In this anecdote from Jami's Baharestan, the tyrant Hajjaj, warned to fear God and stop oppressing the Muslims, mounts the pulpit and eloquently claims that his dominion is God-given: should he die, an even worse ruler would replace him. The accompanying verse reframes his tyranny as a shared responsibility: the king is likened to a mirror, and whatever a subject sees reflected in him is the projection of that subject's own conduct. The lesson is that one who desires a just ruler must first practice justice, since oppressive rule mirrors the moral state of the ruled.