M6:406 — هم‌چو ابلیسی که گفت اغویتنی / تو شکستی جام و ما را می‌زنی

Translation: Like Iblis, who said, 'You led me astray!' You broke the cup, yet you strike us? Meaning: This verse captures Iblis's defiant challenge to God, questioning why he is being punished for his sin when, in his view, God Himself led him astray and broke his will.

This verse, voiced by Iblis in the sixth book of the Masnavi, is embedded in Rumi's profound and challenging discourse on free will and determinism. In this book, Rumi emphatically champions free will, diverging from some earlier allusions in previous books that might have suggested a more deterministic stance. Here, he starkly contrasts the reactions of Adam and Iblis following their respective transgressions.

On one hand, Adam, with his confession, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves" (Qur'an 7:23), takes full responsibility for his sin and repents. This is a clear testament to his belief in free will. On the other hand, Iblis brazenly declares, "You led me astray!" (Qur'an 15:39); that is, it was God's fault. This verse, "You broke the cup, yet you strike us?" (تو شکستی جام و ما را می‌زنی), continues Iblis's logic: 'You (God) Yourself shattered the cup of my free will or my nature, You led me astray, and now You punish us for an act You caused?' This is an accusation of divine injustice, premised on the assumption that humanity lacks free will and is merely an executor of divine decree.

I have, on another occasion, highlighted how Rumi in the first book, within the very same narrative of Adam and Iblis, adopted a different, and to my mind, problematic stance. There, he suggested that Adam, though inwardly knowing God was the cause of his sin, maintained 'adab' (courtesy) and refrained from saying 'You did it,' opting instead for 'We wronged ourselves.' Rumi of the first book deemed this a mark of Adam's decorum, asserting that God reciprocated this 'adab.' However, this view, in my judgment, contradicts Rumi's own teachings on 'inward adab' versus 'outward adab.' True adab demands congruence between inner conviction and outer expression, not a discrepancy. The Rumi of Book Six, however, discards this 'outward adab' and takes an uncompromising stand in defense of free will.

Iqbal Lahori, with keen insight, identified a critical oversight among some mystics who solely contemplate God's 'overpowering might' (qudrat) while neglecting His 'will' (ikhtiyār), which has also been bestowed upon humanity. Rumi himself declares, "He created us in His own image" (خلق ما بر صورت خود کرد حق); therefore, if God possesses free will, so too do we, to our measure. Our hesitations and indecisions in choosing between actions are themselves clear evidence of our free will. If one's hands and feet are bound, they would never ponder, 'Shall I do this or that?'

Ultimately, the denial of free will is the denial of the self. When a human claims, 'I did not do it; rather, another force did,' they effectively erase their 'self' and consign it to non-existence. Yet, the 'self' is precisely that 'I' which, amidst a hundred other factors, constitutes the thousand-and-first agency. This Iblisian verse exemplifies such self-denial: the 'one-eyed' (aʿwar) perspective that perceives only divine decree while overlooking human effort and endeavor.

Key takeaways

• Book Six of the Masnavi decisively champions free will, taking a clear stance against determinism.
• Iblis, by claiming "You led me astray!", attributes his sin to God and accuses Him of injustice.
• The contrast between Adam and Iblis in this verse highlights the difference between taking responsibility (Adam) and deflecting blame (Iblis).
• In Dr. Soroush's view, Rumi's Book One perspective on Adam's 'adab' towards God contradicts his own deeper teachings.
• The human capacity for doubt and choosing between options serves as clear evidence of free will.