In the poem – or prayer – of Abu Saeed posted here, he asks to be granted a great privilege, to become so content with the Divine Presence that all other needs vanish. He says,
        make me needless of other creatures.
        Make me needless of both worlds,
        grant me that poverty You gift Your friends.

This might make us think of the explanation given by Hazrat Inayat Khan of the symbolism in the Sufi emblem. The two wings that allow the heart to fly free, he tells us, are independence and indifference. It is not difficult for us to grasp the first concept, since we usually treasure our material self-sufficiency, and to be dependent on the support of another can be uncomfortably debilitating. Indifference, though, is perplexing to many. It cannot mean to become cold and unfeeling, since Sufi teachings are constantly advising us to warm up and open our hearts. What it is, then, to be indifferent?

The one who aspires to love the One must rise above the many, or, in other words, above all names and forms, whether in the seen or in the unseen world. (This could make us think of the words in the prayer Khatum, ‘Raise us above the distinctions and differences…’) For the one who loves God alone, therefore, it does not matter if it rains or shines, if there are kind words or harsh ones, or even if one is on earth or in heaven. What matters is always and only the Presence of the Beloved, for that is the meaning of the lunacy of love.

From this we can see that the poverty Abu Saeed begs for is not necessarily a scarcity of goods, although a lack of material possessions can help us along this path; it is useful to learn that we need less than convention tries to teach us. But in this case, he means the poverty of unattachment, that which Hazrat Inayat Khan refers to in this post as vairagya. When we forget our pockets, and empty our hearts and our minds for the sake of the Beloved, we encounter the ultimate paradox: having nothing, we are blessed with the omnipresent One who made everything. Then, as Abu Saeed humbly requests, we are content, and that contentment is our wealth.