M6:3246 — واقعهٔ آن وام او مشهور شد / پای مرد از درد او رنجور شد

Translation: The event of that debt became known; The guarantor grew sick from his pain.

Meaning: Once the story of the debtor's plight became public, the guarantor, out of profound empathy and shared suffering for the debtor, fell ill and became deeply distressed.

Here, Mowlana recounts an incident where "the event of that debt," meaning the story of an individual's financial burden, became "known." This public revelation has profound consequences, especially for the "pāymard," the "noble person who guarantees or stands surety." The pāymard is not merely a financial guarantor; he is one who, out of generosity and moral fortitude, has taken on another's responsibility. We see here that he "grew sick from his pain." This affliction is not merely physical; it is a spiritual and internal malady born of intense empathy and shared sorrow for the debtor.

I see this as a sign of profound "sympathy" and "zealous concern" within the realm of mystical ethics. The pāymard fully embraces a pain that belongs to another, to the extent that he himself becomes ill. This differs markedly from a merely formal or legalistic approach to guarantee. Mowlana intends to convey that in this spiritual journey, what troubles the soul is not just the financial burden, but the anguish arising from another's distress and the inability to alleviate it.

A further point in this narrative, which becomes clear in subsequent verses, is the pāymard's effort to collect the money through "kadiyeh," or begging. Mowlana, it is evident, does not hold a favorable view of "kadiyeh-gari and kadiyeh-parasti" (begging and devotion to begging). Even if the goal is to assist another, this act represents a kind of degradation in one's standing and resolve. This is a precise ethical distinction: while the motive is good, the method may not be desirable and carries its own spiritual implications. This incident, despite the pāymard's good intentions, places him in a situation where he is compelled to resort to a means that Mowlana does not highly commend.

Ultimately, the story of this debt and the pāymard's suffering sets the stage for a great lesson in the Masnavi, a lesson about "gratitude to the benefactor." At the conclusion of this episode, the pāymard, accompanied by the debtor, visits the tomb of the generous original benefactor to offer thanks. Mowlana explains there that offering gratitude to a servant who has been blessed with the opportunity to do good is, in fact, gratitude to God. This illustrates that all these events, from the pāymard's suffering and illness to his efforts to collect the debt and finally to settle it, are all stages in the journey of turning one's attention to the ultimate source of grace and generosity, namely, the Divine Reality.

Key takeaways

• The pāymard's pain is not physical ailment, but a profound spiritual distress born of "empathy" and "moral zeal" for another.
• The public revelation of the debt creates a moral trial for the pāymard, highlighting his commitment.
• Mowlana's discerning eye critiques even the act of "begging" (kadiyeh) for a good cause; the method carries moral weight, not just the intention.
• All sufferings and efforts ultimately culminate in "gratitude to the Benefactor" and an acknowledgment of the Divine as the ultimate source of grace.