M6:3847 — دست چون بر وی زد او از جا بجست / گفت هی تو کیستی ای سگ‌پرست

Translation: As he laid his hand on him, he sprang up from his place; / He said, "Hey! Who are you, O dog-worshipper?"

Meaning: The beardless boy, who had surrounded himself with bricks for protection, awoke abruptly when touched by the intruder and angrily challenged him with an insult.

This particular verse is part of a narrative that Rumi employs to articulate a profound point; a narrative that, to be frank, at first glance might even be deemed 'crude' or 'unseemly' in its subject matter. Rumi here recounts the tale of two brothers, one 'amrad' (beardless) and the other 'kūseh' (with a sparse beard), who spend a night in a 'ʿazab-khāneh' (a lodging for bachelors). The 'amrad' boy, seeking protection from molestation, surrounds himself with bricks before falling asleep. However, a 'lūṭī' (in its original sense of one who engages in sodomy) stealthily approaches, removes the bricks, and lays a hand on the boy. It is at this precise moment that our verse comes to life.

The boy's reaction is immediate and fierce: "Hey! Who are you, O dog-worshipper?" He responds with an insult, fueled by anger and indignation. The story continues with a dialogue between the boy and the aggressor, in which the boy explains his rationale for building the brick barrier: "The boy said: 'I am ill, and from weakness, I made this place my cautious resting-place and sanctuary.'" He laments that even in khāneqāhs (Sufi lodges), he found no 'safety' and suffered from harassment. This is where Rumi extracts a trenchant and unvarnished social and ethical critique from an ostensibly 'crude' story.

Rumi's critique is directed at those Sufis and khāneqāh environments that outwardly claim piety and spirituality, yet secretly, and sometimes openly, are embroiled in moral corruption. He explicitly notes that the Prophet Muhammad encouraged marriage, but some Sufis, by abandoning the tradition of marriage, had transformed khāneqāhs into 'bachelors' lodgings' that became fertile ground for moral transgressions. This aspect of Rumi's engagement with social issues and his merciless critique of hypocrisy and dissimulation is not uncommon in the Masnavi. Through this story, he simultaneously illustrates the 'illness' and spiritual vulnerability of humanity and exposes the hidden depravity concealed beneath a veneer of sanctity. This approach reveals Rumi's astonishing courage and honesty in addressing complex ethical issues, demonstrating that for him, truth and enlightenment take precedence, even if it means resorting to narratives that might initially appear unpalatable.

Key takeaways

• Rumi, even at the zenith of his spiritual depth, utilizes seemingly crude narratives to expose moral and social corruption.
• This verse illustrates Rumi's blunt and angry confrontation with hypocrisy and transgression, even when veiled by religious or mystical guise.
• Rumi's sharp critique extends to the institution of the khāneqāh and certain Sufis who, by forsaking the Prophetic tradition of marriage, paved the way for moral decay.
• Beyond the unpalatable surface of the tale, Rumi points to humanity's spiritual vulnerability and susceptibility to those who feign piety.