M6:2468 — خیر تو این است جامع می‌روی / تا چه باشد شر و وزرت ای غوی

Translation: If this is your good deed, that you go to the Jāme' (mosque), / Then what will be your evil and burden, O powerful one? Meaning: This verse is a sarcastic question addressed to a tyrannical ruler whose seemingly good deeds (like visiting the mosque) are accompanied by oppression and harm to the people, implying that if his 'good' is so destructive, his 'evil' would be unimaginable.

This verse is one of those profound and incisive observations by Mawlana, which, like a surgeon's scalpel, strips away hypocrisy and pretension from action. It comes within the story of a king who is on his way to the Jāmeʿ (mosque), yet his henchmen violently clear the path for him, beating and injuring the common folk. This is the blood-stained cry of an oppressed man, speaking the very essence of the matter to the king.

Mawlana, with particular subtlety, weighs "good" (khayr) and "evil" (sharr) in the balance of deeds. Going to the mosque is a religious act, seemingly a "good deed." But when this "good" is accompanied by oppression and harm to God's creatures, its nature is no longer good; rather, it transforms into a cover for evil. The protesting man asks: "If your goodness, by which you go to worship, is so violent, then what will you inflict upon the people when you actually intend evil and oppression?" This is a question that exposes hypocrisy and violence hidden under the guise of religiosity. Vizr (وزر) here refers precisely to the heavy burden of sin and oppression that falls upon the oppressor, not the burden of virtue. Mawlana, with this word, transforms the true nature of the king's act, ostensibly good, into the "bad burden" of sin.

Mawlana elsewhere in the Masnavi distinguishes between the evil of animals and the evil of humans. He states that a wolf, though fierce and tyrannical, lacks farhang (cunning, craftiness) and kayd (deceit). That is, its oppression is open and instinctive. But human oppression is accompanied by artifice, secrecy, and the masquerading of evil as good. The king's actions in this story are an example of this very "human cunning"; an oppression that conceals itself behind the veil of piety. This is precisely what Mawlana refers to as a "corrupt motive" (qarineh-e fased) in the actions of ordinary people—a false intention that contaminates even the most virtuous deeds.

This verse teaches us that the criterion for judging actions is their true intention and actual outcome, not merely their virtuous appearance or religious designation. In Mawlana's view, no good can coexist with oppression. Goodness tainted by oppression is no longer good; rather, it is evil itself, merely disguised.

Key takeaways

• Good deeds, when accompanied by oppression and harm, lose their true nature and become a mere cover for evil.
• Mawlana critically exposes hypocrisy and violence hidden beneath the guise of religiosity.
• The term vizr (burden) signifies the heavy weight of sin and oppression, revealing the true nature of tyrannical acts.
• Unlike animal aggression, human oppression is often cloaked in cunning, deceit, and pretense, making it more insidious.
• The true measure of actions lies in their genuine consequences and underlying intentions, not merely their pious or virtuous appearance.