M3:3281 — فقر ازین رو فخر آمد جاودان / که به تقوی ماند دست نارسان

This couplet is part of Moses's argument to God against granting a man's wish for a supernatural power (understanding the language of animals). Moses generalizes from this specific case to a broader spiritual principle, explaining why the Prophet Muhammad declared, al-faqr fakhrī ("Poverty is my pride").

Rumi, through Moses, argues that this "poverty" (faqr) is not merely material lack but a state of existential neediness and powerlessness before God. This state is a source of "pride" (fakhr) and a spiritual safeguard because it prevents the ego from overreaching. The "hand that cannot reach" (dast-e nā-rasān) is a metaphor for human limitation and inability. When a person is aware of their own incapacity, they are more likely to remain in a state of taqwā (God-consciousness, piety), as they have no power with which to transgress.

Conversely, as the following lines explain, power and ability (qudrat) often destroy patience and lead to ruin. The man's desire for a special power is a symptom of a deeper spiritual illness: a restless ambition that will, if fulfilled, lead him to disaster. True safety, Rumi suggests, lies not in gaining new powers but in embracing our inherent helplessness, which keeps us humble and reliant on God.