The intent behind his saying: "Give us this day our daily bread" means: Give us the esoteric knowledge ('Ilm al-Batin), which is our [true] bread, without adding anything to it from the exoteric nourishments (Al-Aghdhiya al-Zahira)—which are in excess of our sufficiency—from the bread that here represents the esoteric nourishments.

Supporting and resembling this is what appeared in the thirtieth chapter of Proverbs [30:8]: {Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches...}. {Feed me with the bread of my portion; lest I be full and deny and say: 'Who is the Lord?' or lest I be poor and steal and take the name of my God in vain.}"

The intent of "poverty" here is being veiled from the esoteric knowledge (al-’ilm al-batin), just as "riches" here refers to the expansion into exoteric knowledge (al-’ilm al-zahir) for the purpose of believing in it. That is, it is not permissible for the believer to take from its river except "a handful with his hand"—doing so for concealment (tastur), not for belief.