M1:358 — بهر عیسی جان سپارم سَر دهم / صد هزاران منّتش بر خود نهم

Translation: For Jesus, I shall surrender my soul, yield my head, / And lay a hundred thousand obligations of his upon myself. Meaning: This couplet, spoken by the cunning minister, expresses his apparent readiness to sacrifice for Jesus, while his true intention is to protect the esoteric knowledge of Christianity from destruction.

In this segment of the story of the cunning minister, Mawlana illustrates how a character can speak with a language of sacrifice, yet harbor an entirely strategic intention. The minister utters these lines: “For Jesus, I shall surrender my soul, yield my head, / And lay a hundred thousand obligations of his upon myself.” Ostensibly, this declaration expresses the pinnacle of devotion and self-sacrifice to Jesus Christ, leading the listener to believe they are witnessing a zealous devotee. However, one must look to the deeper reality and intention behind these statements.

The minister's true intention, as Mawlana clarifies, is that he is a Christian scholar, deeply aware of the “science of religion” (ʿilm-i dīn) and privy to the “secrets” (asrār) of Christianity. His aim is not martyrdom for Christ himself, but rather the entrustment and transmission of these secrets and knowledge to future generations. He continues: “It was a pity for me that that pure religion / should perish among the ignorant.” Thus, his words of self-sacrifice serve as a veneer for a deeper stratagem: the preservation of the Christian religious legacy. This is not a personal sacrifice for his own salvation, but a calculated measure for the salvation of a religion.

This brings us to the concept of makr (cunning or stratagem), which I have discussed previously. Makr is not, in itself, an inherently blameworthy or praiseworthy attribute; rather, it denotes the deployment of complex tools and measures to achieve a specific end. If the end is noble, the makr itself becomes noble. In this narrative, the minister, through his “cunning,” undertakes, in his own estimation, an act to preserve the religion of Jesus, which he deems “true.” He considers himself a “guide” (rahnamā) of this true faith and offers thanks to God and Jesus for enabling him to fulfill this duty.

Mawlana here demonstrates that the appearance of things does not always align with their inner realities. A declaration of sacrifice can be a cover for an intelligent strategy, especially when an individual perceives themselves as responsible for safeguarding a spiritual or intellectual heritage. Mawlana’s perspective on human behavior thus unveils the hidden layers of motivations and stratagems, inviting us to ponder the depths behind every word and action.

Key takeaways

• Outward expressions do not always align with inner intentions.
• Sacrifice can serve as a facade for a calculated strategy.
• The minister's aim was the preservation of Christian spiritual heritage, not merely individual martyrdom.
• Makr (cunning) implies intricate planning, its moral value dependent on the underlying intention.