M6:471 — گر توانی در روی بیرون کشی / خمس بدهم مر ترا با دلخوشی

Translation: If you can go inside [the well] and pull it out, I will gladly give you a fifth of it. Meaning: This verse is spoken by a thief who, to deceive a gullible man, promises to give him a fifth (khums) of his supposedly lost 'bag of gold' if he retrieves it from a well.

This verse unveils a captivating and profound story from the Masnavi, which Rumi recounts to lighten the listener's heart and soothe the regrets stemming from heedlessness and sin. Following a deep discourse on 'repentance' (toba) as a 'wondrous steed' and the thieves who steal the capital of life, Rumi uses this anecdote to paint a tangible picture of human folly when confronted with deceit and avarice.

The story unfolds with a man who loses his sheep and sets out to find it. Meanwhile, the thief who had stolen the sheep positions himself by a well and pretends that his bag of gold has fallen in. When the sheep's owner arrives, the wailing thief cries, "My bag of gold has fallen into this well / If you can go inside and pull it out / I will gladly give you a fifth of it." He promises a fifth (khums) of five hundred dirhams (equivalent to one hundred dinars), a promise that tempts the simple-hearted man.

Mowlana, with exquisite subtlety, portrays this thief not merely as a deceptive individual, but as the very embodiment of 'greed' (ṭamaʿ). He states: "He is a thief, a seditious being / whose phantom takes on a new form each moment." It is greed that approaches us with various guises, and like a thief, it not only plunders our initial assets (like the sheep) but, through alluring yet false promises, strips us of our garments (our dignity, prudence, and other possessions).

This incident serves as an illustration of the delusion and foolishness that entrap humans. The owner of the sheep, who should be searching for his lost asset, not only fails to find it but, by succumbing to further avarice, loses his remaining possessions. Mowlana's message is unequivocally clear: "A prudent man must lead to the tenth (i.e., be wise) / Without prudence, greed brings plague." This verse highlights how the absence of 'prudence' (ḥazm) and surrender to 'greed' (ṭamaʿ) can transform into a scourge and lead to ruin. Thus, Mowlana emphasizes seeking refuge in Divine grace from this 'deceitful' (dāghā) thief: "Flee to God and be saved from that deceiver."

Key takeaways

• Greed (ṭamaʿ) is a hidden, mischievous thief that plunders both material and spiritual assets through various guises.
• Lack of prudence and caution in the face of deceptive promises leads to even greater losses for humans.
• This anecdote serves as a cautionary tale against gullibility and succumbing to avaricious temptations.
• Rumi employs humorous stories as a pedagogical tool to convey the deepest ethical and psychological insights.
• To escape the trap of deceit and greed, one must seek refuge and protection in God's grace.