Both Sanai in the *Hadiqat al-Haqiqah* and Attar in the *Elahi Nameh* utilize the ant as a central motif to teach Sufi ethics regarding harmlessness (*bi-azari*) and compassion. In Section 24 of the *Hadiqat*, Sanai employs the ant to illustrate the destructive consequences of cruelty, warning that harming even a tiny ant corrupts the spiritual seeker with tyranny. Conversely, Attar's tale of Ali and the ant emphasizes the affirmative cosmic resonance of empathy, illustrating how tending to an injured ant draws immense divine grace. Together, these complementary perspectives demonstrate that in Persian Sufism, a seeker's treatment of the lowliest creatures acts as a primary barometer for their spiritual purity and detachment from the ego.

Comparison of the Ant Motif in the Ethical Teachings of Sanai and Attar

In Section 24 of the Hadiqat al-Haqiqah, Sanai emphasizes that seeking liberation from the material world (saray-e khasan) requires absolute harmlessness (bi-azari) toward all living beings. He warns that even injuring a tiny ant (murak) leads to spiritual corruption, dragging the seeker into tyranny and cruelty. Therefore, while the seeker must employ stratagems to free themselves from worldly attachments, they must strictly avoid causing harm to others, establishing ethical conduct and compassion as essential prerequisites for spiritual ascent.

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## Original content
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دنیی ارچه ز حرص دلبر تست 
دست زی او مبر که مادر تست
گر نه ای گبر پس به خوش سخنیش 
مادر تست چون کنی به زنیش
همچو قرعه برای فالش دار 
گه بیندازش و گهی بردار
گرچه گزدم ز نیش بگزاید 
دارویی را همت به کار آید
مار اگرچه به خاصیت بدخوست 
پاسبان درخت صندل اوست
چون ز بانگ سگان شوی دلتنگ 
سنگ برگیر و ده سگان را سنگ
وآن سگی را که کرد پای افگار 
نان بی سوزنش مده زنهار
مورکی را اگر بیازاری 
چیره گردی به ظلم و خون خواری
از پی رستن از سرای خسان 
حیله کن لیک بد به کس مرسان
با خسان خود نشست و خاست مکن 
قطع کردن ز خس رواست مکن
پس اگر ناگهی درافتادی 
سازگاری بهست و دل شادی
باش بر دست راست همچو بهشت 
دوزخ از دست چپ شناس و کنشت
باز بر دست راست رو چونان 
بافر و دست دست دستان مان
راست بر دست راست رو رستی 
ورنه کج رو چو عهد بشکستی
من ندیدم سلامتی ز خسان 
گر تو دیدی سلام من برسان
چون ترا گشت نوش وحدت بیش 
بده آن نوش را به حدت نیش

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## English translation
Although the world is the beloved of your greed,
Do not reach out your hand to her, for she is your mother.
If you are not an infidel, then despite her sweet talk,
She is your mother; how can you take her as a wife?
Treat her like a die for casting lots:
Cast her down at times, and pick her up at times.
Although the scorpion hurts with its sting,
It will still be of use to you for some medicine.
Although the snake is ill-tempered by nature,
It is the guardian of the sandalwood tree.
When you become distressed by the barking of dogs,
Pick up a stone and give the dogs a stone.
And that dog that has wounded your foot,
Beware, do not give it bread without a needle.
If you hurt even a tiny ant,
You will grow bold in tyranny and bloodshed.
In order to escape from the abode of the vile,
Devise a scheme, but do not bring harm to anyone.
Do not sit or rise with the vile;
Severing ties with the vile is proper, do not avoid it.
But if you suddenly fall among them,
Compatibility and a cheerful heart are better.
Stay on the right side, like Paradise;
Recognize Hell and the pagan temple on the left.
Walk on the right hand side again,
With glory and like the hand of Dastan.
Go straight on the right hand, and you are saved;
Otherwise, you are crooked-walking, having broken the covenant.
I have never seen any safety from the vile;
If you have seen it, convey my greetings!
When the sweet drink of Unity increases for you,
Give that sweet drink with the sharpness of a sting.

بخش ۲۴ - اندر نقص دنیا گوید / Section 24 - He Speaks on the Defects of the World

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In Section 24 of the Hadiqat al-Haqiqah, Sanai employs a provocative metaphor of the world as a mother to condemn human greed and material attachment. He argues that since the physical world is our origin and mother, seeking her as a sweetheart (delbar) or taking her as a spouse is akin to spiritual incest—an act of extreme moral and spiritual transgression. To guide the seeker's relationship with the material world, Sanai introduces secondary metaphors: treating the world like a die (qur'ah) that one casts aside or picks up without permanent attachment, and recognizing that even dangerous worldly entities, like a venomous snake, can serve a protective function, such as guarding the sandalwood tree.

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