In Attar's Manteq al-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds), the tale of the madman who mistakes hail for stones thrown by children functions as a profound Sufi allegory for spiritual ignorance and divine providence. Taking refuge in a dark ruin, the madman wrongly attributes his suffering to earthly causes (the children) and curses them. When the wind blows a door open and lets in the light of awareness, he realizes the projectiles are actually hail sent from the sky. He immediately repents, understanding that his complaints were the result of his own darkness and limited perspective. This parable teaches that worldly trials and hardships are ordained by the Divine; the seeker must look past immediate, earthly causes to perceive the hand of God and accept divine will without complaint.