In the Masnavi, Rumi uses the story of Adam looking down on the fallen Iblis to illustrate the danger of self-righteous pride (*'ujb* or *khwish-bini*). Although Adam is a chosen prophet and Iblis is cursed, Adam's brief moment of contempt and self-satisfaction triggers a rebuke from Divine Jealousy (*ghayrat*). Rumi warns that spiritual standing is entirely a gift of divine grace rather than personal merit; God possesses absolute sovereignty to reverse any state, potentially turning a hundred Adams into disbelievers or a hundred Iblises into believers. This teaches the seeker to maintain perpetual humility, avoid judging others, and constantly seek divine refuge rather than relying on their own knowledge or spiritual achievements.

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چشم آدم بر بلیسی کو شقی‌ست 
از حقارت وز زیافت بنگریست
خویش‌بینی کرد و آمد خودگزین 
خنده زد بر کار ابلیس لعین
بانگ بر زد غیرت حق کای صفی 
تو نمی‌دانی ز اسرار خفی
پوستین را بازگونه گر کند 
کوه را از بیخ و از بن برکند
پردهٔ صد آدم آن دم بر درد 
صد بلیس نو مسلمان آورد
گفت آدم توبه کردم زین نظر 
این چنین گستاخ نندیشم دگر
یا غیاث المستغیثین اهدنا 
لا افتخار بالعلوم و الغنی
لا تزغ قلبا هدیت بالکرم 
واصرف السؤ الذی خط القلم
بگذران از جان ما سؤ القضا 
وامبر ما را ز اخوان صفا
تلخ‌تر از فرقت تو هیچ نیست 
بی پناهت غیر پیچاپیچ نیست
رخت ما هم رخت ما را راه‌زن 
جسم ما مر جان ما را جامه کن
دست ما چون پای ما را می‌خورد 
بی امان تو کسی جان چون برد
ور برد جان زین خطرهای عظیم 
برده باشد مایهٔ ادبار و بیم
زانک جان چون واصل جانان نبود 
تا ابد با خویش کورست و کبود
چون تو ندهی راه جان خود برده گیر 
جان که بی تو زنده باشد مرده گیر
گر تو طعنه می‌زنی بر بندگان 
مر ترا آن می‌رسد ای کامران
ور تو ماه و مهر را گویی جفا 
ور تو قد سرو را گویی دوتا
ور تو چرخ و عرش را خوانی حقیر 
ور تو کان و بحر را گویی فقیر
آن بنسبت با کمال تو رواست 
ملک اکمال فناها مر تراست
که تو پاکی از خطر وز نیستی 
نیستان را موجد و مغنیستی
آنک رویانید داند سوختن 
زانک چون بدرید داند دوختن
می‌بسوزد هر خزان مر باغ را 
باز رویاند گل صباغ را
کای بسوزیده برون آ تازه شو 
بار دیگر خوب و خوب‌آوازه شو
چشم نرگس کور شد بازش بساخت 
حلق نی ببرید و بازش خود نواخت
ما چو مصنوعیم و صانع نیستیم 
جز زبون و جز که قانع نیستیم
ما همه نفسی و نفسی می‌زنیم 
گر نخواهی ما همه آهرمنیم
زان ز آهرمن رهیدستیم ما 
که خریدی جان ما را از عمی
تو عصاکش هر کرا که زندگیست 
بی عصا و بی عصاکش کور چیست
غیر تو هر چه خوشست و ناخوشست 
آدمی سوزست و عین آتشست
هر که را آتش پناه و پشت شد 
هم مجوسی گشت و هم زردشت شد
کل شیء ما خلا الله باطل 
ان فضل الله غیم هاطل

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## English translation
Adam looked upon Iblis, who is wretched, with contempt and disdain. He fell into self-regard and became self-preferring; he laughed at the affair of accursed Iblis. The jealousy of God cried out: O chosen one, you do not know the hidden secrets. If He turns the fur inside out, He uproots the mountain from root and base. In that instant He tears the veil of a hundred Adams and brings a hundred new Iblises into Islam. Adam said: I repent of this glance; I will not think so boldly again. O Helper of those who seek help, guide us; there is no boasting in knowledge or wealth. Do not cause a heart You have guided by generosity to deviate, and turn away the evil that the Pen has written. Pass the evil decree away from our souls, and do not carry us away from the brethren of purity. Nothing is more bitter than separation from You; without Your refuge, anything else is only entanglement upon entanglement. Our own baggage is a highway-robber of our baggage; our body is a garment-stripper of our soul. Since our hand devours our foot, without Your protection how can anyone save the soul? And if one saves the soul from these great dangers, he has carried off only the capital of misfortune and fear. For when the soul is not joined to the Beloved, it is forever blind and bruised with itself. If You do not give the way, regard the soul as lost; regard the soul that lives without You as dead. If You reproach Your servants, that befits You, O triumphant one. If You call the moon and sun faithless, if You call the cypress stature bent, if You call the sphere and Throne contemptible, if You call mine and sea poor, that is proper in relation to Your perfection; the dominion of perfecting perishing things belongs to You. For You are pure of peril and nonexistence; You are the creator and enricher of nonexistents. The One who makes grow knows how to burn; for the One who knows how to tear also knows how to sew. Every autumn He burns the garden, then again makes the many-colored rose grow, saying: O burned one, come out and become fresh; once more become beautiful and famed for beauty. The narcissus-eye went blind; He made it again. He cut the reed's throat and then Himself played it again. Since we are made things and are not the Maker, we are nothing but humbled and content. We all cry, 'myself, myself'; if You do not will otherwise, we are all Ahriman. We have escaped Ahriman because You bought our souls out of blindness. You are the staff-bearer for everyone who has life; without staff and without a staff-bearer, what is a blind person? Everything other than You, whether pleasant or unpleasant, burns the human being and is fire itself. Whoever takes fire as refuge and support has become both Magian and Zoroaster. Everything except God is vain; truly God's bounty is a pouring cloud.

دفتر اول - بخش ۱۶۸ - تعجب کردن آدم علیه‌السلام از ضلالت ابلیس لعین و عجب آوردن / Book One - Section 168 - The Wonder of Adam, Peace Be Upon Him, at the Misguidance of the Accursed Iblis and His Becoming Conceited

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, Adam serves as a dual spiritual archetype for humanity. In Book One, Section 127, Rumi portrays Adam as the ultimate repository of divine wisdom, whose physical form contains all celestial realities and who teaches the angels through the 'Knowledge of the Names' (*ilm al-asma*). Conversely, in Book Four, Section 14, Adam represents the model of sincere repentance and self-correction (*istighfar*), choosing to admit his error ('Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves') rather than finding excuses. Together, these aspects show that in Rumi's philosophy, the journey of the perfect human (*Insan-i Kamil*) requires both supreme spiritual receptivity and profound personal humility.

Adam as the Archetype of Divine Knowledge and Humility in the Masnavi

In the *Masnavi* (Book One, Section 80), Rumi explores the theological tension between divine destiny (*qada*) and human free will (*ikhtiyar*) through the contrasting responses of Adam and Iblis to their transgressions. Although Rumi asserts that God is the ultimate creator of all actions, he argues that humans must assume moral responsibility for their errors. Iblis embodies blind determinism (*jabr*), insolently blaming God for his fall ('Because You led me astray') to mask his own ego. Conversely, Adam models spiritual courtesy (*adab*) and free will by taking ownership of his mistake ('Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves'). Rumi teaches that acknowledging personal agency and demonstrating humility are essential prerequisites for repentance and divine grace.

Adamic Responsibility vs. Satanic Determinism in the Masnavi

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