In Book 3, Section 207 of the Masnavi, Rumi strongly responds to critics who dismiss his poetry as mere fables or superficial tales. He draws a direct parallel between their taunts and the historical rejection of the Quran by disbelievers who labeled it as 'tales of the ancients.' Rumi argues that his work carries profound spiritual truths that offer life to the soul. By comparing his detractors to barking dogs, he emphasizes that their inability to perceive the Masnavi's deeper meaning is a reflection of their own spiritual blindness and deficient understanding, rather than any flaw within the text itself.