M6:3798 — داد بسیار و عطای بی‌شمار / تا به شب بودی ز جودش زر نثار

Translation: He gave much and bestowed countless gifts; / Until night, gold was scattered from his generosity. Meaning: This couplet describes the boundless generosity of Sadr-e Jahān of Bukhara, who continuously scattered abundant gifts, especially gold, to the needy until late into the night.

This couplet describes the profound generosity of Sadr-e Jahān of Bukhara, a figure who symbolizes unconditional and immediate bounty. Mawlana here likens him to the sun and moon, calling him a pāk-bāz (pure player), a term laden with deep meaning in his discourse. Pāk-bāzī, beyond merely gambling away one's possessions, signifies giving purely and unreservedly, an act in which the giver neither expects recompense nor places any obligation upon the recipient. This is a divine attribute, making God the 'Absolutely Generous' (Karīm al-Mutlaq), and Mawlana repeatedly reminds us that the sun and moon possess no light of their own; they are marzūq (sustained) by God, receiving His light to then radiate it upon the world without expectation or calculation. This chain of illumination, 'light of light of light,' ultimately emanates from the singular essence of God.

From Mawlana's perspective, Sadr-e Jahān in this story is an exemplar of such true benefactors; those whose gifts are 'without cause or expectation,' given 'purely out of love and mercy.' This mirrors the prophets who declared, 'I ask no reward from you,' and like true lovers, found their reward in the very act of love itself. The sun's giving, which the ancients believed even caused the production of gold and silver within the earth, represents a self-sacrifice that ultimately leads to 'non-existence' and fanā (annihilation). This is the ultimate goal of the spiritual seeker: to give away all they possess until the self vanishes.

This couplet also highlights Sadr-e Jahān's peculiar method of giving: he would wrap gold in paper and scatter it, but with one fundamental condition: anyone who asked verbally would be deprived. This point serves as a gateway to understanding 'silence' in the mystical path. He gave to the silent ones, those who stood 'like walls' (dīvār-vash) along his path. This echoes the Prophetic tradition, 'Whoever is silent among you, is saved.' Silence here is not merely the absence of speech, but a state of surrender and non-expectation that opens the door to receiving divine grace. This giving, without preconditions or verbal request, is a sign of a deep understanding of human dignity and the wisdom of generosity.

Key takeaways

• True giving is without expectation; it seeks neither reward nor gratitude.
• Unconditional generosity is a divine attribute manifested in saints and the virtuous.
• The sun and moon are supreme symbols of giving without expectation; they return all light they receive.
• Annihilation through giving: the ultimate act of generosity is dissolving the self in the act of giving.
• Silence and non-expectation are prerequisites for receiving divine bounty; verbal requests hinder this reception.