The relationship between Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni and his favorite servant Ayaz (referred to in your query as "Ayad") is one of Rumi’s most enduring metaphors for the bond between the Lover and the Beloved, or the servant and God. While Mahmud was a historical king and Ayaz his slave, Rumi portrays Ayaz as the true "Sultan of the Soul" and the "Lord of Wisdom" who possessed a spiritual rank far above the king's courtiers.

1. The Story of the King’s Pearl

This story illustrates the supremacy of the Divine Command over material value.

• The Test: One day, King Mahmud assembled his courtiers and produced a radiant, priceless pearl. He placed it in the hand of his Vizier and asked its value. The Vizier replied that it was worth more than a hundred donkey loads of gold. The King commanded, "Break it!" The Vizier refused, stating he could not waste the King's wealth. The King rewarded the Vizier with a robe of honor.

• The King then handed the pearl to a Chamberlain, who valued it at "half a kingdom." When ordered to break it, the Chamberlain also refused, claiming he could not be an enemy to the King’s treasury. The King rewarded him as well.

• Ayaz’s Action: Finally, the pearl was given to Ayaz. When asked its worth, Ayaz replied, "It is more than I can say." The King commanded, "Break it." Ayaz immediately crushed the pearl to powder using two stones he had hidden in his sleeve.

• The Lesson: The court shrieked at his recklessness. Ayaz responded, "What the king says is worth more than any pearl. I honor the king, not some colored stone". While the courtiers worshipped the form (the valuable pearl), Ayaz worshipped the command of the Beloved. Rumi uses this to illustrate that true devotion requires breaking the "pearl" of self-existence and attachment when the Divine commands it.

2. The Story of Ayaz’s Secret Chamber (The Sheepskin Jacket)

This narrative explores humility, the remembrance of one's origins, and the overcoming of the ego.

• The Accusation: Jealous courtiers told King Mahmud that Ayaz kept a secret chamber locked and barred, allowing no one inside. They accused Ayaz of hoarding stolen gold and silver in this room.

• The Raid: The King, though he knew Ayaz’s innocence, allowed thirty Amirs to raid the room at midnight to expose their own "evil thoughts." The Amirs expected to find jewels but found only old, rustic shoes and a tattered sheepskin jacket hanging on the wall.

• The Truth: It was revealed that Ayaz went to the chamber every day to look at these items and speak to them: "These are your shoes: do not regard your eminence." He did this to remember his humble origins and to prevent the intoxication of arrogance (kibr) and self-existence (hasti) from taking over his heart.

• The Outcome: The courtiers were humiliated and asked for forgiveness. The King deferred their judgment to Ayaz, who showed them mercy, mirroring the attributes of the Divine. Rumi compares Ayaz’s rustic shoes to the clay from which humanity was created, urging the seeker to remember their origin to avoid pride.

3. The Story of the Caravan (True Intelligence)

This story highlights Ayaz’s spiritual insight (firasat) and intelligence compared to the worldly intellect of the courtiers.

• The Challenge: The Amirs complained that Ayaz did not possess the intellect of thirty men to justify his high salary. To test them, the King pointed out a passing caravan.

• The Failure of the Amirs: The King sent an Amir to ask where the caravan came from. He returned saying "Rayy," but could not answer where it was going. The King sent another to ask the destination; he returned saying "Yemen," but could not identify the cargo. This continued until thirty Amirs had run back and forth, each obtaining only partial information.

• Ayaz’s Insight: The King then revealed that he had tested Ayaz similarly. Ayaz, without receiving explicit instructions or even leaving the King's side, was able to apprehend every detail about the caravan—its origin, destination, and cargo—through spiritual perception. What took the thirty Amirs thirty stages to learn, Ayaz knew in a single moment.

The Spiritual Symbolism

In Rumi’s poetry, Ayaz is not merely a slave but the ideal lover who has achieved fana (annihilation) in the Beloved.

• Total Submission: Ayaz represents the "Soul at Peace" that has conquered the ego. Rumi writes that Ayaz had "smitten the neck of arrogance".

• Union: The bond is so deep that the King says to Ayaz, "I am you and you are me" . In this state of union, the distinction between Lover and Beloved disappears, illustrating the Sufi concept that "He loves them" and "they love Him" are essentially one dynamic.

• The Value of the Human: When the King saves a man from execution, he notes that "Every member of this man's body is worth a thousand dinars," referencing the immense value of the human being when viewed through the lens of need and love, similar to how he viewed Ayaz.