M1:361 — شکر ایزد را و عیسی را که ما / گشته‌ایم آن کیش حق را ره‌نما

Translation: Thanks be to God and Jesus, that we Have become guides to that true religion.

Meaning: In this verse, the cunning minister, feigning gratitude to God and Jesus, expresses satisfaction at his success in misleading Christians and establishing himself as a guide to their true faith.

This verse, uttered by the cunning minister in the story of the Jewish King and his Christian minister (or rather, the deceptive minister), unveils a great deception. The minister, having saved his life from execution and seemingly converted to Christianity, secretly intends to destroy the Christian faith from within. At this moment, having perfectly executed his role, he declares with utterly deceitful words: "Thanks be to God and Jesus, that we have become guides to that true religion." This expression of gratitude is not born of faith, but of ultimate cunning and stratagem; it is as if he is congratulating himself on his scheme, now having positioned himself as a spiritual guide and leader of the Christians.

I have previously noted Rumi's own peaceful and respectful relations with Christians in Konya. This narrative, although speaking of a Jewish king and his cunning minister, is less about Jews and Christians and more about the deception and cunning of the human self. The minister, to further solidify his fraud, then declares: "I am freed from Jews and Jewishness / And have girded my waist with a sacred thread" or "It is the era of Jesus, O people! / Listen to the secrets of his faith with your soul." All of these are but a cover for the 'trap' he has laid within. He is outwardly a 'preacher of religious laws,' but inwardly a 'siren and a trap' – a whistler who lures birds into his snare.

Following the exposition of this minister's wiles, Rumi shifts to the 'cunning of the demonic self' (makr-e nafs-e ghul), introducing the endless snares of the world and the self. In essence, this minister symbolizes that deceitful self which, under the guise of religion and sanctity, leads humanity astray. The word 'makr' in Rumi's view, much like a 'gun,' is neither inherently good nor bad; its moral valence depends on the purpose for which it is used. Here, the minister employs his cunning for a malevolent objective, and his 'guidance' away from the true path is itself the epitome of misdirection.

Key takeaways

• Good deeds, if born of hypocrisy, transform into snares and deceptions.
• Rumi uses storytelling to expose the complexities of the 'cunning of the demonic self' and religious pretense.
• The position of a spiritual guide can become a tool for deception and misguidance if the inner self is not pure.
• The term 'makr' (cunning/ploy) is inherently neutral; its positive or negative connotation depends entirely on the intention and objective of the one employing it.