M6:993 — عقل و ایمان را ازین طفلان گول / می‌خرد با ملک دنیا دیو غول

Translation: The demon-ghoul buys intellect and faith from these foolish children / with the dominion of the world. Meaning: Satan deceives naive individuals by offering them the fleeting allurements of worldly power and possessions, in exchange for their invaluable inner treasures of intellect and faith, because they are blind to the true worth of their spiritual capital.

This verse appears within the narrative where the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) advises Abu Bakr (RA) to purchase Bilal Habashi from his Jewish master. Abu Bakr, deeply aware of Bilal's spiritual eminence and the light of divine unity within him, observes that these Jews, like 'foolish children,' do not grasp the true value of such a spiritual gem, and thus it can easily be obtained from them. Rumi uses this anecdote to articulate a more universal principle.

I contend that the 'foolish children' here symbolize those who are heedless of the immense worth of their own intellect (ʿaql) and faith (īmān). Much like a child who, oblivious to a jewel's true worth, trades it for a mere piece of bread, these individuals fail to recognize the profound value of their inner wisdom and heartfelt conviction. The 'demon-ghoul' Rumi speaks of is, unequivocally, Satan, who relentlessly hunts these naive souls through deception and the allure of transient worldly possessions. Satan adorns and beautifies the 'dominion of the world' — its transient power, fleeting fame, momentary pleasures, and superficial comforts — so cunningly that, as Rumi articulates in the subsequent verse (M6:994): 'He so adorns the corpse / that he buys two hundred rose gardens from them.' This means that spiritually blind individuals exchange their eternal and invaluable assets for mere trifles. It is a disastrous transaction where the profit accrues to the demon, and the loss to humanity.

This is not merely about material wealth. The 'demon-ghoul' offers not only 'worldly dominion' but also transient forms of fame, power, immediate gratification, and apparent comfort, all to usurp the discerning intellect and steadfast faith from the believer. Here, Rumi unveils a grand satanic deception: humanity's most precious possessions — intellect, which serves as a guiding light, and faith, which is its existential bedrock — are put up for sale at the cheapest price, the fleeting and glittering merchandise of the world. This verse offers a profound lesson in true valuation and in recognizing the hidden snares along the spiritual path.

Key takeaways

• Ignorance of Self-Worth: Unaware individuals fail to recognize the true value of their intellect and faith.
• Satanic Deceit: Satan ensnares humanity's inner treasures through the deceptive glamor of the world.
• Disastrous Transaction: Trading intellect and faith for worldly dominion is a great deception and an irreparable loss.
• Importance of Valuation: Inner discernment is crucial to distinguish eternal gems from the fleeting allurements of the world.