M6:4254 — بود شب‌های مخوف و منتحس / پس به جد می‌جست دزدان را عسس

Translation: The nights were terrifying and muntahis (ill-omened) / So the patrolman diligently sought the thieves. Meaning: During a period when the city was gripped by terrifying and ominous nights and thievery was rampant, the patrolmen were relentlessly and uncompromisingly searching for criminals.

This verse vividly paints a picture of a social crisis at its peak; a period when nights had become "makhūf va muntahis" – terrifying and ominous – due to widespread theft and insecurity. "Muntahis" here implies ill-fated and inauspicious. With this description, Rumi not only presents a realistic scene but also sets the stage for demonstrating a system's response to public evil. The ʿasass, or patrolman, is no longer lax but diligently and decisively pursuing thieves, a zeal that itself suggests a higher command and a threat to his own position.

I have often emphasized in my readings of the Masnavi that Rumi is not merely a poet of wisdom, but also, at times, an interpreter of social phenomena and human psychology. Here, he points to a crucial observation: public crises, whether social or individual, often do not lead to reform until they reach their utmost intensity. During these "terrifying and ominous nights," people had suffered greatly "z-e shab-dozdān zarar"—from the harms caused by night-thieves. This situation had compelled the city's ruler (the Khalifa) to decree, "Let the hand be cut of whoever is out at night, even if he be my kin." Such harshness stems from the bitter experience of the common people's suffering, and the ʿasass himself was commanded "with threat and fear" not to show mercy to thieves.

These harsh and trying conditions reflect the Qur'anic principle and Rumi's worldview, to which I refer elsewhere in this lecture: "ʿAsá an takrahū shayʾan wa huwa khayrun lakum" (Qur'an 2:216) and "Sayajʿalu-llāhu baʿda ʿusrin yusrā" (Qur'an 65:7). That is, you may dislike a thing, but it is good for you; and after every hardship, ease will come. The "terrifying and ominous nights" are the very essence of ʿusr (hardship) and azma (crisis); a moment when difficulty has reached its zenith. It is at such a peak that one must hope for "Inna maʿa al-ʿusri yusrā" and the Prophetic tradition, "Ishtaddī azmatu tanfarijī" – "O hardship, intensify so you may unravel." This intensification itself is a harbinger of relief. These are lessons for us to broaden our perspective when facing problems, avoiding a "poverty of imaginative creativity," and not assuming that "history has ended."

Another point in this verse, which becomes clear later in the story, concerns the difficult decisions in governance. Rumi further elucidates this with the analogy of the "usbūʿ maldūgh" (the bitten finger), explaining that sometimes, to avert a greater evil, a lesser suffering must be endured, and even the "particular" sacrificed for the "general." In those critical nights, the suffering of a single thief or even an innocent person mistakenly apprehended (like the dervish in this tale) appears insignificant compared to the widespread harm and zarar that the general populace has endured from thieves. This perspective clarifies the apparent severity and ruthlessness of the ʿasass during those ominous nights: he is a tool for repelling a pervasive evil, not necessarily a manifestation of sheer injustice. This is the same view found in Imam Ali's letter to Malik Ashtar, which counsels prioritizing the welfare of the "general populace" over that of the "elites."

Key takeaways

• Dire events and terrifying nights, however difficult, are transient and should not lead to despair about the future.
• The peak of hardship (like "ominous nights") often signals the nearing of relief and ease ("O hardship, intensify so you may unravel").
• Hidden good is often concealed within unpleasant appearances; what seems undesirable may lead to a greater benefit.
• Governance sometimes necessitates severity and sacrificing the suffering of the part for the sake of the whole to repel widespread evil (the "bitten finger" analogy).
• Patience and steadfastness in the face of adversity are the ultimate keys to achieving victory and tranquility.