In Book 2 of Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, during the confrontation between the ruler Mu'awiya and Iblis (Satan), Mu'awiya firmly rejects the devil's deceptive arguments by employing the metaphors of a highwayman and a false merchant. When Iblis attempts to justify his actions and present himself as a well-meaning buyer of spiritual goods, Mu'awiya immediately sees through the trickery. He argues that a highway robber has no genuine business with a stranger or merchant, asserting that any outward show of being a buyer is pure craftiness. Rumi uses this exchange to illustrate that Satan's offerings and outward appearances of helpfulness are merely sophisticated traps designed to rob the believer of their spiritual wealth. The passage emphasizes the necessity of seeking divine refuge—as Mu'awiya cries out to God—when faced with the relentless envy and deceptive rhetoric of the ultimate adversary.