M6:1679 — ور نتاند برد اسپی از شما / وا ستانم بهر رهن مبتدا

Translation: And if [the tailor] cannot take a horse from you (i.e., steal a piece from my cloth), I shall take a horse from you in return for the initial pledge. Meaning: This verse is part of the Turk's wager with the storyteller. The Turk states that if the tailor fails to steal from his cloth, he will take a horse from the wagers as a reward for his initial pledge.

This verse from the story of the Turk and the Tailor in the sixth book of the Masnavi captures the Turk's hubris and heedlessness. He is so confident in his cleverness that he wagers no tailor, however cunning, can steal a piece from his prized cloth. This overconfidence, as Mowlana reveals, will come at a heavy cost.

In Mowlana's narrative, this tale is not merely an amusing anecdote but a profound allegory for the human condition in this world. The darzi (tailor) here represents roozegār (time, fate) or the charkh-e gardoon (wheel of fortune), which Mowlana refers to as the charkh-e nadīm-e kard-mard (the accursed wheel of a close companion). This roozegār distracts humans with its lāgh (jokes) and afsāna o fusoon (fables and enchantments), just as the tailor entertains the Turk with witty stories and diversions, making him laugh and diverting his attention.

The Turk in the story is so overwhelmed by laughter that his eyes close, his intellect flees, and he becomes utterly oblivious to his surroundings. He becomes sarmast (intoxicated) by the tailor's jokes, and in this state of heedlessness, the cunning tailor subtly cuts and conceals a piece of his valuable cloth between his thighs. It is here that Mowlana addresses us directly: Ay afsāne gashte va mahv az wujūd / Chand afsāne be-khwāhī āzmod? (Oh you who have become a fable and erased from existence, how many fables will you put to the test?). We, too, like the Turk, constantly demand more lāgh (jokes and entertainment) from the world, and in this pursuit, our sarmāye-ye 'omr (the capital of our life, our essence) is gradually plundered. The darzi-ye 'āmm (the common tailor, representing worldly distractions) mī-darad, mī-dūzad (tears and sews) the garments of sad-sālegān-e tefl-e khām (raw children, even if a hundred years old) – meaning, it steals opportunities and spiritual awareness from those who are spiritually immature, regardless of their age.

The asb (horse) that the Turk pledges and demands in return if he wins, can be seen as a symbol of human sarmāye-ye wujūdī (existential capital), vital energy, or even ma'rifat va basīrat (gnosis and insight). The Turk falsely believes he can protect this capital and even gain more from others, but his heedlessness leads him to tahī-dastī (emptiness). Through this story and this verse, Mowlana calls humanity to vigilance and awakening, to free itself from the snare of jahl o shakk (ignorance and doubt), and, in his own words, not to be khande-bīn-tar az hīch afsāne (a more laughable fable than any other). This narrative is another illustration of how Ḥaqq hamī dīd ān walī Sattār khūst / Līk chūn az hadd barī Ghammāz ūst (God, indeed, saw it, for He is by nature a Coverer; yet, if you exceed the limit, He becomes your Informer). God conceals faults, but if heedlessness and unawareness cross the line, He Himself reveals and unveils the disgraces.

Key takeaways

• Heedlessness toward the capital of one's life is life's greatest theft.
• The world's primary trick to distract humans involves seductive stories and entertainments.
• Overconfidence in one's intellect and cleverness paves the way for deception.
• Old individuals who still seek jokes and amusement are called 'old children' (pir-e teflān) in the Masnavi.
• Rumi urges us not to become the subject of others' jokes and stories.
• The underlying truth of this narrative is a call to awaken from ignorance and doubt.