M6:2471 — زانک گرگ ارچه که بس استمگریست / لیکش آن فرهنگ و کید و مکر نیست

Translation: For though the wolf is most oppressive/predatory, Yet it lacks that cunning, guile, and deceit. Meaning: This verse asserts that despite the wolf's predatory nature, it does not possess the calculated cunning and deceit unique to humans, qualities that often make human beings far more dangerous.

This verse is one of those instances where Rumi embarks on a fundamental distinction between animal characteristics and human traits, a distinction that plays a key role in understanding mystical conduct and gnosis. I have repeatedly emphasized in my lectures that Rumi is constantly seeking to identify and delineate ontological and epistemological boundaries.

Rumi states in this verse that although the wolf is "most oppressive" (estamgar), it lacks "culture" (farhang), "guile" (keyd), and "cunning" (makr). The first point we must understand here is the concept of "oppression" in animals. Undoubtedly, Rumi speaks here in the language of common understanding. From the philosophical and gnostic perspective he himself opens elsewhere, oppression cannot be attributed to an animal. Oppression, like justice, is a "second-order" concept; just as the eminent analytical philosopher Gilbert Ryle divides actions into "first-order" and "second-order." Eating or sleeping are first-order actions common to both animals and humans. But "eating oppressively" or "living justly" are second-order actions that supervene on the first-order action and require concepts like justice and injustice, which only make sense within the realm of human reason and will. An animal lacks such concepts, and therefore cannot be unjust or just. Hence, it is better to understand the phrase "most oppressive" here as "most predatory," as predation is an animal's natural characteristic, not its moral one.

The second point concerns the word farhang. In Rumi's time, this word was often used to mean trickery and deceit, not the modern sense of "culture." Rumi himself says elsewhere: "No other farhang [cunning] but death / Will work with God, O trickster!" This indicates that farhang, in the sense of cunning and stratagem, is a human characteristic that animals lack. Similarly, keyd and makr are also qualities that distinguish humans from animals. Although a wolf is powerful and can harm you, you can escape or even trap it through cleverness and stratagem. But a human who possesses makr and keyd is hundreds of times more dangerous; for makr is itself a type of power that, without relying on physical strength, can inflict harm.

Rumi previously, in the second book of the Masnavi, in the story of the dragon and the bear, expressed the same point with similar certainty: "The dragon has strength, but no cunning / Yet there is a strength above your strength." That is, animals only possess physical strength, but they are not resourceful or cunning. This quality of cunning that Rumi refers to indicates human capacity for "second-order" actions; that is, the ability to plan, deceive, and manipulate events for one's own benefit, without relying solely on physical power. Even when we call a fox "cunning," in my view, it is a qiyās-e be nafs (projecting human traits onto animals); we project our own human characteristics onto animals, while being ignorant of the essence of their inner lives.

Ultimately, this verse subtly alludes to the limitations of our knowledge of the beings around us. We remain ignorant even of the thoughts and intentions of other humans, let alone animals. This inability to know is itself a prelude to reaching the understanding of how incapable humans are of knowing God, and for this reason, the highest confession is the confession of the inability to know: "We have not known You as You truly deserve to be known."

Key takeaways

• Animals, unlike humans, operate solely by instinct and physical strength, lacking deceit and cunning.
• Concepts like 'oppression' and 'justice' are unique to humans; an animal cannot be 'oppressive' but is merely 'predatory'.
• The word farhang in Rumi's time meant 'trickery' and 'cunning,' not its modern sense of 'culture'.
• Through its capacity for guile (makr), humanity can be more dangerous than any animal.
• Second-order actions (like cunning), requiring intention and calculation, are a key distinction of humans from animals.
• This verse subtly points to the limitations of human knowledge about other beings, even animals.