M6:329 — مرکب اعناق مردم را مپا / تا نیاید نقرست اندر دو پا

Translation: Do not make the necks of people your mount, lest gout should afflict your two feet. Meaning: Rumi warns us against exploiting others or making them bear our burdens, suggesting that such a habit will ultimately lead to our own physical and spiritual infirmity, much like gout arises from idleness and overconsumption.

In this profound verse, Mawlana, with a warning tone and deep irony, addresses one of the most fundamental moral and social vices: burdening others, exploiting them as one's 'mount,' and using them for personal gain. This is an ethical-mystical point conveyed through a tangible, everyday metaphor.

I have often said that rulers, viziers, and the grandees of society frequently lay their burdens upon the people. They are like 'corpses' that must be carried on the shoulders of the populace, rather than swift 'steeds' that traverse the path on their own feet. This act of 'riding on people,' of making 'the necks of people one's mount,' is a metaphor for exploitation and subjugation of others without oneself enduring hardship.

Here, the metaphor of 'gout' is exceptionally insightful. Gout, traditionally understood as arising from idleness, overeating, and the accumulation of uric acid in the joints, becomes a symbol for the illness and inertia that are the natural consequences of such a lifestyle. One who is perpetually carried by others does not move oneself, does not put effort into work, and consequently suffers from physical and spiritual paralysis. This is not merely a physical ailment but a symbol of the spiritual crookedness and inability that stems from unethical habits and the exploitation of others. Gout, in modern medical terms, is a type of 'necrosis,' or the decay of a limb, and Mawlana, through this allusion, shows that the soul and body of one who treads on the necks of others will suffer corruption and ruin.

This counsel from Mawlana resonates with a narration from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who stated: 'If you desire Paradise from God, ask nothing from anyone.' This implies not burdening others, minimizing requests from creation, and freeing oneself from all forms of dependency and solicitation. Even prophets, when they asked something of people, did so by divine command, not for personal benefit. Mawlana's verse, in essence, is an expression of this prophetic wisdom, which posits that liberation from worldly attachments and attainment of ultimate felicity depend on inner freedom and refraining from imposing burdens upon others.

Key takeaways

• Do not burden others or exploit them for your own ends.
• Exploiting others ultimately leads to one's own spiritual and physical paralysis and infirmity.
• The term 'gout' serves as a metaphor for the sickness and inertia resulting from idleness and excessive demands.
• Mawlana condemns the vice of exploitation and burdening people through this verse.
• The lesson of this beyt aligns with prophetic wisdom, suggesting that the path to felicity lies in self-sufficiency and independence from others.