M6:4349 — مکر آن فرعون سیصد تو بده / جمله ذل او و قمع او شده

Translation: The makr (trickery) of that Pharaoh, You (God) return three hundredfold; All of it became his dhull (humiliation) and qamʿ (suppression). Meaning: This verse explains how God not only neutralizes the schemes and stratagems of enemies but turns them back against their perpetrators manifold, ultimately leading to their humiliation and downfall.

In this verse, Rumi speaks of human deceit and its role in divine destiny. I have often emphasized that Rumi's world is pluralistic; he constantly invites us to see two sides of every coin. Here, the outward appearance is Pharaoh's makr (trickery) and evil intent, but its inner reality is the divine makr and grace that turns wicked schemes to the benefit of truth and against falsehood. As the Quran states: "And they (disbelievers) schemed, and Allah schemed. And Allah is the best of schemers" (Al Imran: 54). God is the greatest of schemers, not in the sense of deception or ill-will, but in the sense of hidden wisdom and absolute mastery in planning, against which no trickery can prevail.

I call this Luṭf-i Khafī (Hidden Grace); a blessing embedded within apparent wrath, and as Sa'di puts it: "Never despair, O brother of tribulation, for the All-Merciful has hidden graces." Hidden grace means that God sometimes places the antidote within the poison. Pharaoh, with all his power and satanic cunning, intended to destroy Moses and his followers. However, all those stratagems not only proved ineffective but rebounded against him three hundredfold, leading to his humiliation and destruction and that of the Pharaohs. This "You (God) return three hundredfold" means God returns their trickery to them many hundreds of times over, turning events to the advantage of the oppressed.

This principle is not exclusively for enemies. Rumi states elsewhere: "So that no benefactor remains without fear, and no traitor without hope." This means no virtuous person should feel entirely safe from stumbling, and no sinner should despair of God's mercy. Sometimes, even sins, if accompanied by sincere repentance (tawba), elevate a person to a higher spiritual station than before the sin. A sin that leads to repentance is "auspicious" and contains a "dignity" that God bestows upon sinners. This is the divine alchemy that transmutes dust into gold, turning evil deeds into good ones.

The story of Abreha and the Kaaba also illustrates this principle. Abreha came with his army of elephants to destroy the Kaaba and bring it to disgrace, yet the result of his endeavor was the greater glory of the Kaaba and Abreha's own humiliation and destruction. This "reflection" and "inversion of the path of seeking" is the central theme here. That is, sin, trickery, and crookedness, in the hands of God, are transformed into a path for growth and benefit. This is a profound lesson: to discern the hidden hand of divine destiny within seemingly ominous events, to never despair of hidden graces, and to remain mindful of divine makr.

Key takeaways

• Human trickery and schemes are rendered ineffective against divine planning and rebound upon their perpetrators.
• God turns the wicked schemes of enemies back against them three hundredfold, leading to their downfall.
• The concept of Luṭf-i Khafī (Hidden Grace) means God places the antidote within the poison itself.
• Sin and crookedness, though outwardly negative, can by divine will be transformed into a means for growth and benefit.
• This principle applies not only to enemies but also reminds believers to remain vigilant and not oblivious to divine makr (tests and hidden graces).