In Book 4 of Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, the allegory of the moth (parvana) and the flame is employed to illustrate the unstable and deceptive nature of a fool's repentance. While a wise person possesses the intellect ('aql) necessary to preserve covenants, remember past lessons, and pierce the veil of forgetfulness, a fool lacks this capacity. Consequently, when a fool faces tribulation, they may make pledges of reform, yet like a moth that immediately returns to the fire after having its wings singed, the fool is driven back to destructive habits by greed ('az) and forgetfulness (nisyan). Rumi compares this transient, unfaithful remorse to the false dawn (subh-i kazib), which promises light but is quickly swallowed by darkness, highlighting that true, lasting repentance requires the stable guidance of intellect and conscious awareness.