M6:1339 — ای هوا را طب خود پنداشته / بر ضعیفان صفع را بگماشته

Translation: O you who have imagined your desires to be your own cure, / And have deputized the slap upon the weak. Meaning: This verse admonishes those who mistake their base desires for their spiritual remedy, thereby leading them to oppress and strike down the vulnerable.

This verse delivers a sharp and cautionary message, profoundly illustrating how Rumi penetrates the deepest spiritual maladies of humanity. Here, Rumi addresses one who has chosen their desires (hava) as their own "physician" and "cure." This misconception stems from a grand deception; the same devil who enticed Adam with the promise of immortality by pointing to the forbidden grain, casts the same illusion into our hearts: that the unrestrained cravings of the ego are the remedy for our pains. This is where we "imagine our desires to be our own cure;" we believe that what the ego seeks is not only permissible but also healing. This self-deception arises from a kind of "consumption" (دق) and "helplessness" (بیچارگی) of the soul, to which Rumi alluded in previous verses. People are "afflicted with consumption," meaning they suffer from spiritual illness and are "helpless."

The consequence of this false notion is a vile and destructive act: "And have deputized the slap upon the weak." "Safʿ" (صفع), as we know from its literal meaning, refers to slapping the back of the neck. However, here it carries a broader and deeper significance. Rumi speaks of those who are "prone to slapping" (سیلی‌باره); they are perpetually inclined to harm others, especially the weak. This "slapping" can manifest in various forms: from backbiting and fault-finding ("seeking flaws in one another's behinds") to bullying and oppression. In essence, one who takes their desires as their physician, being devoid of self-restraint and not governing "themselves," inevitably governs "others" tyrannically. They compensate for their own weakness by harming those weaker than themselves. This is a form of "oppression of the weak" that stems from self-ignorance and falling into the "deception of the devil."

Rumi explicitly states later in the same discussion: "He who told you this was a cure laughed at you / He is the one who guided Adam to the grain." Meaning, the one who presented egoistic desires to you as a remedy is the very devil who mocked you and cast you into the pit of destruction. This form of "treatment" is not born of goodwill but of pure malevolence. This verse prompts us to reflect: have we too, in our lives, considered our desires as our physician, and according to their prescriptions, engaged in harming and troubling others, in any form or guise? This is not the path to salvation, but the way to perdition. As Rumi himself warns, we should not compare ourselves to prophets like Adam, Abraham, or Moses, who had divine support. For ordinary humans, this path leads only to falling into the devil's maw.

Key takeaways

• Mistaking desires (hava) for one's remedy stems from self-deception and spiritual illness.
• The devil adorns our desires with promises of healing and immortality.
• Following desires inevitably leads to harming and oppressing the weak, ranging from backbiting to outright tyranny.
• One who lacks self-mastery compensates for their weakness by inflicting pain on others.
• This 'satanic treatment' is not a cure but a path to destruction and spiritual downfall.