In Section 38 of Jami's Haft Awrang, a king who has become the disciple of a Sufi master brings him ducks brought down by his hunting falcon, offering them as pure food with which to break the master's fast. The pious ascetic (motavarre') declines the gift because the falcon that seized the ducks had itself fed on food obtained through unlawful means, rendering the catch spiritually tainted.

Allegorical Meaning

The tale dramatizes extreme scrupulousness (wara') about the lawfulness (halal) of one's sustenance. For Jami, genuine piety attends not only to the outward permissibility of food but to the entire chain through which it reaches the table; even indirect contact with an unlawful (haram) source corrupts what would otherwise be pure. Set against the king's worldly generosity, the ascetic's refusal marks the gulf between material abundance and the discipline of the purified soul.