M1:345 — شاه گفتش: پس بگو تَدبیر چیست؟ / چارهٔ آن مَکر و آن تَزْویر چیست؟

Translation: The King said to him: "Then tell me, what is the plan? What is the remedy for that deceit and that trickery?"

Meaning: The king asks his Zoroastrian minister what strategy he has devised to counter the Christians' hidden faith and apparent deceit, aiming to eradicate their religion, whether overt or covert.

This verse comes in the continuation of the king's dialogue with the Zoroastrian minister, after the minister explains to the king that inner faith cannot be eradicated by killing, stating: "Faith has no scent of musk or oud." The king, greatly angered by this concealment of faith by the Christians, demands a solution from his minister: "Then tell me, what is the plan? / What is the remedy for that deceit and that trickery?"

The crucial point here is the concept of makr (deceit, cunning, stratagem). Makr, as Rumi uses it here and as I have often emphasized, does not carry an exclusively negative connotation. The root of this word is related to terms like 'device' and even 'devil,' signifying the ability to accomplish something through complex and indirect methods. Makr is not necessarily evil; rather, it can denote shrewdness and the capacity to employ intricate strategies to achieve a goal. If the objective is good, then the makr too is good.

I have learned this from Rumi himself. Rumi, quite remarkably, uses this very term makr to describe Shams Tabrizi. When Shams returns after his absence, and Rumi composes a ghazal in his fervor, he cautions his companions: "If he promises to return in another breath, / All promises are makr, he will deceive you." And he continues: "He has a very warm breath that, with magic and enchantment, / Will tie a knot on water and bind the air." Shams's makr was his enchanting ability and his smooth, captivating speech that could subtly and complexly convey truth to hearts. Thus, makr can also be a tool for delivering truth.

In our story, the makr of the Zoroastrian minister is certainly not of that divine and spiritual kind. This is an earthly and political makr. He is seeking a tadbir (plan) to expose these "hidden ones" of faith, and the king is precisely demanding this from him. The king says: What is the remedy "so that no Christian remains in the world, / neither with overt religion nor hidden faith." He desires no trace of this religion to remain, whether manifest or concealed. This verse sets the stage for the minister's cunning and oppressive proposal, which we will witness in the subsequent verses; a proposal that ostensibly injures and exiles him, allowing him to achieve his nefarious goals from a distance.

Key takeaways

• The term makr (deceit/cunning) denotes the use of complex strategies and is not inherently negative.
• Rumi himself applied makr to Shams Tabrizi, highlighting Shams's spiritual enchantment.
• Shams's 'very warm breath' could 'tie knots on water,' drawing people in through indirect means.
• In this verse, the king seeks a tadbir (plan/remedy) to counter the worldly cunning of the Christians.
• The king's aim is to eradicate all traces of Christianity, whether overt or covert.