In Book 3 of the Masnavi, Rumi employs the parable of the field-guard and the camel to illustrate the spiritual fearlessness of true lovers of God. The guest at the guest-killing mosque compares himself to a battle-tested camel (the 'Bukhti') accustomed to the deafening war-drums (kūs) of Sultan Mahmud. When a young field-guard attempts to scare the camel away from a crop field by beating a small drum (ṭablak), the attempt is futile. Metaphorically, the guest implies that a soul which has endured massive spiritual trials and experienced the overpowering majesty of the Divine (the Sultan's drum) cannot be deterred or frightened by the relatively minor threats or worldly warnings of ordinary people (the guard's small drum).