In Book Five of Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, the crow sacrificed by Prophet Abraham symbolizes worldly ambition and the egoistic desire for an endlessly prolonged physical life ('omr-khwah) without spiritual reformation or repentance. Rumi compares the crow's persistent request for longevity to Satan (Iblis) asking for respite until the Day of Judgment rather than seeking forgiveness. He explains that life without repentance is merely a prolonged agony of the soul (jan kandan), and that true vitality lies in being aligned with the Divine, as physical existence without spiritual awareness is spiritually dead.