has with its origin: the soul, a stranger in the world of forms, constantly cries out with the hope of returning to the "reed-bed" (neyestān), to that true, kindred origin. This tale, in truth, is the story of our relationship with our own primordial root, a root that never abandons us and is always our "kin and relation."

Key takeaways

• Reliance on divine generosity, rather than worldly calculations, provides true support and solace.
• True generosity not only shelters strangers but embraces them as one's own kin and family.
• Inner certainty and hope in the boundless source of grace free individuals from anxieties and life's hardships.
• The verse exemplifies how divine kindness and loyalty can manifest through an earthly character.
• Every act of generosity in the world is a reflection and rooted in the grace of the Absolute Generous.