The Masnavi, Book One (Oxford World's Classics)

Commentary on the prayer of those two angels who
call out at every market each day: ‘God, give every
spender change to spare and bring every miser harm!’
with the explanation that the ‘spender’ refers to the
aspirant on the path to God, not the one who
squanders it for the sake of desire
The Prophet said, ‘Two angels always shout
With voices that sound sweet when they cry out:
“Please God, keep all the spenders satis
fied,
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Let them go home with their wealth multiplied,
But don’t give misers anything, please Lord,
But loss of income, so they’ll lose their horde!” ’
The Angels’ Prayer in Favour of Spenders
137

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Yet stinginess excels a generous hand ––
Don’t give what’s God’s except at His command!
Then, in return, you’ll gain a boundless treasure
And not an unbeliever’s paltry measure ––
Seek God’s command from those in union’s sea,
Not every heart has this capacity.
In the Koran those who chose to forget
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Found all their spending only buys regret:
The Meccans who reviled the Prophet
* tried
A sacri
fice to draw God to their side,
Such camel sacri
fices thus they made
To sharpen on his neck a murderous blade,
But they were like that overgenerous slave:
The king’s wealth to his enemies he gave!
So to the king this kind of generous act
Warranted exile –– this slave was attacked!
That’s why believers fearfully recite:
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‘
Show us the straight path!
*’ in their prayers each night.
The generous give coins to all those who ask,
But o
ffering up one’s soul’s the lover’s task!
Give bread for God’s sake, more will come to you,
Give up your soul, receive a soul that’s new:
When leaves fall o
ff the tree, then God will give
The lea
fless tree what it should need to live;
Your being generous won’t leave you without,
God’s grace won’t leave you ruined –– never doubt!
Your barn is emptied when you sow what’s there
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But soon your 
field sprouts goodness everywhere;
What you save in your barn as capital
Gets eaten up by mice, it’s temporal.
This world is naught, look for the lasting whole,
Your body’s void, try searching in your soul!
So bring your bitter soul now to the sword,
A soul just like the sea is the reward,
If you don’t know how to 
find this location
Just listen to the following narration:
The Angels’ Prayer in Favour of Spenders
138

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