Literary Story

حکایت شیر و روباه و خر / The Tale of the Lion, the Fox, and the Donkey

The Tale of the Lion, the Fox, and the Donkey (حکایت شیر و روباه و خر) is a major allegorical story in Book Five of Rumi's Masnavi, starting around Section 105. In this fable, a hungry, ailing lion uses a clever fox to lure a foolish donkey into his forest. After the donkey initially escapes, the fox successfully deceives him a second time. The story concludes with the lion killing the donkey, and the fox surreptitiously eating the donkey's liver and heart. The narrative serves as a profound spiritual allegory regarding the deceptive nature of the ego (nafs), the trap of worldly greed, and the absence of spiritual intellect (aql).

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Updated 2026-06-13

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