M2:155 — کیمیای زهر و مارست آن شقی / بر خلاف کیمیای متقی

In this story, a foolish man pesters Jesus to resurrect a pile of bones. God explains to Jesus that this man is inherently wretched (shaqī), one whose nature is to seek out ruin. The preceding verses describe how, for such a person, even a beautiful rose becomes a thorn in his hand, and a friend becomes a snake.

This couplet crystallizes that idea using the metaphor of alchemy (kīmiyā), the science of transformation. The alchemy of the pious one (muttaqī), like Jesus, is the familiar kind: turning base matter into gold, or in spiritual terms, bringing life and healing. But the wretched man possesses a reverse alchemy. His very essence is a corrupting force; he is an 'alchemy of poison and snakes.' Whatever he touches is transformed into something harmful and venomous. His desire to resurrect the bones is not a quest for life but an expression of his own ruinous nature, which can only produce more ruin.