M6:1747 — ور نبودی نفس و شیطان و هوا / ور نبودی زخم و چالیش و وغا

Translation: If there were no carnal soul (nafs), Satan, and desire, And if there were no wound, challenge, and battle (or hostility), Meaning:* This verse poses a fundamental question: what would the world be like if there were no evil, opposition, or internal and external adversaries?

This verse opens up a profound and ancient theological question that Rumi, through the voice of a questioning Sufi, poses, and then answers through the persona of a Qazi (judge). The question is: What if there were no carnal soul (nafs), no Satan, no base desires, and no wounds, struggles, or battles in this world? Many theologians, and in our time, many philosophers, have started from this point: wouldn't a world without evil, without opposites, without suffering and tribulation, be a better world?

However, the Qazi's answer, which is truly Rumi's own, is profound and counter-intuitive. I have always emphasized that Rumi, unlike some other poets and thinkers, does not view the world with all its imperfections and pains as 'fallen' or 'crooked.' He perceives a wise order behind this seemingly contradictory exterior. He states: if these contradictions did not exist, if these battles were absent, then how could God refer to His servants with attributes and names such as 'patient' (ṣabūr) and 'forbearing' (ḥalīm), 'courageous' (shajāʿ) and 'wise' (ḥakīm)? How would the 'patient, truthful, and charitable' come into being? If there were no adversary or accursed devil, no distinctions would emerge among individuals; everyone would appear the same. Rostam and Hamza, these brave men, would be indistinguishable from eunuchs, those who show no sign of bravery. Knowledge and wisdom would become null and void, for 'knowledge and wisdom are for the path and the pathless / when all is path, that wisdom is empty.'

This is, in essence, Rumi's defense of 'free will' (ikhtiyār) and the 'unveiling of potentials.' Free will is among the perfections of humanity; angels and animals lack it, but humans are active agents with choice. This choice becomes possible only when two powerful poles pull a person in opposing directions—one towards good and righteousness, the other towards evil and deviation. If these opposing pulls did not exist, humans would act by instinct, just as a bee makes honey or a termite builds its nest; no two paths would be presented in their lives. Therefore, humanity, contrary to initial perception, needs Satan to awaken its dormant free will. Satan, though outwardly a 'roadblock' (rahzan), is in reality a benevolent force appearing in an ill guise. It makes us more human because it makes us freer, and free will is the most important and highest human attribute, intimately linked to human rationality.

This world should be seen as an arena for 'trial' and the 'purification of the soul.' It is like a school where, without examinations, the diligent student cannot be distinguished from the ignorant one. The word 'exam' (emteḥān) derives from 'tribulation' (meḥnat), referring to the suffering one must endure for potentials to blossom. In these struggles and conflicts, 'the good are separated from the bad, and are sifted out.' This is a battle in which bravery and cowardice are revealed. Therefore, every wound, every struggle, and every desire is an opportunity for refinement, for self-knowledge, and for emerging victorious from the heart of suffering. This aligns with the Quranic perspective: 'And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger' (Q 2:155), so that 'God may distinguish the wicked from the good' (Q 8:37). The world and time serve as a sieve.

Key takeaways

• Evil and hostility in the world are necessary for the manifestation of human 'free will' (ikhtiyār) and 'dormant potentials.'
• Without opposites (good and evil, virtue and vice), concepts like 'patience' (ṣabr), 'courage' (shajāʿat), and 'wisdom' could not manifest.
• Satan, despite its seemingly adversarial role, acts as a 'servant' who challenges humanity to make it freer and thus more human.
• This world is an arena for 'trial' and the 'purification of the soul' (taṣfīyeh-ye rūḥ), a place for sifting the good from the bad and refining the inner self.
• Suffering and struggles are opportunities for self-knowledge and for transforming deficiencies into perfections.