M6:3868 — زانک شیطان خشت طاعت بر کند / گر دو صد خشتست خود را ره کند

Translation: For Satan pulls away the bricks of obedience; even if there be two hundred bricks, he will find his way in (and lead one astray). Meaning: This verse asserts that human efforts and acts of obedience, no matter how numerous, are fragile against Satan's temptations, allowing him to find a path to lead one astray.

This verse emerges within the narrative of the young Amrad (beardless youth) who laments the malice of his era and envies the security of a 'kūse' (a man with a few hairs on his chin) who is immune to such harassment. Here, Rumi presents a profound and foundational point: the 'bricks of obedience' (خشت طاعت) that a human being constructs through personal effort and spiritual striving, no matter how numerous—'even if there be two hundred bricks'—remain vulnerable to Satan's temptations and cunning. Satan 'will find his way in' (خود را ره کند), leading one astray.

These 'bricks of obedience' symbolize human, self-made endeavors built for protection against sin and error. However, Rumi states that these self-devised defensive measures cannot provide lasting and eternal immunity. Satan is a master highwayman who can easily 'pull away' (بر کند) these defenses built by one who relies on their own obedience. As the story further illustrates, those 'two or three hairs' on the chin, which grant the kūse his safety, are nothing but the 'shadow of divine grace' (سایه عنایت الهی). You erect the bricks, and thus Satan finds a way to them; but those hairs are a gift 'from the other side' (از عطای آن سو).

As I've mentioned before, Rumi employs a beautiful analogy here: you might place a hundred locks on your shop door, but at night, a stubborn thief (خیره‌سر) can break them all and steal your possessions. However, a small seal placed by an authority (شهنه) on a door intimidates even champions (پهلوانان), and no one dares to break it. Those hundred locks are our 'bricks of obedience,' which we build through our own efforts. But that small seal is the 'gift from the other side' and the 'shadow of grace.' True safety comes not from the abundance of righteous deeds relied upon by the self, but from the unmediated favor and grace of the Truth. This is a warning against 'worshipping one's own obedience' (طاعت‌پرستی), which exposes a person to peril and corruption because they have relied on their own actions instead of God. Genuine faith and spiritual health hinge on a deep understanding of this distinction: our efforts are important, but our immunity comes from God's benevolence.

Key takeaways

• Human efforts and acts of worship ('bricks of obedience'), no matter how numerous, are fragile and vulnerable to Satan's temptations.
• True security and lasting protection come not from self-made efforts, but from divine grace and benevolence.
• Reliance on one's own obedience and good deeds ('worshipping one's obedience') exposes a person to spiritual peril and corruption.
• Divine grace acts as a powerful seal, impregnable to transgressors, whereas countless human-made locks can be broken.
• This verse serves as a reminder to avoid spiritual self-conceit and to embrace humility and reliance on God's favor in one's spiritual journey.