In Book Three of the *Masnavi*, Rumi provides a psychological commentary on the Quranic verse 'And rally against them with your cavalry and your infantry' (17:64). He portrays the 'demon' (representing the carnal soul or Satan) as an internal voice that assaults the spiritual seeker with fears of poverty, misery, and isolation. Rumi uses this allegory to illustrate how the ego wages psychological warfare to deter individuals from earnestly committing to the path of faith, testing their spiritual resolve and courage before they can achieve true awakening.

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تو چو عزم دین کنی با اجتهاد 
دیو بانگت بر زند اندر نهاد
که مرو زان سو بیندیش ای غوی 
که اسیر رنج و درویشی شوی
بی‌نوا گردی ز یاران وابری 
خوار گردی و پشیمانی خوری
تو ز بیم بانگ آن دیو لعین 
وا گریزی در ضلالت از یقین
که هلا فردا و پس فردا مراست 
راه دین پویم که مهلت پیش ماست
مرگ بینی باز کو از چپ و راست 
می‌کشد همسایه را تا بانگ خاست
باز عزم دین کنی از بیم جان 
مرد سازی خویشتن را یک زمان
پس سلح بر بندی از علم و حکم 
که من از خوفی نیارم پای کم
باز بانگی بر زند بر تو ز مکر 
که بترس و باز گرد از تیغ فقر
باز بگریزی ز راه روشنی 
آن سلاح علم و فن را بفکنی
سالها او را به بانگی بنده‌ای 
در چنین ظلمت نمد افکنده‌ای
هیبت بانگ شیاطین خلق را 
بند کردست و گرفته حلق را
تا چنان نومید شد جانشان ز نور 
که روان کافران ز اهل قبور
این شکوه بانگ آن ملعون بود 
هیبت بانگ خدایی چون بود
هیبت بازست بر کبک نجیب 
مر مگس را نیست زان هیبت نصیب
زانک نبود باز صیاد مگس 
عنکبوتان می مگس گیرند و بس
عنکبوت دیو بر چون تو ذباب 
کر و فر دارد نه بر کبک و عقاب
بانگ دیوان گله‌بان اشقیاست 
بانگ سلطان پاسبان اولیاست
تا نیامیزد بدین دو بانگ دور 
قطره‌ای از بحر خوش با بحر شور

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## English translation
When you resolve upon the path of faith with earnest striving,
The devil shouts at you from within your nature:
"Go not that way — think well, O misguided one,
Lest you become a captive of suffering and poverty.
You will grow destitute, estranged from companions,
You will become contemptible and eat of regret."
Fearing the cry of that accursed devil,
You flee from certainty back into error,
Saying: "Ah, tomorrow and the day after is mine —
I shall walk the path of faith, for respite lies before us."
Then you see death rising again from left and right,
Dragging away the neighbor until a cry goes up.
Again you resolve upon the faith, out of fear for your soul,
And make yourself a man for a brief moment.
Then you gird on armor of knowledge and wisdom,
Saying: "I shall not draw back my foot from any fear."
Again a shout comes at you through cunning:
"Be afraid, and turn back from the sword of poverty."
Again you flee from the luminous path,
And cast away those weapons of knowledge and skill.
For years you have been slave to him through a single shout,
Cast down in such darkness, like felt thrown aside.
The terror of the devils' cry has shackled mankind
And seized them by the throat,
Until their souls grew as despairing of light
As the spirits of unbelievers among the people of the graves.
Such was the awesome power of that accursed one's cry —
Then how great is the terror of God's cry?
The falcon's terror falls upon the noble partridge;
The fly has no share of that terror.
For the falcon was not the hunter of flies —
Spiders catch flies, and nothing more.
The spider-devil has power and splendor over a fly such as you,
Not over the partridge or the eagle.
The cry of devils is the shepherd of the wretched;
The cry of the Sultan is the guardian of the saints,
So that a drop from the sweet sea
May not mingle, at such distance, with the bitter sea.

دفتر سوم - بخش ۲۱۰ - تفسیر آیت واجلب علیهم بخیلک و رجلک / Book Three - Section 210 - Commentary on the Verse 'And rally against them with your cavalry and your infantry'

### Overview
In Book One, Section 37 of the *Masnavi*, Rumi introduces a central spiritual and psychological doctrine: the ego (*nafs*) as the 'mother of all idols' (*madar-e botha bot-e nafs-e shomast*).

### The Metaphor of the Snake and the Dragon
Rumi distinguishes between outer and inner idolatry using vivid animal metaphors:
1. **The Outer Idol (The Snake):** Physical idols made of stone or wood are visible obstacles. Rumi compares them to a snake, which can be crushed or avoided relatively easily.
2. **The Inner Ego (The Dragon):** The ego (*nafs*) is the source from which all external idols and desires spring. Rumi compares the ego to a massive dragon, representing an insatiable, multi-headed force of desire and self-worship.

### Spiritual Imperative
According to Rumi, physical iconoclasm is meaningless without inner spiritual warfare (*jihad al-nafs*). Breaking an outer idol is simple, but subduing the inner dragon of self-will requires divine grace, spiritual guidance, an...

The Ego (Nafs) as the Mother of All Idols in the Masnavi

In Section 69 of Book Two of the Masnavi, during his prolonged debate with Mu'awiya, Iblis defends his actions by arguing that humans unfairly scapegoat him for their own moral failings. He asserts that the true source of sin and spiritual sickness is the individual's own base ego (*nafs*). 

Iblis uses the metaphor of a glutton eating sweetmeats (*halva*) who subsequently develops boils, emphasizing that negative consequences arise from one's own unchecked desires and internal flaws rather than solely from external demonic influence. This passage reflects a core Sufi teaching in Rumi's work: the external devil is secondary to the internal devil (the *nafs*), which must be the primary focus of the spiritual seeker's struggle and self-accountability.

Iblis's Defense: Blaming the Nafs over Iblis in the Masnavi

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بشنو اکنون قصهٔ آن بانگ سخت 
که نرفت از جا بدان آن نیکبخت
گفت چون ترسم چو هست این طبل عید 
تا دهل ترسد که زخم او را رسید
ای دهلهای تهی بی قلوب 
قسمتان از عید جان شد زخم چوب
شد قیامت عید و بی‌دینان دهل 
ما چو اهل عید خندان همچو گل
بشنو اکنون این دهل چون بانگ زد 
دیگ دولتبا چگونه می‌پزد
چونک بشنود آن دهل آن مرد دید 
گفت چون ترسد دلم از طبل عید
گفت با خود هین ملرزان دل کزین 
مرد جان بددلان بی‌یقین
وقت آن آمد که حیدروار من 
ملک گیرم یا بپردازم بدن
بر جهید و بانگ بر زد کای کیا 
حاضرم اینک اگر مردی بیا
در زمان بشکست ز آواز آن طلسم 
زر همی‌ریزید هر سو قسم قسم
ریخت چند این زر که ترسید آن پسر 
تا نگیرد زر ز پری راه در
بعد از آن برخاست آن شیر عتید 
تا سحرگه زر به بیرون می‌کشید
دفن می‌کرد و همی آمد بزر 
با جوال و توبره بار دگر
گنجها بنهاد آن جانباز از آن 
کوری ترسانی واپس خزان
این زر ظاهر بخاطر آمدست 
در دل هر کور دور زرپرست
کودکان اسفالها را بشکنند 
نام زر بنهند و در دامن کنند
اندر آن بازی چو گویی نام زر 
آن کند در خاطر کودک گذر
بل زر مضروب ضرب ایزدی 
کو نگردد کاسد آمد سرمدی
آن زری کین زر از آن زر تاب یافت 
گوهر و تابندگی و آب یافت
آن زری که دل ازو گردد غنی 
غالب آید بر قمر در روشنی
شمع بود آن مسجد و پروانه او 
خویشتن در باخت آن پروانه‌خو
پر بسوخت او را ولیکن ساختش 
بس مبارک آمد آن انداختش
همچو موسی بود آن مسعودبخت 
کاتشی دید او به سوی آن درخت
چون عنایتها برو موفور بود 
نار می‌پنداشت و خود آن نور بود
مرد حق را چون ببینی ای پسر 
تو گمان داری برو نار بشر
تو ز خود می‌آیی و آن در تو است 
نار و خار ظن باطل این سو است
او درخت موسی است و پر ضیا 
نور خوان نارش مخوان باری بیا
نه فطام این جهان ناری نمود 
سالکان رفتند و آن خود نور بود
پس بدان که شمع دین بر می‌شود 
این نه همچون شمع آتشها بود
این نماید نور و سوزد یار را 
و آن بصورت نار و گل زوار را
این چو سازنده ولی سوزنده‌ای 
و آن گه وصلت دل افروزنده‌ای
شکل شعلهٔ نور پاک سازوار 
حاضران را نور و دوران را چو نار

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## English translation
Now hear the tale of that terrible cry,
That did not move that fortunate one from his place.

He said: How should I fear, when this is the drum of ʿĪd?
Let the drum fear, for the blow has reached it.

O hollow drums, you heartless ones,
Your share from the festival of the soul has become the blow of the stick.

The Resurrection has become a festival, and the faithless are the drum,
While we, like the people of the festival, smile like flowers.

Now hear how this drum sounded,
And how the cauldron of fortune cooks.

When he heard the drum and that man was seen,
He said: How should my heart fear the drum of ʿĪd?

He said to himself: Come, do not make the heart tremble — for by this
The souls of the faint-hearted and faithless ones perish.

The time has come that I, in the manner of Haydar,
Shall seize the kingdom or surrender this body.

He leapt up and cried: O kiyā!
Here I am — if you are a man, come!

In that instant the talisman shattered from that voice,
Gold was pouring out on every side, portion by portion.

This gold poured so much that the young man grew afraid
Lest the gold, by its fullness, block the way of the door.

After that, that prepared lion arose
And until dawn was drawing gold outward.

He was burying it and returning for more gold
With sacks and bags, time after time.

Treasures did that soul-staking one lay from those riches,
To the blindness of the fearful ones who had crawled back.

This outward gold has come to the mind
In the heart of every blind, benighted gold-worshipper.

Children break potsherds,
Name them gold, and put them in their laps.

In that game, if you speak the name of gold,
It passes through the child's mind.

But the gold struck with the divine stamp —
Which never grows stale — that is eternal.

That gold from which this gold gained its luster,
Found its essence, its radiance, and its sheen.

That gold by which the heart becomes rich
Surpasses the moon in brightness.

That mosque was the candle and he was the moth;
That moth-natured one lost himself therein.

His wings burned, but it made him whole;
Most blessed was that casting of himself into it.

That one of blessed fortune was like Moses,
Who saw a fire toward that tree.

Since graces upon him were abundant,
He thought it fire, but it was light itself.

When you see a man of God, O son,
You suppose him to be the fire of a human being.

You come from yourself, and that is within you;
The fire and thorns of false conjecture are on this side.

He is the tree of Moses, full of radiance;
Call it light — do not call it fire — come at least!

Did not the weaning from this world appear fiery?
The wayfarers went on, and it was light all along.

Know then that the candle of religion rises high;
This is not like the candles of fires.

This one shows light yet burns the friend,
While that one, in the form of fire, is roses for the visitors.

This is like a maker, yet a burner,
And that, at the moment of union, is a kindler of hearts.

The form of the flame of pure light, fitting and harmonious:
Light for those present, and like fire for those far away.

دفتر سوم - بخش ۲۱۱ - رسیدن بانگ طلسمی نیم‌شب مهمان مسجد را / Book Three - Section 211 - The Arrival of the Talisman's Cry at Midnight to the Guest of the Mosque

Rumi's Allegory of the Demon's Internal Threats

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the struggle against the internal ego (*nafs*) is explicitly characterized as the "greater jihad" (*jihad al-akbar*). Following a victory over external foes (the "lesser jihad"), Rumi warns that a far more dangerous adversary remains within. He metaphorically describes the *nafs* as a "dragon" and a manifestation of "hell"—an insatiable force that swallows entire worlds and constantly demands more, undiminished even by oceans. Rumi emphasizes that conquering this inward enemy cannot be achieved through mere intellect or human cunning. Instead, it requires divine intervention and profound spiritual discipline, as only God can truly "draw its bow." Thus, the ultimate spiritual battle for a seeker is not fought on physical battlefields, but in the arduous, continuous effort to overcome one's own carnal soul.

The Concept of the Greater Jihad and the Nafs in the Masnavi

In Book 3 of Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, the narrative of Moses being cast into the Nile transitions into a profound psychological warning about the human ego (nafs). Rumi describes Pharaoh's futile stratagems to kill the infant Moses as a terrifying dragon, which is ultimately devoured by the divine counterpart of Moses's miraculous staff. However, Rumi quickly pivots from the historical narrative to address the reader directly, asserting that the same tyrannical qualities that consumed Pharaoh exist within every individual. He uses the metaphor of a dragon trapped in a pit to describe the latent potential for arrogance and evil in the human soul. The only difference between an ordinary person and the tyrant is circumstance: the ordinary person's inner fire simply lacks Pharaoh's 'firewood' (power, wealth, and opportunity). This powerful allegory illustrates the fundamental Sufi teaching that the carnal soul is inherently destructive and requires constant spiritual vigilance, lest it flare up when given the means.

The Metaphor of the Inner Pharaoh and the Dragon of the Nafs in the Masnavi

In Book 3 of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the story of the people of Saba illustrates the profound ingratitude and destructive tendencies of the human lower self (*nafs*). Despite being blessed with immense wealth, beautiful gardens, and security, the people of Saba actively reject these divine gifts. They foolishly pray for their own ruin, asking God to replace their comfort with hardship and their flourishing cities with perilous wilderness. Rumi parallels this absurd rejection of blessings with human nature, observing that humanity often complains regardless of its circumstances, metaphorically seeking winter during summer and denying guidance when it arrives. Ultimately, Rumi equates the people of Saba with the *nafs*, stating that this base aspect of the self is 'fit to be killed' through spiritual discipline. Just as the people of Saba violently rejected the wisdom of their counselors and embraced vice until divine decree blinded them, the undisciplined *nafs* persistently chooses suffering over divine grace, necessitating its total subjugation.

The Tale of the People of Saba and the Ingratitude of the Nafs in the Masnavi

In Book 2 of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the tale of Jesus and the foolish companion concludes with a violent yet profound spiritual lesson. At the fool's insistence, Jesus prays for the scattered bones to be resurrected. The bones miraculously transform into a ferocious black lion that immediately attacks and kills the foolish man. When Jesus questions the lion, it explains that it struck the man because he had troubled the prophet, though it did not consume his body as it was not its allotted sustenance. Rumi uses this shocking conclusion to deliver a powerful allegory about the *nafs* (the carnal soul or ego). He warns seekers not to pray for the revival of their base, worldly desires, comparing the *nafs* to a deadly beast. Indulging or resurrecting these carnal appetites, Rumi cautions, is akin to unleashing a predator that will ultimately turn on and destroy one's own spiritual life.

The Lion's Resurrection and the Metaphor of the Nafs in the Masnavi

In Book Two, Section 30 of the Masnavi, Rumi uses the interaction between Luqman and his master to illustrate the Sufi concept of true spiritual freedom. Despite his worldly status as a slave, Luqman asserts his inner nobility by revealing that he is the master of two 'slaves'—anger and lust—while his master is enslaved by these very passions. This highlights a central theme in Rumi's teachings: true kingship and freedom stem from overcoming the lower self (nafs), whereas worldly power without self-mastery is merely a deeper form of bondage.

Spiritual Freedom and Mastery of the Lower Self in Luqman's Tale

In Book 2 of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, as Dhu al-Nun's friends visit him in prison, the narrative introduces a profound spiritual metaphor based on the Quranic story of Moses' cow. In this traditional narrative, a murdered man is momentarily resurrected to name his killers after being struck with a piece of a sacrificed cow. Rumi reinterprets this miracle as an allegory for spiritual awakening, equating the sacrificed "cow" with the *nafs* (the carnal soul, or fleshly ego). Rumi asserts that "killing the cow" is an essential condition of the Sufi path. By mortifying base earthly desires and sacrificing the ego, the hidden, divine spirit is brought back to life. Just as the resurrected man in the story exposed his murderers, the spiritually awakened soul is freed from the "heavy body" and gains the clairvoyance to recognize divine secrets, perceive ultimate realities, and expose the deceptive traps of the ego and the physical world.

The Metaphor of Killing the Cow of the Nafs in the Masnavi

In Rumi's Masnavi, the tale of the snake-catcher and the frozen dragon serves as a profound allegory for the human ego (nafs) and the deceptive nature of dormant desires. The narrative follows a snake-catcher who discovers a massive, frozen dragon in the mountains. Mistaking its immobility for death, he binds it and brings it to Baghdad to display for profit. However, when the dragon is exposed to the warm Iraqi sun, it thaws, revives, and wreaks havoc. This story illustrates the philosophical teaching that the lower self or ego is never truly eradicated; it merely becomes dormant when deprived of worldly temptations or power. When placed in a favorable environment that feeds its desires, the ego can quickly awaken and become destructive, warning spiritual seekers against underestimating their own latent vulnerabilities.

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