M4:71 — زید اندر حق آن شیطان بود / در حق شخصی دگر سلطان بود

This verse serves as the culminating human example in Rumi's argument about the relativity of good and evil. The preceding lines establish that what is poison for one creature (a human) is life for another (a snake), and what is a garden for one (a fish) is death for another (a land-dweller). Rumi now applies this principle to human relationships.

He uses "Zayd," a generic Arabic name like "John Doe," to represent any person. To someone Zayd has harmed or opposes, he appears to be a shayṭān (a devil, a satanic force). But to someone he has helped or who loves him, that very same Zayd is a sulṭān (a king, a powerful benefactor). The judgment isn't about Zayd's essential nature but about the relationship and perspective of the observer.

This idea is central to the story of the lover who blesses the terrifying night watchman. The watchman, who seemed like an evil threat, was unintentionally the guide who drove the lover straight to his beloved's garden. The "devil" became a "king" through a shift in outcome and perspective. Rumi's point is that we should be cautious in our absolute judgments of people and events, as their ultimate value is often hidden from our limited view.