M4:60 — گر خبر آید که شه جرمی نهاد / بر مسلمانان شود او زفت و شاد

This couplet is part of a parenthetical description of the night watchman (ʿasas), also called a state thug (ʿavān). The lover, having found his beloved by fleeing this man, is now praying for him. But to show the paradox of this prayer, Rumi pauses to paint a portrait of the watchman's character.

The ʿavān is a man whose happiness is inversely proportional to the well-being of the people. His soul thrives on their misery. Rumi gives a concrete example: if the king imposes a collective punishment or a heavy tax on the populace (the "Muslims"), the official doesn't just feel happy; he physically swells with satisfaction, becoming "stout and glad" (zift u shād). His joy is a direct result of public misfortune.

This detail serves to heighten the spiritual point of the story. The lover's prayer is not for a good man, but for a wicked one. This is because, from the lover's perspective, this man's evil action was the cause of his own supreme good fortune. The story thus sets up Rumi's larger argument about the relativity of good and evil: what is poison for one can be medicine for another.