In this parable from Farid al-Din Attar's Mosibat Nameh, a king offers to grant a wish to a madman who lives in a vat. The madman first asks for salvation from hell and entry into heaven. When the king admits this is only in God's power, the madman simply asks the king to step aside because his shadow is blocking the warmth of the sun from his vat. Drawing on the classical anecdote of Diogenes the Cynic and Alexander the Great, this allegory highlights the limitations of worldly power. It illustrates that earthly rulers have no authority over ultimate spiritual salvation and often only serve to obstruct natural, God-given provisions.