In the third section of Attar's Elahi Nameh, the tale of Sheikh Gorgani and his monastery's disciplined cat highlights profound spiritual, legal, and ethical lessons.

Narrative Summary

A highly trusted, well-behaved cat in Sheikh Gorgani's monastery unexpectedly steals a piece of meat from the kitchen. The kitchen servant beats the cat, causing it to flee to the Sheikh in distress. The cat, who was pregnant, brings her three newborn kittens to the Sheikh and climbs a tree in deep grief.

Allegorical and Spiritual Themes

1. The Rule of Necessity (Darurat): The Sheikh admonishes the servant, explaining that the cat did not steal out of greed, but due to the desperate necessity of pregnancy and maternal instinct. This illustrates the Islamic jurisprudential principle that absolute necessity permits otherwise forbidden acts (prohibited acts become permissible under necessity).
2. The Power of Parental Bonds: Attar uses the cat's desperate action to emphasize the supr...