In Book Two of the Masnavi, Rumi presents the story of a gardener who finds three men—a Sufi, a Jurist (Faqih), and a Sharif (descendant of the Prophet)—trespassing in his orchard. Knowing he cannot fight all three at once, the gardener uses cunning tactics to separate them, sending the Sufi away on an errand and turning the remaining two against each other before defeating them individually. This tale is a classic illustration of the 'divide and conquer' strategy. On a spiritual level, it warns against the dangers of disunity and illustrates how negative forces, such as the carnal soul (nafs) or the devil, separate individuals from their spiritual community and allies to conquer them one by one.