In Section 59 of Book Five of the Masnavi, Rumi relates the provocative story of a mistress who attempts to imitate her maidservant's illicit acts with a donkey, but perishes because she failed to observe a crucial hidden detail (the gourd). This narrative serves as a stark Sufi allegory warning against the dangers of blind, superficial imitation (taqlid) without true comprehension of the underlying reality. Rumi uses the tragedy to illustrate that copying outward spiritual forms or practices without grasping their inner meanings or hidden mechanisms can lead to spiritual ruin, famously concluding that 'every deficient view and understanding is cursed.'