Solomon and the Jinns of the Temple

"Be like Solomon so that your demons will cut stones for your palace.

Like Solomon, empty yourself of thoughts that tempt to do evil

or deceive, so that jinn and demons obey your command."

Rumi. Mathnavi, IV

Playing a game of Quaternity alone against the three "bots" is an intriguing daily challenge and practice.

The bots are programmed to attack all opponents indiscriminately, often in a way that seems surprisingly illogical and somewhat chaotic. They do not know how to checkmate, as they were not programmed for it—this is the player's advantage. However, if one is not careful, they can unexpectedly act in a coordinated manner and capture multiple pieces at once.

After several games, a certain pattern of behavior becomes noticeable, allowing the player to anticipate and counter their combined attacks. With enough practice, it becomes possible to successfully checkmate all three.

In this last game, which lasted quite a while, I set myself the challenge of promoting as many pawns as possible to queens. At a certain point, the idea came to me to arrange these eight queens into a central square, using the remaining pieces I had. The task was not particularly difficult, but it was only at the end that I realized something unusual was taking shape on the board—something beyond my original intention.

Only after taking a screenshot did I begin to notice a striking resemblance to a story that resonated in my memory—a biblical and Quranic account: the story of King Solomon and the construction of the temple in Jerusalem, which Rumi, in his Mathnavi, calls the Far Mosque.

For this immense task, Solomon enlisted the help of angels, demons, jinn, and men, all of whom submitted to his will through the power granted by his ring.

When I first began playing against the bots, I had the distinct feeling that I was dealing with mischievous demons—gremlins, malevolent creatures that know no compassion and take delight in obstructing and destroying.

It took me several games to understand their tricks and unexpected traps. They reminded me of the ape men in the film The Magic Flute (also known as The Iron Circle), starring David Carradine. These creatures appear powerful, performing a hypnotic dance, yet in reality, they are afraid of the martial artist’s unwavering certainty. The fighter, standing firm in his center of serenity, watches them without being deceived and ultimately subdues them through self-mastery.

This experience served as another reminder of the illusory nature of the nafs, which—while disruptive—play a vital role in the development of unitary consciousness.

Upon completing the central square design, I had the unmistakable impression that a kind of temple had taken shape—reminiscent of Indian mandalas. If visualized in three dimensions from above, it could represent a pyramid in Egypt, the Kaaba in Mecca, the Taj Mahal, or Chartres Cathedral—all profound symbols of divine power on Earth.

Throughout the game, the red king remained in A12. The letter A represents the first letter, the origin, the Aleph. The number 12, the largest on the board, contains all preceding numbers, symbolizing wholeness—the twelve zodiacal signs, the totality of the empyrean. In this way, the red king takes the position of both the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega, the seat of central power.

The black king, representing darkness, is ultimately deprived of his army, his movements restricted, until he surrenders—submitting to the omnipotence of Unity. His initial position was L12; in losing the battle, he is displaced, banished, and stripped of his royal investiture. His former position is no longer inaccessible to him, as a queen now protects it on the diagonal.

Additionally, two opposing pawns remain on K6 and K7. These could represent the primordial opposing forces, which, by facing each other, become neutralized—deactivating their polarity and achieving balance.

In this final arrangement, peace and bliss manifest upon the board, symbolizing harmony restored on Earth.

A closer look at the quadrant occupied by the red pieces reveals something intriguing: the board contains eight identical quadrants surrounding it, forming a magic square. The number 9 is at the center, the axis of the arrangement.

The central quadrant, occupied by the red pieces, corresponds to the letters E, F, G, H and the numbers 5, 6, 7, 8.

The possible symbolic combinations of these letters and numbers would then be:

E5 E6 E7 E8

F5 F6 F7 F8

G5 G6 G7 G8

H5 H6 H 7 H8

Within this square lies a smaller square, represented by:

F6 F7

G6 G7

The sum of the four numbers within this inner square equals 26 = 8.

In symbolic terms, 8 is the number associated with the Divine Throne, as represented in the Qur’anic verse Ayat al-Kursi, also known as the Verse of the Throne.

J. Romano

20.7.2021

♛♔