M1:341 — او وزیری داشت گَبْر و عِشوِه دِه / کو بَر آبْ از مَکر بَر بَستی گِرِه

Translation: That king had a vizier, a Gabr (Zoroastrian/infidel) and a deceiver, / Who, with his cunning, could tie a knot upon water. Meaning: This verse describes the king's cunning and malevolent vizier, whose deceit and trickery were so profound that he could achieve the impossible through his cleverness.

This verse describes the vizier who serves as the king's advisor in the story, a figure Rumi calls "Gabr and ʿishva-deh." As I have often remarked, Rumi freely uses words without concern for historical anachronisms. The term "Gabr" here is not meant to precisely denote a Zoroastrian, but rather is used pejoratively to refer to any infidel or malevolent character. This vizier was "ʿishva-deh," meaning he was exceedingly cunning and deceitful.

The idiom "He could, with his cunning, tie a knot upon water" is profoundly expressive and pregnant with meaning. Knotting water metaphorically signifies the pinnacle of cunning and the ability to achieve the impossible through extraordinary cleverness. This is not merely a figure of speech; rather, it refers to the ability to penetrate and manipulate something that is inherently formless. Rumi here confronts us with the concept of makr (cunning). From my perspective, makr is not inherently evil. Makr is the ability to employ complex methods to achieve a goal; it is cleverness. If this cleverness is employed in the service of wicked ends, then it becomes malevolence. However, the very capacity for complex thinking and for knotting waves, itself, is a virtue. Modern technology, without a doubt, is a manifestation of this very makr; devices that make the impossible possible. The word "device," or tool, derives from "devil," indicating that from ancient times, a connection between complexity and satanic affairs was imagined. But this perception is incorrect; complexity itself can be a tool for good.

The most thought-provoking point is that Rumi employs this very idiom, "knotting water and binding air," to describe Shams-e Tabrizi! When Shams withdraws from Rumi and Rumi composes ghazals in his absence, he describes Shams saying: "He has a fiercely warm breath / that, with sorcery and enchantment, / ties a knot upon water and / binds the air." This demonstrates that Rumi neither wholly rejects nor wholly condemns makr. He views it as an immense force that can, in the hands of a malevolent vizier, become an instrument of oppression, or, in the hands of a spiritual master like Shams, a means of guidance and profound influence. This is Rumi's phenomenology of power and cleverness, teaching us not to be content with the mere appearance of things or qualities, but to look at the intention and purpose behind them.

Key takeaways

• In the Mathnawi, "Gabr" doesn't strictly mean Zoroastrian; it's a pejorative term for an infidel or malevolent person.
• The idiom "tying a knot upon water" signifies the peak of cunning and the ability to achieve the impossible through extraordinary cleverness.
• Rumi's makr (cunning) is not inherently evil; it's the capacity to use complex methods for achieving goals, a form of intellectual prowess.
• The very ability for complex thinking is a virtue, and modern technology is a manifestation of this type of makr.
• Rumi uses the same cunning idiom to describe Shams-e Tabrizi, highlighting his nuanced view of power and shrewdness.
• The intention behind an action is paramount: a single quality can be an instrument of oppression or a means of guidance, depending on who wields it.