The case of the chosen servants of Allah Ta’ala. In spite of their apparent
weakness and distressed position, they show no fear in the face
of a multitude of evil forces. These saintly ones do experience
some natural fear of physical hurt or injury, but at heart, they
have no fear of anyone besides Allah Ta’ala.

In this regard, Maulana Rumi (Rahmatullah Alaihe) tells the
story of Hazrat Jaafar. Once Hazrat Jaafar (Radhiallaho Anho)
attacked a fortress all by himself. His attack was so fierce that it
seemed that the fortress would soon become a prey to the hoofs
of his horse. The inmates of the fortress were so struck by awe
that they closed the gates of the fortress and no one dared to
come out to engage in battle with him. The king discussed with
his Wazir as to what line of action to adopt. The Wazir advised
him thus:
"The best line of action is to cancel all plans of making war
against the man. It is best to take your shroud and your sword,
go to him and lay down your weapons".
The king replied: "But this man is all alone. How is it that you
give me such advice?" The Wazir informed him: "Do not
underestimate his being one man only. Open your eyes and
look at the fortress and see how it trembles like quick silver.
Look at the inmates of the fortress, and see how their heads are
bent downwards like sheep. Even though the man is alone, the
heart that he has in his bosom is not like the hearts of ordinary
men. Look at his courage. In the face of a vast multitude of
opponents, he challenges them into battle with a naked sword
in his hand and in a confident and victorious manner, calls
them to fight. It seems that all the battle forces of the East and
West are with him. One man alone, but he appears like
hundreds of thousands. Do you not see that whichever soldiers
are sent out to fight him are soon seen lying under the hoofs of
his horse? After seeing the valor of this solitary man, O king, I
have realized that the multitude of soldiers, which are with
you, will not be able to do anything against him. Do not rely
upon numbers. The main thing is the unity of the heart and this
is actually what is so striking about the heart of this man. In this
respect, he has been endowed endlessly with it. This is a gift
from Allah Ta’ala, which is attained through the acquisition of
contact with Him and through rigorous spiritual exercises. This
connection you will not be able to attain while you are in this
state of Kufr. Hence, it is best for you to throw down your
weapons in defeat before the courageous believer and to open
the gates of the fortress, because your numerous soldiers are of
no use.”

Then Maulana Rumi (Rahmatullah Alaihe) gives
examples in which the majority becomes useless in front of
minority:
One
Millions of stars are shining and produce light, but at the rising
of the sun, their light becomes nonexistent.
Two
If a thousand mice were to attack a weak and sickly cat, it
would appear that they would be victorious in their endeavor.
A few of them can grab him by the neck. One or two of them
can then take his eyes out. One or two of them can tear off his
ears with their teeth. One or two of them can make an opening
at his side, enter and begin chewing the internal organs. It
would appear to be a reasonable plan. However, experience
proves otherwise. As soon as the weak and sickly cat utters one
"meow" the whole multitude of mice become awestruck and
one by one, they flee to safety. The moment they hear the
"meow" they become convinced of being vanquished and
visualizing the actions of the cat's teeth and paws makes them
flee.
The main reason for this is the difference between the
hearts in the breast of the mice and the heart in the breast of the
cat. The unity of the heart in the cat and the courage lying in it,
is not found in the mice. Hence, the mice becoming confounded
and defeated in the presence of the cat, is proof thereof that the
cat possesses unity of heart and courage. Otherwise, it would
appear that if a large number of mice should attack the cat, it
will be impossible for the cat to escape.
Hence, we conclude that even if the number of mice were a
hundred thousand, still, seeing a weak and sickly cat will cause
all of them to run away. This proves that numbers mean
nothing. The main thing is unity of the heart and courage.
Three
Sheep and goats may be numerous in number but in the face of
the knife of the butcher, that number is of no consequence.
Four
Sleep comes along and causes many thoughts and imaginations
to vanish.
Five
The lion in the forest courageously attacks a multitude of
animals with horns and he alone gets the upper hand over
them. Furthermore, whichever animal he chooses from among
them, he eats.
Lesson
Allah Ta’ala, the King of kings, is the One who grants
this unity of heart and such courage. This unity of the heart is of
two kinds. One is natural, or common possessed by the Non
Believers, polytheists, and even animals. The other form is that
which is granted by Allah Ta’ala and comes about through the
blessings of close contact with Allah Ta’ala. This is what the
Sufis term as "Nisbat", for which one has to strive. It is a great
favor from Allah Ta’ala to have contact with Him. And there is
only one way of attaining this contact and that is by following
the Shari’at.

[Mathnawi of Maulan Jalalud Din Rumi]