M6:2458 — لیک عمر هرکه باشد بیشتر / این علف اوراست اولی گو بخور

Translation: But whoever's life is longer, This grass is his, it is preferable, tell him to eat.

Meaning: In an allegorical tale, a ram proposes that the bundle of grass they have found should go to the one who has lived the longest, as a sign of respect for elders.

This verse emerges from a charming and instructive fable in the Masnavi, where Rumi narrates the story of three animals (a camel, a cow, and a ram) who find a bundle of grass on their path. The ram, the hero of this part of the tale, proposes a condition for sharing this meager yet nourishing find—a condition ostensibly rooted in profound ethics and courtesy: “Whoever’s life is longer, this grass is his.” Rumi immediately connects this proposal to a Prophetic tradition, stating that “giving precedence to elders / has come from Mustafa (the Prophet) in traditions.” Thus, honoring the aged and senior figures is a practice endorsed by the Prophet and an integral part of Islamic tradition.

However, Rumi, with his penetrating insight into human nature and its distortions, does not merely present this ethical principle. He immediately delves into the hidden, ugly layers of how these noble principles are abused. He states that in the time of the le'ām (the base, ignoble people), if elders are indeed given precedence, it is not out of courtesy or respect, but out of cunning and avarice. He provides two vivid examples: either hot food is first offered to the elder so that they burn their tongue and clear the path for others, or the elder is sent first over a dilapidated bridge, so that if it collapses, they sacrifice their life, and others remain safe. These are the “tricks and stratagems” that have been, and continue to be, common among opportunistic and heartless people throughout history.

From here, Rumi takes a deeper philosophical step, distinguishing fundamentally between human deceit and animal strength or ferocity. He asserts that if a wolf were to encounter and attack a walī (a saint), it would be preferable to being encountered by a “bad soul” or an ill-natured human. Why? Because “though the wolf may be an oppressor / it lacks that culture of deceit and cunning.” Animals, however strong or predatory, lack makr (deceit), chāre (stratagem), and farhang (in its archaic sense of trickery). They inflict harm directly and openly, and this very simplicity allows humans to evade or counter them. But a human is a cunning creature; even if physically weak, they can, through trickery and deception, entrap hundreds of wolves and inflict far more insidious and devastating harm. This point is crucial: Rumi considers actions like makr and ḥīle as “second-order actions” (a concept he anticipates, paralleling Gilbert Ryle) that build upon a primary action and are absent in animals. Therefore, a wolf cannot be an “oppressor,” as it lacks the concepts of justice and injustice; these concepts exist only within the realm of human understanding and action.

This profound insight of Rumi not only critiques the behavior of ignoble individuals but also provides a realistic and at times terrifying portrait of the complexity of human nature. He speaks not only of human deceit but also of our inability to comprehend the true intentions of others. We remain ignorant of the hidden motives of even the closest humans, let alone animals, or beyond that, the divine secret. It is here that the Prophet’s (PBUH) saying reaches its zenith: “Mā ʿarafnāk ḥaqqa maʿrifatik” — We have not known You as You truly deserve to be known. The greatest confession in facing divine truth is the admission of our inability to fully grasp it.

Key takeaways

• The verse ostensibly presents a moral principle (giving precedence to elders) for Rumi to then critique.
• Rumi immediately points to the exploitation of this principle by ignoble people (le'ām) who put elders in harm's way.
• Humans, with their cunning (makr) and stratagems (ḥīle), are far more dangerous than merely strong and predatory animals.
• Deceit is a "second-order action" that animals lack; thus, they cannot truly be "oppressors" as they don't grasp the concept of justice.
• Our ignorance of others' intentions, even those of fellow humans, cultivates our humility in knowing the Divine.