In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, responding to the other beasts' demand for open consultation (*mashwarat*), the hare refuses to reveal his plan to defeat the lion, emphasizing the critical importance of concealing secrets. The hare articulates a profound warning against careless disclosure, advising that one should speak very little regarding three personal matters: one's departure (journey), one's wealth (gold), and one's religious doctrine (beliefs). He warns that a secret shared beyond two people inevitably becomes public knowledge, comparing shared secrets to birds bound together that are rendered unable to fly. However, the hare does not reject consultation entirely. Instead, he cites the example of the Prophet Muhammad, who practiced veiled consultation by presenting his inquiries as allegories or hypothetical examples. This method allowed the Prophet to gather necessary counsel without exposing his true intentions to his enemies. Through the hare's speech, Rumi balances the Islamic emphasis on mutual consultation with the practical and spiritual necessity of discretion, demonstrating how wisdom can be sought without compromising vulnerable truths.

The Hare's Defense of Concealment and Veiled Consultation in the Masnavi

In Book Four, Section 48 of the Masnavi, Rumi introduces a key epistemological and ethical principle: the necessity of consulting another intellect (aql). He explains that no matter how capable an individual's intellect is, they must partner and seek counsel with another. By uniting two intellects, a person gains the collective foresight and wisdom required to escape worldly and spiritual pitfalls, enabling them to elevate their consciousness and rise above calamities. This collaborative reasoning serves as the ultimate safeguard against deceptive forces that rely on single-minded delusion or superficial imitation.

The Concept of Consulting Another Intellect to Avoid Calamities in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, within the fable of the lion and the beasts, the prey animals urge the hare to disclose his secret plan to defeat the lion. Acknowledging the hare's cunning, the beasts emphasize the practical and spiritual necessity of consultation (*mashwarat*). They assert that seeking counsel sharpens perception and alertness, as "intellects give aid to intellect." To underscore their point, the animals quote the advice of the Prophet Muhammad: "Consult, O one who deliberates, for the one consulted is entrusted." Through this passage, Rumi articulates the Islamic principle of mutual consultation, suggesting that true wisdom is collaborative. Even in matters of survival, individuals are encouraged to pool their intellectual resources rather than relying exclusively on their isolated understanding.

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## Original content
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بعد از آن گفتند کای خرگوش چست 
در میان آر آنچ در ادراک تست
ای که با شیری تو در پیچیده ای 
بازگو رایی که اندیشیده ای
مشورت ادراک و هشیاری دهد 
عقلها مر عقل را یاری دهد
گفت پیغامبر بکن ای رای زن 
مشورت کالمستشار مؤتمن

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## English translation
After that they said, “O quick-witted hare, bring forth what is within your understanding. O you who have become entangled with a lion, tell again the counsel you have thought out. Consultation gives perception and alertness; intellects give aid to intellect. The Prophet said, ‘Consult, O one who deliberates, for the one consulted is entrusted.’”

دفتر اول - بخش ۵۷ - باز طلبیدن نخچیران از خرگوش سر اندیشهٔ او را / Book One - Section 57 - The Prey Asking the Hare Again for the Secret of His Thought

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طایفهٔ نخچیر در وادی خوش 
بودشان از شیر دایم کش مکش
بس که آن شیر از کمین می در ربود 
آن چرا بر جمله ناخوش گشته بود
حیله کردند آمدند ایشان بشیر 
کز وظیفه ما ترا داریم سیر
بعد ازین اندر پی صیدی میا 
تا نگردد تلخ بر ما این گیا

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## English translation
A company of beasts in a pleasant valley
Were always in conflict with the lion.
Because that lion so often snatched them from ambush,
That pasture had become unpleasant for them all.
They devised a stratagem and came to the lion,
Saying: 'With a fixed allowance we will keep you satisfied.'
Henceforth, do not come in pursuit of prey,
So that this grass does not become bitter to us.

دفتر اول - بخش ۴۲ - بیان توکّل و ترک جهد گفتن نخچیران به شیر / Book One - Section 42 - Explanation of Trust and Abandoning Exertion, Spoken by the Beasts to the Lion

In Section 51 of 'Hadiqat al-Haqiqah' (The Walled Garden of Truth), Sanai teaches a fundamental ethical and spiritual philosophy regarding the themes of keeping secrets ('raz') and seeking counsel ('mashwarat'). He advises that secrets should generally remain concealed in the heart like a soul in a body, with a key exception being the disclosure of symptoms to a physician ('tabib') or counselor for healing. Crucially, Sanai advocates for consulting with wise individuals, arguing that combining 'two intellects' ('do aql') allows a person to find safety and escape calamities or pitfalls ('aqilah'). This collaborative reasoning serves as a direct intellectual precursor to later Sufi concepts on mutual consultation, notably those seen in Rumi's 'Masnavi'.

The Concept of Consultation and Secrecy in Sanai's Hadiqat al-Haqiqah

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The Importance of Consultation (Mashwarat) in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, responding to the prey animals' plea for passive reliance on divine providence (*tawakkul*), the lion presents a vigorous defense of personal exertion (*jahd*). He argues that God has equipped humans with faculties and tools, which act as divine indications for action. To illustrate this, the lion uses the metaphors of a ladder and a spade: one must climb the ladder "step by step" to reach the roof, and a servant handed a spade by his master implicitly understands he is meant to work. The lion asserts that actively using one's God-given abilities—such as hands and feet—is a profound form of gratitude for these blessings, whereas passive necessitarianism or fatalism (*jabr*) is an ungrateful denial of them. He concludes that true trust in God must be coupled with active effort, summarizing his philosophical stance with the directive to first "sow, then rely on the Compeller."

The Lion's Argument for Exertion (Jahd) in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, during the philosophical debate between the lion and the beasts over exertion (*jahd*) versus passive trust (*tawakkul*), the lion argues that worldly striving is not inherently evil. To illustrate the proper relationship a believer should have with the material world, the lion uses the metaphor of water and a boat. He explains that 'water inside the boat destroys the boat,' representing worldly attachment and greed entering the heart. However, 'water beneath the boat supports it,' symbolizing wealth and earthly means acting as necessary vehicles for spiritual advancement when kept outside the heart. The lion extends this with the metaphor of a sealed jar: just as a jar floats safely because it is sealed and filled with air, a believer's heart remains steady and buoyant atop the turbulent 'water of the world' as long as it is sealed against worldly desires and filled with the 'air' of divine poverty (dervishhood).

The Metaphor of the Boat and Worldly Detachment in the Masnavi

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گفت آری گر وفا بینم نه مکر 
مکر ها بس دیده ام از زید و بکر
من هلاک فعل و مکر مردمم 
من گزیدهٔ زخم مار و کژدمم
مردم نفس از درونم در کمین 
از همه مردم بتر در مکر و کین
گوش من لایلدغ المؤمن شنید 
قول پیغامبر به جان و دل گزید

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## English translation
He said, “Yes, if I see loyalty, not trickery; I have seen many tricks from Zayd and Bakr. I am undone by people’s actions and cunning; I have been stung by snake and scorpion. The nafs lies in ambush against me within; in cunning and rancor it is worse than all people. My ear has heard ‘the believer is not stung [twice from the same hole]’; my soul and heart have taken up the Prophet’s saying.”

دفتر اول - بخش ۴۳ - جواب گفتن شیر نخچیران را و فایدهٔ جهد گفتن / Book One - Section 43 - The Lion Answering the Prey and Speaking of the Benefit of Exertion

## Original content
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گفت آری گر توکل رهبرست 
این سبب هم سنت پیغمبرست
گفت پیغامبر به آواز بلند 
با توکل زانوی اشتر ببند
رمز الکاسب حبیب الله شنو 
از توکل در سبب کاهل مشو

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## English translation
He said: "Yes, if tawakkul is the guide,
This means-taking too is the Prophet's sunna.
The Prophet said with a loud voice:
'With tawakkul, tie the camel's knee.'
Hear the mystery of al-kāsibu ḥabību 'llāh —
Through tawakkul, do not grow lazy in taking means."

دفتر اول - بخش ۴۵ - ترجیح نهادن شیر جهد و اکتساب را بر توکل و تسلیم / Book One - Section 45 - The Lion's Preference for Exertion and Acquisition over Trust and Submission

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زین نمط بسیار برهان گفت شیر 
کز جواب آن جبریان گشتند سیر
روبه و آهو و خرگوش و شغال 
جبر را بگذاشتند و قیل و قال
عهدها کردند با شیر ژیان 
کاندرین بیعت نیفتد در زیان
قسم هر روزش بیاید بی جگر 
حاجتش نبود تقاضایی دگر
قرعه بر هر که فتادی روز روز 
سوی آن شیر او دویدی همچو یوز
چون به خرگوش آمد این ساغر بدور 
بانگ زد خرگوش کاخر چند جور

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## English translation
In this fashion the lion advanced many arguments, until those determinists grew weary of replying. The fox, gazelle, hare, and jackal gave up fatalism and disputation. They made covenants with the fierce lion that he would suffer no loss in this pact: each day his allotted share would come to him without his needing to take trouble, and he would need no further demanding. Day by day, whoever the lot fell upon would run toward that lion like a cheetah. When this cup came round to the hare, the hare cried out, “How long, after all, this oppression?”

دفتر اول - بخش ۵۱ - مقرر شدن ترجیح جهد بر توکل / Book One - Section 51 - The Establishment of the Preference for Exertion over Trust

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قوم گفتندش که چندین گاه ما 
جان فدا کردیم در عهد و وفا
تو مجو بدنامی ما ای عنود 
تا نرنجد شیر رو رو زود زود

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## English translation
The folk said to him: "For so long now
We have sacrificed our lives in covenant and fidelity.

Do not seek our dishonor, O stubborn one,
Lest the lion be angered — go, go, quickly, quickly!"

دفتر اول - بخش ۵۲ - انکار کردن نخچیران بر خرگوش در تاخیر رفتن بر شیر / Book One - Section 52 - The Objection of the Prey to the Hare's Delay in Going to the Lion

In Book 1 of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the fable of the lion and the prey beasts serves as a profound allegorical debate between the Islamic concepts of *tawakkul* (absolute trust in divine providence) and *jahd* (personal exertion or effort). The beasts argue that since God is the ultimate provider and destiny is preordained, human effort is a form of spiritual agitation that challenges the divine decree; therefore, they advocate for passive surrender. The lion, representing the spiritual master or the active intellect, counters this by arguing that God provided humans with limbs and faculties, and failing to use them is an act of ingratitude. He cites the Prophetic tradition to 'trust in God, but tie your camel', presenting a synthesis where human effort is not contradictory to, but rather the practical manifestation of, true trust in God.

The Debate Between Trust (Tawakkul) and Exertion (Jahd) in the Masnavi

In Book One of Rumi's Masnavi, the prey animals present a comprehensive argument for Tawakkul (trust in divine providence), contrasting with the Lion's defense of Jahd (exertion). Beginning in Section 42, the beasts assert that worldly struggle is futile because sustenance is preordained by God. They argue that attempting to change destiny through effort reflects a lack of faith and causes unnecessary spiritual turmoil, advocating instead for complete submission and reliance on the Creator's decree.

The Beasts' Argument for Trust (Tawakkul) in the Masnavi

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قوم گفتندش که کسب از ضعف خلق 
لقمهٔ تزویر دان بر قدر حلق
نیست کسبی از توکل خوب تر 
چیست از تسلیم خود محبوب تر
بس گریزند از بلا سوی بلا 
بس جهند از مار سوی اژدها
حیله کرد انسان و حیله ش دام بود 
آنک جان پنداشت خون آشام بود
در ببست و دشمن اندر خانه بود 
حیلهٔ فرعون زین افسانه بود
صد هزاران طفل کشت آن کینه کش 
وانک او می جست اندر خانه اش
دیدهٔ ما چون بسی علت دروست 
رو فنا کن دید خود در دید دوست
دید ما را دید او نعم العوض 
یابی اندر دید او کل غرض
طفل تا گیرا و تا پویا نبود 
مرکبش جز گردن بابا نبود
چون فضولی گشت و دست و پا نمود 
در عنا افتاد و در کور و کبود
جان های خلق پیش از دست و پا 
می پریدند از وفا اندر صفا
چون به امر اهبطوا بندی شدند 
حبس خشم و حرص و خرسند ی شدند
ما عیال حضرتیم و شیر خواه 
گفت الخلق عیال للالٔه
آنک او از آسمان باران دهد 
هم تواند کاو ز رحمت نان دهد

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## English translation
The beasts said to him, "Exertion arises from human weakness;
Consider the morsel of deceit to be proportional to the throat.
There is no exertion better than trust in God;
What is more beloved than submission?
Many flee from an affliction towards another affliction;
Many leap from a snake towards a dragon.
Man used a stratagem, and his stratagem became a snare;
That which he thought was life-giving was blood-drinking.
He locked the door, while the enemy was inside the house;
The stratagem of Pharaoh was of this sort.
That vengeful one killed hundreds of thousands of infants,
While the one he was searching for was in his own house.
Since our sight contains many defects,
Go, annihilate your sight in the sight of the Friend.
His sight is an excellent substitute for our sight;
In His sight, you will find your complete purpose.
As long as the infant could neither grasp nor walk,
Its steed was nothing but its father's neck.
When it became presumptuous and displayed its hands and feet,
It fell into distress and bruises.
The souls of creatures, prior to having hands and feet,
Used to fly in purity out of loyalty.
When, by the command 'Descend!', they became captives,
They became imprisoned by anger, greed, and worldly desires.
We are the dependents of His Presence and crave milk;
The Prophet said, 'Creation is God's family.'
He who provides rain from the heavens
Is equally able to provide bread out of mercy."

دفتر اول - بخش ۴۶ - ترجیح نهادن نخچیران توکّل را بر اجتهاد / Book One - Section 46 - The Beasts' Preference for Trust over Exertion

In Section 52 of 'Hadiqat al-Haqiqah' (The Walled Garden of Truth), Sanai presents a powerful allegory about secrecy, loyalty, and the nature of a true confidant ('dem-saz' or 'qarin'). The narrative describes a person sharing a secret and pleading for its safekeeping, to which the friend replies with a profound metaphor: the secret was like a spark ('sharar') that died as soon as it left the teller's lips, being born from the speaker but immediately dying within the listener. Sanai utilizes this story to explain that a true friend's heart acts as a grave for secrets, ensuring absolute trust. He further advises that secrets must only be opened before the wise ('aqilan') and the spiritually mature ('ahl-e del'), drawing a parallel to the earth which silently guards seeds during winter and only reveals them when the justice of spring warmth arrives.

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