M6:1158 — برگمان آن ز شادی زد دو دست / کان شهنشه بهر او میر آمدست

Translation: Upon that assumption, he clapped his hands in joy, That the King of Kings had come specifically for him, the Amīr.

Meaning: The host, overwhelmed with joy at the Prophet's arrival, clapped and danced, believing the Prophet had come exclusively to visit him.

This couplet vividly portrays the host's (Mīr or Khwāja) intense joy at the arrival of the Prophet (PBUH). The Mīr, as Mawlana calls him, is so overwhelmed by the news of the Prophet's coming that he claps his hands, dances, and leaps. The crucial point here, as Mawlana clearly states, is: "Upon that assumption, he clapped his hands in joy, / That the King of Kings had come specifically for him, the Amīr." This means that all this exhilaration stemmed from a false assumption, a misconception; the Khwāja imagined that the revered Prophet had gone out of his way specifically to visit him. This "false joy," or "joy born of misunderstanding," is a pivotal moment that the Prophet immediately addresses in the following couplets. Indeed, the Khwāja's reaction is an instance of a common human trait: interpreting significant attentions as being directed solely and exclusively towards oneself. In his ecstasy, his face blossoms like a rose (vard), and he is ready to offer his very soul (jān) as a reward (pāmizd) to the bearer of the good news. He even invites the Prophet, upon entering his home, to transform it into a "Paradise" (Ferdows). However, this manner of reception, despite its apparent eagerness, contains veins of nakhvat (presumption or arrogance) that could not escape the Prophet's discerning eye. The Prophet, immediately in the next couplet (M6:1159), "for the sake of reproach" halts him, stating: "I did not come to see you." This correction demonstrates that in spiritual journeying, even fervor and joy must be cleansed of personal assumptions and built upon a foundation of realism and truth. True joy is that which arises from connection to the Origin, not from the illusion of one's own centrality.

Key takeaways

• The Khwāja's joy stemmed from a false assumption that the Prophet had come specifically for him.
• This couplet illustrates human egocentricity in interpreting divine attention.
• Spiritual fervor and joy must be purified of false assumptions and personal arrogance.
• Mawlana sets this joy up as a prelude to the Prophet's immediate "reproach" and correction.
• True joy is based on connection to Truth, not the illusion of one's own centrality.