In Rumi's *Masnavi* (Book Four), the dialogue between Pharaoh and his wife Asiya highlights the profound conflict between spiritual receptivity and entrenched ego. When Pharaoh consults Asiya about Moses's invitation to monotheism, she acts as a voice of divine grace and reason. She passionately urges him to accept the truth, abandon his worldly attachments and false claims of divinity, and humble himself before God. She recognizes the irreplaceable spiritual opportunity that Moses presents. However, Pharaoh's deep-seated illusion (*wahm*) and pride ultimately overpower her sincere counsel, leading him to reject the path of faith.

Google

## Original content
<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right; line-height: 2; margin-top: 0.5rem;">

باز گفت او این سخن با ایسیه 
گفت جان افشان برین ای دل‌سیه
بس عنایتهاست متن این مقال 
زود در یاب ای شه نیکو خصال
وقت کشت آمد زهی پر سود کشت 
این بگفت و گریه کرد و گرم گشت
بر جهید از جا و گفتا بخ لک 
آفتابی تاجر گشتت ای کلک
عیب کل را خود بپوشاند کلاه 
خاصه چون باشد کله خورشید و ماه
هم در آن مجلس که بشنیدی تو این 
چون نگفتی آری و صد آفرین
این سخن در گوش خورشید ار شدی 
سرنگون بر بوی این زیر آمدی
هیچ می‌دانی چه وعده‌ست و چه داد 
می‌کند ابلیس را حق افتقاد
چون بدین لطف آن کریمت باز خواند 
ای عجب چون زهره‌ات بر جای ماند
زهره‌ات ندرید تا زان زهره‌ات 
بودی اندر هر دو عالم بهره‌ات
زهره‌ای کز بهرهٔ حق بر درد 
چون شهیدان از دو عالم بر خورد
غافلی هم حکمتست و این عمی 
تا بماند لیک تا این حد چرا
غافلی هم حکمتست و نعمتست 
تا نپرد زود سرمایه ز دست
لیک نی چندانک ناسوری شود 
زهر جان و عقل رنجوری شود
خود کی یابد این چنین بازار را 
که به یک گل می‌خری گلزار را
دانه‌ای را صد درختستان عوض 
حبه‌ای را آمدت صد کان عوض
کان لله دادن آن حبه است 
تا که کان‌الله له آید به دست
زآنک این هوی ضعیف بی‌قرار 
هست شد زان هوی رب پایدار
هوی فانی چونک خود فا او سپرد 
گشت باقی دایم و هرگز نمرد
هم‌چو قطرهٔ خایف از باد و ز خاک 
که فنا گردد بدین هر دو هلاک
چون به اصل خود که دریا بود جست 
از تف خورشید و باد و خاک رست
ظاهرش گم گشت در دریا و لیک 
ذات او معصوم و پا بر جا و نیک
هین بده ای قطره خود را بی‌ندم 
تا بیابی در بهای قطره یم
هین بده ای قطره خود را این شرف 
در کف دریا شو آمن از تلف
خود کرا آید چنین دولت به دست 
قطره‌ای را بحری تقاضاگر شدست
الله الله زود بفروش و بخر 
قطره‌ای ده بحر پر گوهر ببر
الله الله هیچ تاخیری مکن 
که ز بحر لطف آمد این سخن
لطف اندر لطف این گم می‌شود 
که اسفلی بر چرخ هفتم می‌شود
هین که یک بازی فتادت بوالعجب 
هیچ طالب این نیابد در طلب
گفت با هامان بگویم ای ستیر 
شاه را لازم بود رای وزیر
گفت با هامان مگو این راز را 
کور کمپیری چه داند باز را

</div>

## English translation
He told this matter again to Āsiya;
She said: "Scatter your soul upon this, O dark-hearted one.

Great graces are in the substance of this word —
Grasp it quickly, O king of fine qualities.

The time for sowing has come — what a profitable harvest!"
She said this, and wept, and became ardent.

She sprang up from her place and said: "Bravo to you!
A sun has become your merchant, O sly one.

A crown itself covers all faults,
Especially when the crown is the sun and moon.

In the very assembly where you heard this,
Why did you not say 'Yes' and a hundred blessings?

If this word had reached the ear of the sun,
It would have plunged headlong downward for the scent of it.

Do you know at all what promise and what gift
God bestows even upon Iblīs?

Since that Generous One called you back with such grace,
O wonder, how did your courage remain in place?

Your courage did not burst apart, so that from that courage
You would have had a portion in both worlds.

A courage that bursts for the sake of God's portion
Gains from both worlds, like the martyrs.

Heedlessness too is wisdom, and this blindness
Is so that it may endure — but why to this extent?

Heedlessness too is wisdom and a blessing,
So that the capital does not flee the hand too soon.

But not to such a degree that it becomes a festering wound
And the poison makes soul and intellect ill.

When would one ever find such a marketplace
Where you buy a garden with a single flower?

A hundred orchards in exchange for a single seed;
A hundred mines in exchange for a single grain.

Giving that grain "for God's sake" (kāna lillāh) —
So that "and God is his" (kānallāhu lah) may come into one's hand.

For this weak, unstable desire (hawā)
Came into being from that stable desire of the Lord.

When the perishable desire surrendered itself to extinction (fanā),
It became everlasting, permanent, and never died.

Like a drop fearful of wind and dust,
That it would perish and be ruined by these two —

When it rushed back to its origin, which was the sea,
It was saved from the heat of the sun, wind, and dust.

Its outward form was lost in the sea, yet
Its essence was protected, steadfast, and good.

Come, give yourself, O drop, without regret,
So that in exchange for a drop you may find the sea.

Come, give yourself this honor, O drop —
Fall into the palm of the sea, safe from destruction.

Who would ever find such fortune in hand?
A sea has become the suitor of a drop!

O God, O God — sell quickly and buy!
Give a drop, take a sea full of pearls.

O God, O God — make no delay at all,
For this word has come from the sea of grace.

Grace within grace — it is lost in this,
Such that one from the lowest rises to the seventh heaven.

Heed! A wondrous opportunity has fallen to you;
No seeker finds this through seeking."

He said: "I will tell Hāmān, O veiled one —
The king needs the counsel of his minister."

She said: "Do not tell this secret to Hāmān!
What does a blind, decrepit old man know of the falcon?"

دفتر چهارم - بخش ۱۰۲ - مشورت کردن فرعون با ایسیه در ایمان آوردن به موسی علیه‌السلام / Book Four - Section 102 - Pharaoh Consulting with Asiya Regarding Believing in Moses, Peace Be Upon Him

In Book Four of Rumi's *Masnavi*, Moses presents Pharaoh with a transformative spiritual proposal: if Pharaoh accepts one single counsel—to openly acknowledge and submit to the one true God—Moses promises him four profound divine virtues or rewards in exchange. This offer serves as a pivotal test of Pharaoh's ego and spiritual receptivity. It triggers a deep internal conflict, prompting him to seek counsel from his wife Asiya (who urges him to accept) and his vizier Haman (who appeals to his pride), ultimately setting the stage for Pharaoh's tragic rejection of divine grace.

Moses's Offer of Four Virtues to Pharaoh in the Masnavi

In Rumi's *Masnavi*, the conflict between Moses and Pharaoh is frequently used as an allegory for the internal spiritual and epistemological struggle between true Intellect (عقل, *'Aql*) and Illusion or false imagination (وهم, *Wahm*). Moses represents the divine intellect, which is grounded in ultimate reality, humility, and divine guidance. Pharaoh represents illusion, a counterfeit intellect that is driven by ego, worldly arrogance, and spiritual blindness. Rumi emphasizes that while *Wahm* may superficially resemble *'Aql*, it is its fundamental adversary, leading individuals to reject the truth and rely on flawed, materialistic perceptions.

Allegory of Moses as Intellect and Pharaoh as Illusion in the Masnavi

Root URL: https://ganjoor.net/
Source URL: https://ganjoor.net/

This Reference node represents the source used by the Literature-to-1Cademy migration agent.

Ganjoor

Asiya's Counsel to Pharaoh in the Masnavi

## Original content
<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right; line-height: 2; margin-top: 0.5rem;">

گفت با هامان چون تنهااش بدید 
جست هامان و گریبان را درید
بانگها زد گریه‌ها کرد آن لعین 
کوفت دستار و کله را بر زمین
که چگونه گفت اندر روی شاه 
این چنین گستاخ آن حرف تباه
جمله عالم را مسخر کرده تو 
کار را با بخت چون زر کرده تو
از مشارق وز مغارب بی‌لجاج 
سوی تو آرند سلطانان خراج
پادشاهان لب همی مالند شاد 
بر ستانهٔ خاک تو این کیقباد
اسپ یاغی چون ببیند اسپ ما 
رو بگرداند گریزد بی عصا
تاکنون معبود و مسجود جهان 
بوده‌ای گردی کمینهٔ بندگان
در هزار آتش شدن زین خوشترست 
که خداوندی شود بنده‌پرست
نه بکش اول مرا ای شاه چین 
تا نبیند چشم من بر شاه این
خسروا اول مرا گردن بزن 
تا نبیند این مذلت چشم من
خود نبودست و مبادا این چنین 
که زمین گردون شود گردون زمین
بندگان‌مان خواجه‌تاش ما شوند 
بی‌دلان‌مان دلخراش ما شوند
چشم‌روشن دشمنان و دوست کور 
گشت ما را پس گلستان قعر گور

</div>

## English translation
He spoke with Haman when he found him alone;
Haman leapt up and tore his collar.
That accursed one cried out and wept,
Dashed his turban and cap to the ground—
"How did he dare say, to the face of the king,
Such brazen, ruinous words!
You have subjugated all the world;
You have turned affairs to gold with fortune.
From east and west, without contention,
Kings bring tribute to you.
Kings rub their lips in gladness
On the threshold of your dust—even Kayqubad.
When a rebel horse catches sight of our horse,
It turns its face and flees without a stick.
Until now you have been the worshipped, the adored of the world—
Would you become the least of servants?
To enter a thousand fires is better than this:
That a lord should become a worshipper of slaves.
No—first kill me, O King of China,
So my eyes may not see this upon the king.
O Khusraw, first strike off my head,
So my eyes may not see this humiliation.
This has never been, and may it never be—
That the earth should become the sky and the sky the earth,
That our slaves should become our equals,
That our cowards should become our heart-wounders.
The eyes of enemies bright and those of friends blind—
Our rose garden has become the depths of the grave."

دفتر چهارم - بخش ۱۰۵ - مشورت کردن فرعون با وزیرش هامان در ایمان آوردن به موسی علیه‌السلام / Book Four - Section 105 - Pharaoh Consulting with His Vizier Haman Regarding Believing in Moses, Peace Be Upon Him

In Book Four of Rumi's *Masnavi*, the dialogue between Pharaoh and his vizier Haman represents the ultimate triumph of worldly pride and ego (*nafs*) over spiritual guidance. When Pharaoh shares Moses's offer of four divine virtues in exchange for faith, Haman reacts with outrage and grief, appealing to Pharaoh's desire for absolute earthly dominion. He argues that it is better to face a thousand deaths than for a sovereign 'god' to become a humble servant of another. Haman's manipulation preys on Pharaoh's fear of losing status, cementing his refusal of Moses's message and leading to his final spiritual ruin.

Learn Before

Related