In Rumi's Masnavi, the story of the lion, the wolf, and the fox hunting together serves as a profound allegory of the human ego (nafs) in relation to the Divine. When the lion tests the wolf by asking him to divide the prey, the wolf's partition based on size and personal ownership reflects the ego's insolence (bi-adabi) and its failure to recognize the absolute oneness of the divine presence. By asserting a division between 'me' and 'thee' (ma o to), the wolf demonstrates a dualistic self-existence that must be annihilated. This metaphor underscores the spiritual danger of ego-assertion and highlights the necessity of absolute self-effacement (fana) before God.