Concept

Divine Nurturing and Unmediated Grace: The Story of Nimrod's Infancy in the Masnavi

In Book Six of the Masnavi, Rumi uses the story of the infant Nimrod to illustrate the concept of God's unmediated grace (lutfe be-vaseteh). Though Nimrod is left without a mother or wet nurse, God commands a wild leopard to nurse him and a spirit (peri) to teach him speech. Rumi emphasizes that secondary causes—such as maternal love or physical caregivers—are merely instruments of divine will. By highlighting how God directly fosters love and survival in seemingly impossible conditions (such as the mutual affection between Job and the worms), the narrative teaches learners that the ultimate source of all sustenance, love, and protection is divine action operating beyond material intermediaries.

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Updated 2026-07-04

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Persian Literature Prerequisite Course