In Book 1 of the Masnavi, as part of their debate with the lion, the beasts introduce the specific theological argument that human precaution (hazar) is entirely useless against divine destiny (qaza or qadar). They assert that trying to outmaneuver God's predetermined will causes unnecessary agitation and harm, and that actively grappling with the divine decree will only prompt the decree to fight back. This concept serves as the foundational reasoning for their stance on passive trust (tawakkul).

The Futility of Precaution (Hazar) Against Divine Decree (Qaza)

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, during their philosophical debate with the lion, the prey animals reinforce their advocacy for passive trust (*tawakkul*) by emphasizing the historical futility of human exertion (*jahd*). They argue that countless past generations devised immense stratagems—powerful enough to uproot mountains—yet remained entirely bound by the allotments eternally preordained by God. Through this reasoning, the beasts assert that all human action ultimately falls away before divine providence. They conclude that worldly "acquisition" is merely an empty name, and personal effort is nothing but an illusion, leaving only the decrees of the Creator intact.

The Illusion of Human Effort and Acquisition in the Masnavi

In Book 1 of the Masnavi, as part of the beasts' defense of passive trust (*tawakkul*), they introduce the metaphor of a young child riding on their father's neck. Rumi explains that as long as a child is unable to walk or grasp, they do not strive or worry about their own transit or sustenance; they are carried entirely by their parent. This metaphor symbolizes the state of absolute surrender and trust in divine providence, where the spiritual seeker relinquishes personal agency and self-will to be guided and sustained solely by God.

The Metaphor of the Child and the Father's Neck in the Masnavi

In Book One of Rumi's Masnavi, the prey animals present a comprehensive argument for Tawakkul (trust in divine providence), contrasting with the Lion's defense of Jahd (exertion). Beginning in Section 42, the beasts assert that worldly struggle is futile because sustenance is preordained by God. They argue that attempting to change destiny through effort reflects a lack of faith and causes unnecessary spiritual turmoil, advocating instead for complete submission and reliance on the Creator's decree.

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## Original content
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طایفهٔ نخچیر در وادی خوش 
بودشان از شیر دایم کش‌مکش
بس که آن شیر از کمین می در ربود 
آن چرا بر جمله ناخوش گشته بود
حیله کردند آمدند ایشان بشیر 
کز وظیفه ما ترا داریم سیر
بعد ازین اندر پی صیدی میا 
تا نگردد تلخ بر ما این گیا

</div>

## English translation
A company of game animals in a pleasant valley
Were always in conflict with the lion.
Because that lion so often snatched them from ambush,
That pasture had become unpleasant for them all.
They devised a stratagem and came to the lion,
Saying: “From a fixed allotment we will keep you satisfied.
From now on, do not come after prey,
So that this grass will not become bitter for us.”

دفتر اول - بخش ۴۲ - بیان توکل و ترک جهد گفتن نخچیران بشیر / Book One - Section 42 - The Beasts Explaining Trust and Abandoning Exertion to the Lion

## Original content
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جمله با وی بانگها بر داشتند 
کان حریصان که سببها کاشتند
صد هزار اندر هزار از مرد و زن 
پس چرا محروم ماندند از زمن
صد هزاران قرن ز آغاز جهان 
همچو اژدرها گشاده صد دهان
مکرها کردند آن دانا گروه 
که ز بن بر کنده شد زان مکر کوه
کرد وصف مکرهاشان ذوالجلال 
لتزول منه اقلال الجبال
جز که آن قسمت که رفت اندر ازل 
روی ننمود از شکار و از عمل
جمله افتادند از تدبیر و کار 
ماند کار و حکمهای کردگار
کسپ جز نامی مدان ای نامدار 
جهد جز وهمی مپندار ای عیار

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## English translation
All raised their voices against him: "Those greedy ones who planted causes, hundreds of thousands upon thousands of men and women, why then did they remain deprived by Time? Hundreds of thousands of generations from the beginning of the world, like dragons with a hundred mouths opened, those learned groups devised stratagems; from those stratagems a mountain would be uprooted from its base. The Lord of Majesty described their stratagems: 'so that the mountain-peaks might be removed thereby.' Except for that allotment which had passed in pre-eternity, nothing showed its face from hunting or from action. All fell away from contrivance and work; the work and decrees of the Creator remained. Know acquisition as nothing but a name, O renowned one; do not think effort anything but an illusion, O sly one."

دفتر اول - بخش ۴۸ - باز ترجیح نهادن نخچیران توکل را بر جهد / Book One - Section 48 - The Beasts Again Preferring Trust over Exertion

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جمله گفتند ای حکیم با خبر 
الحذر دع لیس یغنی عن قدر
در حذر شوریدن شور و شرست 
رو توکل کن توکل بهترست
با قضا پنجه مزن ای تند و تیز 
تا نگیرد هم قضا با تو ستیز
مرده باید بود پیش حکم حق 
تا نیاید زخم از رب الفلق

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## English translation
They all said: “O wise and well-informed one, leave off precaution; it does not avail against destiny. In precaution there is agitation, turmoil, and harm; go, put your trust in God, for trust in God is better. Do not grapple with divine decree, you impetuous and sharp one, lest decree itself take up strife with you. One must be as dead before the command of the Real, so that no blow may come from the Lord of Daybreak.”

دفتر اول - بخش ۴۴ - ترجیح نهادن نخچیران توکل را بر جهد و اکتساب / Book One - Section 44 - The Beasts' Preference for Trust Over Exertion and Acquisition

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In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, responding to the prey animals' plea for passive reliance on divine providence (*tawakkul*), the lion presents a vigorous defense of personal exertion (*jahd*). He argues that God has equipped humans with faculties and tools, which act as divine indications for action. To illustrate this, the lion uses the metaphors of a ladder and a spade: one must climb the ladder "step by step" to reach the roof, and a servant handed a spade by his master implicitly understands he is meant to work. The lion asserts that actively using one's God-given abilities—such as hands and feet—is a profound form of gratitude for these blessings, whereas passive necessitarianism or fatalism (*jabr*) is an ungrateful denial of them. He concludes that true trust in God must be coupled with active effort, summarizing his philosophical stance with the directive to first "sow, then rely on the Compeller."

The Lion's Argument for Exertion (Jahd) in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, during the philosophical debate between the lion and the beasts over exertion (*jahd*) versus passive trust (*tawakkul*), the lion argues that worldly striving is not inherently evil. To illustrate the proper relationship a believer should have with the material world, the lion uses the metaphor of water and a boat. He explains that 'water inside the boat destroys the boat,' representing worldly attachment and greed entering the heart. However, 'water beneath the boat supports it,' symbolizing wealth and earthly means acting as necessary vehicles for spiritual advancement when kept outside the heart. The lion extends this with the metaphor of a sealed jar: just as a jar floats safely because it is sealed and filled with air, a believer's heart remains steady and buoyant atop the turbulent 'water of the world' as long as it is sealed against worldly desires and filled with the 'air' of divine poverty (dervishhood).

The Metaphor of the Boat and Worldly Detachment in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, within the fable of the lion and the beasts, the prey animals urge the hare to disclose his secret plan to defeat the lion. Acknowledging the hare's cunning, the beasts emphasize the practical and spiritual necessity of consultation (*mashwarat*). They assert that seeking counsel sharpens perception and alertness, as "intellects give aid to intellect." To underscore their point, the animals quote the advice of the Prophet Muhammad: "Consult, O one who deliberates, for the one consulted is entrusted." Through this passage, Rumi articulates the Islamic principle of mutual consultation, suggesting that true wisdom is collaborative. Even in matters of survival, individuals are encouraged to pool their intellectual resources rather than relying exclusively on their isolated understanding.

The Importance of Consultation (Mashwarat) in the Masnavi

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گفت آری گر وفا بینم نه مکر 
مکرها بس دیده‌ام از زید و بکر
من هلاک فعل و مکر مردمم 
من گزیدهٔ زخم مار و کزدمم
مردم نفس از درونم در کمین 
از همه مردم بتر در مکر و کین
گوش من لایلدغ المؤمن شنید 
قول پیغامبر بجان و دل گزید

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## English translation
He said, “Yes, if I see loyalty, not trickery; I have seen many tricks from Zayd and Bakr. I am undone by people’s actions and cunning; I have been stung by snake and scorpion. The nafs lies in ambush against me within; in cunning and rancor it is worse than all people. My ear has heard ‘the believer is not stung [twice from the same hole]’; my soul and heart have taken up the Prophet’s saying.”

دفتر اول - بخش ۴۳ - جواب گفتن شیر نخچیران را و فایدهٔ جهد گفتن / Book One - Section 43 - The Lion Answering the Prey and Speaking of the Benefit of Exertion

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گفت آری گر توکل رهبرست 
این سبب هم سنت پیغمبرست
گفت پیغامبر به آواز بلند 
با توکل زانوی اشتر ببند
رمز الکاسب حبیب الله شنو 
از توکل در سبب کاهل مشو

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## English translation
He said: "Yes, if tawakkul is the guide,
This means-taking too is the Prophet's sunna.
The Prophet said with a loud voice:
'With tawakkul, tie the camel's knee.'
Hear the mystery of al-kāsibu ḥabību 'llāh —
Through tawakkul, do not grow lazy in taking means."

دفتر اول - بخش ۴۵ - ترجیح نهادن شیر جهد و اکتساب را بر توکل و تسلیم / Book One - Section 45 - The Lion's Preference for Exertion and Acquisition over Trust and Submission

## Original content
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قوم گفتندش که کسب از ضعف خلق 
لقمهٔ تزویر دان بر قدر حلق
نیست کسبی از توکل خوب‌تر 
چیست از تسلیم خود محبوب‌تر
بس گریزند از بلا سوی بلا 
بس جهند از مار سوی اژدها
حیله کرد انسان و حیله‌ش دام بود 
آنک جان پنداشت خون‌آشام بود
در ببست و دشمن اندر خانه بود 
حیلهٔ فرعون زین افسانه بود
صد هزاران طفل کشت آن کینه‌کش 
وانک او می‌جست اندر خانه‌اش
دیدهٔ ما چون بسی علت دروست 
رو فنا کن دید خود در دید دوست
دید ما را دید او نعم العوض 
یابی اندر دید او کل غرض
طفل تا گیرا و تا پویا نبود 
مرکبش جز گردن بابا نبود
چون فضولی گشت و دست و پا نمود 
در عنا افتاد و در کور و کبود
جانهای خلق پیش از دست و پا 
می‌پریدند از وفا اندر صفا
چون بامر اهبطوا بندی شدند 
حبس خشم و حرص و خرسندی شدند
ما عیال حضرتیم و شیرخواه 
گفت الخلق عیال للاله
آنک او از آسمان باران دهد 
هم تواند کو ز رحمت نان دهد

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## English translation
The people said to him: "Earning is from the weakness of creatures; know it as a morsel of deception measured to the throat. No earning is better than trust in God; what is more beloved than surrender? Many flee from calamity toward calamity; many jump from a snake toward a dragon. Man made a stratagem, and his stratagem was a snare; what he supposed to be life was blood-drinking. He shut the door, while the enemy was inside the house; Pharaoh's stratagem was of this sort of tale. That vengeful one killed hundreds of thousands of children, while the one he sought was in his own house. Since our sight has many defects in it, go, efface your sight in the sight of the Friend. His sight is an excellent replacement for our sight; in His sight you will find every aim. As long as the child was not grasping and crawling, his mount was only his father's neck. When he became intrusive and showed hands and feet, he fell into trouble, bruises, and contusions. Before hands and feet, the souls of creatures were flying, out of fidelity, in purity. When by the command 'Descend' they became bound, they became imprisoned in anger, greed, and contentment. We are dependents of the Divine Presence and seekers of milk; he said, 'Creation is God's household.' He who gives rain from heaven can also, from mercy, give bread."

دفتر اول - بخش ۴۶ - ترجیح نهادن نخچیران توکل را بر اجتهاد / Book One - Section 46 - The Beasts' Preference for Trust over Exertion

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زین نمط بسیار برهان گفت شیر 
کز جواب آن جبریان گشتند سیر
روبه و آهو و خرگوش و شغال 
جبر را بگذاشتند و قیل و قال
عهدها کردند با شیر ژیان 
کاندرین بیعت نیفتد در زیان
قسم هر روزش بیاید بی‌جگر 
حاجتش نبود تقاضایی دگر
قرعه بر هر که فتادی روز روز 
سوی آن شیر او دویدی همچو یوز
چون به خرگوش آمد این ساغر بدور 
بانگ زد خرگوش کاخر چند جور

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## English translation
In this fashion the lion advanced many arguments, until those determinists grew weary of replying. The fox, gazelle, hare, and jackal gave up fatalism and disputation. They made covenants with the fierce lion that he would suffer no loss in this pact: each day his allotted share would come to him without his needing to take trouble, and he would need no further demanding. Day by day, whoever the lot fell upon would run toward that lion like a cheetah. When this cup came round to the hare, the hare cried out, “How long, after all, this oppression?”

دفتر اول - بخش ۵۱ - مقرر شدن ترجیح جهد بر توکل / Book One - Section 51 - The Establishment of the Preference for Exertion over Trust

## Original content
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قوم گفتندش که چندین گاه ما 
جان فدا کردیم در عهد و وفا
تو مجو بدنامی ما ای عنود 
تا نرنجد شیر رو رو زود زود

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## English translation
The folk said to him: "For so long now
We have sacrificed our lives in covenant and fidelity.

Do not seek our dishonor, O stubborn one,
Lest the lion be angered — go, go, quickly, quickly!"

دفتر اول - بخش ۵۲ - انکار کردن نخچیران بر خرگوش در تاخیر رفتن بر شیر / Book One - Section 52 - The Objection of the Prey to the Hare's Delay in Going to the Lion

In Book 1 of Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the fable of the lion and the prey beasts serves as a profound allegorical debate between the Islamic concepts of *tawakkul* (absolute trust in divine providence) and *jahd* (personal exertion or effort). The beasts argue that since God is the ultimate provider and destiny is preordained, human effort is a form of spiritual agitation that challenges the divine decree; therefore, they advocate for passive surrender. The lion, representing the spiritual master or the active intellect, counters this by arguing that God provided humans with limbs and faculties, and failing to use them is an act of ingratitude. He cites the Prophetic tradition to 'trust in God, but tie your camel', presenting a synthesis where human effort is not contradictory to, but rather the practical manifestation of, true trust in God.

The Debate Between Trust (Tawakkul) and Exertion (Jahd) in the Masnavi

The Beasts' Argument for Trust (Tawakkul) in the Masnavi

## Original content
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شیر گفت آری ولیکن هم ببین 
جهدهای انبیا و مؤمنین
حق تعالی جهدشان را راست کرد 
آنچ دیدند از جفا و گرم و سرد
حیله‌هاشان جمله حال آمد لطیف 
کل شیء من ظریف هو ظریف
دامهاشان مرغ گردونی گرفت 
نقصهاشان جمله افزونی گرفت
جهد می‌کن تا توانی ای کیا 
در طریق انبیاء و اولیا
با قضا پنجه زدن نبود جهاد 
زانک این را هم قضا بر ما نهاد
کافرم من گر زیان کردست کس 
در ره ایمان و طاعت یک نفس
سر شکسته نیست این سر را مبند 
یک دو روزک جهد کن باقی بخند
بد محالی جست کو دنیا بجست 
نیک حالی جست کو عقبی بجست
مکرها در کسب دنیا باردست 
مکرها در ترک دنیا واردست
مکر آن باشد که زندان حفره کرد 
آنک حفره بست آن مکریست سرد
این جهان زندان و ما زندانیان 
حفره‌کن زندان و خود را وا رهان
چیست دنیا از خدا غافل بدن 
نه قماش و نقده و میزان و زن
مال را کز بهر دین باشی حمول 
نعم مال صالح خواندش رسول
آب در کشتی هلاک کشتی است 
آب اندر زیر کشتی پشتی است
چونک مال و ملک را از دل براند 
زان سلیمان خویش جز مسکین نخواند
کوزهٔ سربسته اندر آب زفت 
از دل پر باد فوق آب رفت
باد درویشی چو در باطن بود 
بر سر آب جهان ساکن بود
گر چه جملهٔ این جهان ملک ویست 
ملک در چشم دل او لاشی‌ست
پس دهان دل ببند و مهر کن 
پر کنش از باد کبر من لدن
جهد حقست و دوا حقست و درد 
منکر اندر نفی جهدش جهد کرد

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## English translation
The lion said, "Yes, but also look at the efforts of the prophets and the believers. God Most High made their efforts come right through the hardship, injustice, heat, and cold they experienced. All their stratagems became subtle states; everything that comes from a subtle one is subtle. Their snares caught birds of the heavenly realm; all their deficiencies turned into increase. Strive as much as you can, O noble one, on the path of the prophets and the saints. Clawing against divine decree is not jihad, for this too has been laid upon us by decree. I would be an unbeliever if anyone had lost even one breath on the path of faith and obedience. This head is not broken; do not bandage it. Strive for a little day or two, and laugh for the rest. Whoever sought this world sought an evil impossibility; whoever sought the next world sought a good state. There are stratagems in gaining the world; there are stratagems in leaving the world. The real stratagem is the one that dug a hole in the prison; the one that blocked the hole—that is a cold stratagem. This world is a prison and we are prisoners; dig through the prison and free yourself. What is the world? To be heedless of God—not cloth, coin, scales, or woman. Wealth that you carry for the sake of religion—the Messenger called it 'Excellent is righteous wealth.' Water inside the boat destroys the boat; water beneath the boat supports it. Because he drove wealth and kingdom from his heart, Solomon called himself nothing but poor. A sealed jar in deep water, with its heart full of air, rises above the water. When the air of dervishhood is within, one remains steady atop the water of the world. Though the whole world is his kingdom, kingdom is nothing in his heart's eye. So close the mouth of the heart and seal it; fill it with the air of divine greatness from the Divine Presence. Effort is real, remedy is real, and pain is real; the denier, in denying effort, made an effort."

دفتر اول - بخش ۵۰ - باز ترجیح نهادن شیر جهد را بر توکل و فواید جهد را بیان کردن / Book One - Section 50 - The Lion Again Preferring Exertion to Trust and Explaining the Benefits of Exertion

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