M6:998 — زشت گرداند به جادویی عدو / تا طلاق افتد میان جفت و شو

Translation: The enemy, with sorcery, makes ugly / So that divorce falls between husband and wife. Meaning: This verse refers to the role of sorcerers and satanic forces who, through trickery and deception, distort truth and create separation between humans and what is valuable to them, much like a divorce between spouses.

This verse continues Rumi's discourse on the mercantile aspect of religion and the role of prophets. As I've discussed before, prophets taught people true commerce; they introduced genuine goods so that people wouldn't be deceived by false, enchanted wares. However, in opposition, demons and sorcerer-ghouls come with their magic and trickery, distorting truth in the eyes of people.

It is here that Rumi points to a tangible and concrete example: "The enemy, with sorcery, makes ugly / So that divorce falls between husband and wife." This 'enemy' refers to those very satanic and magical forces that disfigure truth. Their task is to make the wife appear ugly in the husband's eyes, and the husband ugly in the wife's. Why? So that separation and divorce occur between this couple. This is not merely an analogy from daily life; it is, unequivocally, a direct Quranic reference. In Surah Al-Baqarah, concerning Harut and Marut, it is stated: "They separate a man from his wife" (یفرقون به بین المرء و زوجه), meaning they caused separation between husband and wife through their magic. Rumi employs this Quranic concept here with utmost beauty and power.

Thus, sorcerers aim to blind eyes to truth through trickery and illusion. They make the truth of religion, the truth of gnosis, and the truth of what the prophets brought appear ugly and worthless, so that people sell a gem for a trifle, or even mistake it for a glass bead. The separation spoken of here is not merely divorce from a spouse; rather, it is a divorce from truth—a separation from true religion, from the bond with genuine knowledge. This 'divorce from truth' is the objective of the sorcerer-ghouls. They do not want humanity to marry and bond with truth; instead, they seek to render it repulsive so that people detest it and sever their ties. This is the tale of false commerce and enchanted goods, which the prophets were sent to counteract.

Key takeaways

• The enemy uses sorcery to disfigure truth in perception, akin to how sorcerers make a wife appear ugly to her husband.
• The 'divorce between husband and wife' serves as a metaphor for humanity's separation from truth and divine knowledge.
• This verse directly references the Quranic account of Harut and Marut, who sowed discord between spouses.
• The objective of satanic forces is deception and the inversion of truths, aiming to sever spiritual bonds.
• Prophets, through their teachings, confront this deceptive magic, inviting people to engage in 'true commerce.'