M6:3370 — بوده هر محتاج را هم‌چون پدر / پیش سلطان شافع و دفع ضرر

Translation: For every needy one, he was like a father, / Before the Sultan, an intercessor and a warder-off of harm. Meaning: This verse describes the benevolent minister's role as a paternal figure, interceding on behalf of the needy before the sultan and preventing harm from befalling them.

This verse portrays a minister who, within a tyrannical court, played a unique and paradoxical role. As I have often remarked, Rumi in the Masnavi seldom dwells on the political and social conditions of his time; yet, here, he offers a profound depiction of a social reformer operating from within an autocratic system.

This minister was a deeply spiritual and dervish-like man, whom Rumi describes as "غریب و محتبس" (a stranger and a captive) in his ministerial post. His true calling lay elsewhere; it was as if he wore a borrowed garment. He occupied this position not for personal gain, but to assist the people. His mission was to temper the wrath and excesses of the sultans—a role that, in those times, represented the sole path to benevolence and service to creation. There were monarchs who, in their intoxication, issued decrees of execution, or who demanded to witness bloodshed to appease their fury. In such an environment, this minister acted as a bulwark against the tide of tyranny.

The two primary functions highlighted in this verse are his "shafāʿat" (intercession) for the needy and "dafʿ-i zarar" (warding off harm) from them, presenting him as a compassionate, paternal figure. The second, equally crucial task, elaborated in the subsequent verse, was "satr-i badī-i badān" (concealing the faults of the wicked). This means he not only defended the innocent but also covered the missteps of wrongdoers to protect them from the king's wrath. Rumi equates this quality to "ḥilm-i khudā" (God's clemency) and notes it was "bar-ʿaks-i khalqān" (contrary to common people's ethics), for ordinary individuals often expose each other's flaws and reputation, whereas this minister, like God, was a "sātir" (a concealer).

This narrative reminds us of the story of "Tukleh" in Sa'di's Bustan. There, when Tukleh wished to abdicate his throne and dedicate himself to worship, one of his ministers advised him: "Worship is naught but service to creation; it is not in the rosary, prayer mat, or dervish cloak." This precisely echoes the message Rumi conveys here. Asceticism and isolation may be necessary for self-purification and soul-refinement, but their ultimate purpose is for that self-nurtured well to quench the thirst of others, and for its fruit to reach humanity. Prophets, too, retreated to caves before their mission, but thereafter lived among the people. This minister stands as a perfect example of such a servant who, not out of desire but out of duty and compassion, labored for the welfare of the populace in a position unsuited to his dervish temperament.

Key takeaways

• Serving in power to mitigate tyranny is the highest form of benevolence.
• A virtuous minister acts as a father to the needy and an intercessor before oppressors.
• Concealing the faults of others is a divine attribute, contrary to common human nature.
• True worship lies in serving creation and attending to their needs, not merely in isolation and asceticism.
• Rumi presents the minister's role as a pragmatic solution to temper despotism in the absence of democratic political theory.