Concept

The Wise Man's Deference to a Counterfeit Claimant of Prophetic Lineage in Jami's Baharestan

In Section 21 of Jami's Baharestan, an impostor disguises himself as an Alawi (a descendant of Ali) and, backed by false witnesses, lays claim to noble prophetic lineage. A discerning man of heart (sahibdel) receives him with the highest honor: seating him in the place of honor, taking the humble spot by the shoes, giving him more than he asks, and escorting him out with full courtesy. When his companions protest that the claim is demonstrably false (the pretender's mother was a wandering beggar and his father a pot-mender and spindle-turner), the wise man's reply frames the moral: his reverence is directed at the sacred name and household the claimant invokes, not at the fraud himself. The tale teaches that honor shown for the sake of the Prophet's family should attach to the revered name itself, so that no true descendant is ever slighted, while separating that reverence from any endorsement of an impostor's lie.

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Updated 2026-07-20

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Humanities

Literature

Persian Literature Prerequisite Course