In Book Two, Section 75 of the Masnavi, after Iblis admits he woke Mu'awiya to prevent him from attaining the immense spiritual reward of sincere remorse, he explicitly identifies the root of his sabotage as envy (hasad): 'I am envious; out of envy I did this. I am an enemy; my work is deceit and malice.' Rumi uses this confession to illustrate that Iblis's foundational flaw and the driving force behind demonic deception is envy. This highlights the destructive nature of envy in Sufi psychology, portraying it not merely as a personal vice, but as the archetypal anti-spiritual force that seeks to obstruct the divine proximity and spiritual elevation of others.