Overview

In Jami's 'Haft Awrang' (from the 'Selselat al-Dhahab'), Section 150 narrates the allegorical tale of a widow traveling to the city with two skins of clear, pure oil. On her way, she encounters a cunning rogue ('ayyar') who intercepts her and employs sweet flattery, praising her beauty and addressing her as a sister, to discover her destination and cargo.

Spiritual and Moral Lesson

This allegory serves as a warning against the deceptiveness of flattery and worldly distractions. In Sufi literature, the pure oil represents the sincere seeker's inner purity, devotion, or spiritual capital. The rogue ('ayyar') represents the ego ('nafs') or deceitful worldly charlatans who use flattery and deception to lead the seeker astray and rob them of their hard-earned spiritual achievements. The story highlights the importance of vigilance and guarding one's spiritual assets from outward flatterers.