Rumi's Masnavi - By their failures (to achieve success) the lovers are made aware of their Lord.

بی‌مرادی شد قلاوز بهشت ** حفت الجنه شنو ای خوش سرشت
Unsuccess is the guide to Paradise: hearken, O man of goodly nature, to (the tradition), “Paradise is encompassed (with pains).”

که مراداتت همه اشکسته‌پاست ** پس کسی باشد که کام او رواست
(Granted) that all that you desire is broken-legged (unsuccessful), then there is One whose pleasure is fulfilled.

پس شدند اشکسته‌اش آن صادقان ** لیک کو خود آن شکست عاشقان
Therefore the sincere (believers) have become broken (abased) before Him; but where indeed is (their abasement in comparison with) the abasement of those who love (Him)?

عاقلان اشکسته‌اش از اضطرار ** عاشقان اشکسته با صد اختیار 4470
The intelligent are abased before Him from necessity; the lovers are abased with hundredfold free-will.

عاقلانش بندگان بندی‌اند ** عاشقانش شکری و قندی‌اند
The intelligent are bond-slaves to Him; the lovers are like sugar and candy to Him.

ائتیا کرها مهار عاقلان ** ائتیا طوعا بهار بی‌دلان
“Come against your will” is the toggle for the intelligent; “come willingly” is the spring-time of them that have lost their hearts.

نظرکردن پیغامبر علیه السلام به اسیران و تبسم کردن و گفتن کی عجبت من قوم یجرون الی الجنة بالسلاسل و الاغلال
How the Prophet, on whom be peace, looked at the captives and smiled and said, “I marvel at folk who are dragged to Paradise in chains and shackles.”

دید پیغامبر یکی جوقی اسیر ** که همی‌بردند و ایشان در نفیر
The Prophet saw a troop of captives being taken along, and they were in loud lamentation.

تا همی خایید هر یک از غضب ** بر رسول صدق دندانها و لب 4475
So that each (of them) was gnashing his teeth and chewing his lips in anger against the veracious Prophet;

زهره نه با آن غضب که دم زنند ** زانک در زنجیر قهر ده‌منند
(But) notwithstanding that anger, they dare not utter a word, because they are in the ten-maund chain of violence.

می‌کشاندشان موکل سوی شهر ** می‌برد از کافرستانشان به قهر
Their custodian is marching them along to the city: he is taking them by force from the land of the infidels.

نه فدایی می‌ستاند نه زری ** نه شفاعت می‌رسد از سروری
(They say to each other), “He (the Prophet) will not accept any ransom or any gold: no intercession is coming from any prince.

رحمت عالم همی‌گویند و او ** عالمی را می‌برد حلق و گلو
He is called a mercy to the world, and he is cutting the throats and gullets of a (whole) world (of people).”

با هزار انکار می‌رفتند راه ** زیر لب طعنه‌زنان بر کار شاه 4480
With a thousand (feelings of) disbelief they marched along, railing under their breath at the actions of the (spiritual) king,

چاره‌ها کردیم و اینجا چاره نیست ** خود دل این مرد کم از خاره نیست
(Saying), “We remedied (our former troubles), but in this case there is no remedy: truly this man's heart is not inferior (in hardness) to a rock.

ما هزاران مرد شیر الپ ارسلان ** با دو سه عریان سست نیم‌جان
We, thousands of men brave as lions, (fighting) with two or three feeble and half-dead naked fellows,

این چنین درمانده‌ایم از کژرویست ** یا ز اخترهاست یا خود جادویست
Are left helpless like this: is it on account of (our) wrong-doing or (unlucky) stars, or is it sorcery?

کار او از جادوی گر گشت زفت ** جادوی کردیم ما هم چون نرفت 4485
If his cause became mighty (was made to prevail) by sorcery, we too practised sorcery: how did not it succeed?

تفسیر این آیت کی ان تستفتحوا فقد جائکم الفتح ایه‌ای طاعنان می‌گفتید کی از ما و محمد علیه السلام آنک حق است فتح و نصرتش ده و این بدان می‌گفتید تا گمان آید کی شما طالب حق‌اید بی غرض اکنون محمد را نصرت دادیم تا صاحب حق را ببینید
[Commentary on the verse (of the Qur’án), “If ye ask for a decision, the decision has indeed come to you. O railers, ye were saying, ‘Give the decision and victory to us or to Mohammed, whichever is in the right’; and ye were saying this in order that it might be supposed that ye were seeking the right disinterestedly. Now We have given the victory to Mohammed, to the end that ye may see the champion of the right.”]

آنک حق و راستست از ما و او ** نصرتش ده نصرت او را بجو
Whichever is right and true, between us and him, give the victory to that one and desire him to be victorious.’

این دعا بسیار کردیم و صلات ** پیش لات و پیش عزی و منات
Ofttimes we made this invocation and (bowed down in) prayer before Lát and ‘Uzzá and Manát,

که اگر حقست او پیداش کن ** ور نباشد حق زبون ماش کن
Saying, ‘If he is in the right, make him manifest; if he is not in the right, make him subject to us.’

چونک وا دیدیم او منصور بود ** ما همه ظلمت بدیم او نور بود 4490
When we recognised (what had come to pass), he was the one to whom victory was given: we all were darkness, he was the light.