Overview

In Farid al-Din Attar's Mosibat Nameh, this tale describes a servant of Ishaq al-Nadim who is tasked with carrying water from the Tigris River to satisfy a group of ungrateful thirsty people.

Symbolism and Meaning

1. The Tigris: Represents the boundless, infinite divine source, which cannot be exhausted.
2. The Ungrateful Thirsty: Symbolize the insatiable desires and demands of the material creation, which can never be fully satisfied.
3. The Servant's Dilemma: Represents the struggle of a spiritual mediator or traveler caught in the perpetual cycle of mediating between the infinite divine realm and the endless, ungrateful demands of the world.