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 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

## متن و ترجمه / Text and Translation
<div data-farsi-poem-layout="v1" style="overflow-x: auto; margin: 0.75rem 0;">
<table dir="rtl" aria-label="Persian poem with couplet translations" style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 1.9;">
<tbody>
<tr data-poem-unit="0" data-kind="couplet">
<td data-source-line="1" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 1rem 0.2rem 0;">جمله گفتند ای حکیم با خبر</td>
<td data-source-line="2" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 0 0.2rem 1rem;">الحذر دع لیس یغنی عن قدر</td>
</tr>
<tr data-translation-for="0">
<td colspan="2" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top; padding: 0.15rem 1rem 0.8rem; font-size: 0.92em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.28);"><em>They all said: “O wise and well-informed one, leave off precaution; it does not avail against destiny.</em></td>
</tr>
<tr data-poem-unit="1" data-kind="couplet">
<td data-source-line="3" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 1rem 0.2rem 0;">در حذر شوریدن شور و شرست</td>
<td data-source-line="4" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 0 0.2rem 1rem;">رو توکل کن توکل بهترست</td>
</tr>
<tr data-translation-for="1">
<td colspan="2" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top; padding: 0.15rem 1rem 0.8rem; font-size: 0.92em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.28);"><em>In precaution there is agitation, turmoil, and harm; go, put your trust in God, for trust in God is better.</em></td>
</tr>
<tr data-poem-unit="2" data-kind="couplet">
<td data-source-line="5" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 1rem 0.2rem 0;">با قضا پنجه مزن ای تند و تیز</td>
<td data-source-line="6" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 0 0.2rem 1rem;">تا نگیرد هم قضا با تو ستیز</td>
</tr>
<tr data-translation-for="2">
<td colspan="2" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top; padding: 0.15rem 1rem 0.8rem; font-size: 0.92em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.28);"><em>Do not grapple with divine decree, you impetuous and sharp one, lest decree itself take up strife with you.</em></td>
</tr>
<tr data-poem-unit="3" data-kind="couplet">
<td data-source-line="7" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 1rem 0.2rem 0;">مرده باید بود پیش حکم حق</td>
<td data-source-line="8" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 0 0.2rem 1rem;">تا نیاید زخم از رب الفلق</td>
</tr>
<tr data-translation-for="3">
<td colspan="2" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top; padding: 0.15rem 1rem 0.8rem; font-size: 0.92em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.28);"><em>One must be as dead before the command of the Real, so that no blow may come from the Lord of Daybreak.”</em></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>

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

## Original content
<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right; line-height: 2; margin-top: 0.5rem;">

<p>قوم گفتندش که کسب از ضعف خلق<br />
لقمهٔ تزویر دان بر قدر حلق</p>
<p>نیست کسبی از توکل خوب تر<br />
چیست از تسلیم خود محبوب تر</p>
<p>بس گریزند از بلا سوی بلا<br />
بس جهند از مار سوی اژدها</p>
<p>حیله کرد انسان و حیله ش دام بود<br />
آنک جان پنداشت خون آشام بود</p>
<p>در ببست و دشمن اندر خانه بود<br />
حیلهٔ فرعون زین افسانه بود</p>
<p>صد هزاران طفل کشت آن کینه کش<br />
وانک او می جست اندر خانه اش</p>
<p>دیدهٔ ما چون بسی علت دروست<br />
رو فنا کن دید خود در دید دوست</p>
<p>دید ما را دید او نعم العوض<br />
یابی اندر دید او کل غرض</p>
<p>طفل تا گیرا و تا پویا نبود<br />
مرکبش جز گردن بابا نبود</p>
<p>چون فضولی گشت و دست و پا نمود<br />
در عنا افتاد و در کور و کبود</p>
<p>جان های خلق پیش از دست و پا<br />
می پریدند از وفا اندر صفا</p>
<p>چون به امر اهبطوا بندی شدند<br />
حبس خشم و حرص و خرسند ی شدند</p>
<p>ما عیال حضرتیم و شیر خواه<br />
گفت الخلق عیال للالٔه</p>
<p>آنک او از آسمان باران دهد<br />
هم تواند کاو ز رحمت نان دهد</p>

</div>

## English translation
The beasts said to him, "Exertion arises from human weakness;
Consider the morsel of deceit to be proportional to the throat.
There is no exertion better than trust in God;
What is more beloved than submission?
Many flee from an affliction towards another affliction;
Many leap from a snake towards a dragon.
Man used a stratagem, and his stratagem became a snare;
That which he thought was life-giving was blood-drinking.
He locked the door, while the enemy was inside the house;
The stratagem of Pharaoh was of this sort.
That vengeful one killed hundreds of thousands of infants,
While the one he was searching for was in his own house.
Since our sight contains many defects,
Go, annihilate your sight in the sight of the Friend.
His sight is an excellent substitute for our sight;
In His sight, you will find your complete purpose.
As long as the infant could neither grasp nor walk,
Its steed was nothing but its father's neck.
When it became presumptuous and displayed its hands and feet,
It fell into distress and bruises.
The souls of creatures, prior to having hands and feet,
Used to fly in purity out of loyalty.
When, by the command 'Descend!', they became captives,
They became imprisoned by anger, greed, and worldly desires.
We are the dependents of His Presence and crave milk;
The Prophet said, 'Creation is God's family.'
He who provides rain from the heavens
Is equally able to provide bread out of mercy."

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

## متن و ترجمه / Text and Translation
<div data-farsi-poem-layout="v1" style="overflow-x: auto; margin: 0.75rem 0;">
<table dir="rtl" aria-label="Persian poem with couplet translations" style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 1.9;">
<tbody>
<tr data-poem-unit="0" data-kind="couplet">
<td data-source-line="1" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 1rem 0.2rem 0;">گفت آری گر وفا بینم نه مکر</td>
<td data-source-line="2" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 0 0.2rem 1rem;">مکر ها بس دیده ام از زید و بکر</td>
</tr>
<tr data-translation-for="0">
<td colspan="2" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top; padding: 0.15rem 1rem 0.8rem; font-size: 0.92em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.28);"><em>He said, “Yes, if I see loyalty, not trickery; I have seen many tricks from Zayd and Bakr.</em></td>
</tr>
<tr data-poem-unit="1" data-kind="couplet">
<td data-source-line="3" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 1rem 0.2rem 0;">من هلاک فعل و مکر مردمم</td>
<td data-source-line="4" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 0 0.2rem 1rem;">من گزیدهٔ زخم مار و کژدمم</td>
</tr>
<tr data-translation-for="1">
<td colspan="2" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top; padding: 0.15rem 1rem 0.8rem; font-size: 0.92em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.28);"><em>I am undone by people’s actions and cunning; I have been stung by snake and scorpion.</em></td>
</tr>
<tr data-poem-unit="2" data-kind="couplet">
<td data-source-line="5" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 1rem 0.2rem 0;">مردم نفس از درونم در کمین</td>
<td data-source-line="6" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 0 0.2rem 1rem;">از همه مردم بتر در مکر و کین</td>
</tr>
<tr data-translation-for="2">
<td colspan="2" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top; padding: 0.15rem 1rem 0.8rem; font-size: 0.92em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.28);"><em>The nafs lies in ambush against me within; in cunning and rancor it is worse than all people.</em></td>
</tr>
<tr data-poem-unit="3" data-kind="couplet">
<td data-source-line="7" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 1rem 0.2rem 0;">گوش من لایلدغ المؤمن شنید</td>
<td data-source-line="8" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 0 0.2rem 1rem;">قول پیغامبر به جان و دل گزید</td>
</tr>
<tr data-translation-for="3">
<td colspan="2" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top; padding: 0.15rem 1rem 0.8rem; font-size: 0.92em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.28);"><em>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.”</em></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>

Google

## Original content
<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right; line-height: 2; margin-top: 0.5rem;">

<p>طایفهٔ نخچیر در وادی خوش<br />
بودشان از شیر دایم کش مکش</p>
<p>بس که آن شیر از کمین می در ربود<br />
آن چرا بر جمله ناخوش گشته بود</p>
<p>حیله کردند آمدند ایشان بشیر<br />
کز وظیفه ما ترا داریم سیر</p>
<p>بعد ازین اندر پی صیدی میا<br />
تا نگردد تلخ بر ما این گیا</p>

</div>

## English translation
A company of beasts 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: 'With a fixed allowance we will keep you satisfied.'
Henceforth, do not come in pursuit of prey,
So that this grass does not become bitter to us.

دفتر اول - بخش ۴۲ - بیان توکّل و ترک جهد گفتن نخچیران به شیر / Book One - Section 42 - Explanation of Trust and Abandoning Exertion, Spoken by the Beasts to the Lion

Root URL: https://ganjoor.net/
Source URL: https://ganjoor.net/

This Reference node represents the source used by the Literature-to-1Cademy migration agent.

Ganjoor

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

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

## Original content
<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right; line-height: 2; margin-top: 0.5rem;">

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

</div>

## 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
<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right; line-height: 2; margin-top: 0.5rem;">

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

</div>

## 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

## متن و ترجمه / Text and Translation
<div data-farsi-poem-layout="v1" style="overflow-x: auto; margin: 0.75rem 0;">
<table dir="rtl" aria-label="Persian poem with couplet translations" style="width: 100%; table-layout: fixed; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 1.9;">
<tbody>
<tr data-poem-unit="0" data-kind="couplet">
<td data-source-line="1" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 1rem 0.2rem 0;">قوم گفتندش که چندین گاه ما</td>
<td data-source-line="2" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 0 0.2rem 1rem;">جان فدا کردیم در عهد و وفا</td>
</tr>
<tr data-translation-for="0">
<td colspan="2" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top; padding: 0.15rem 1rem 0.8rem; font-size: 0.92em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.28);"><em>The folk said to him: &quot;For so long now<br />
We have sacrificed our lives in covenant and fidelity.</em></td>
</tr>
<tr data-poem-unit="1" data-kind="couplet">
<td data-source-line="3" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 1rem 0.2rem 0;">تو مجو بدنامی ما ای عنود</td>
<td data-source-line="4" lang="fa" style="width: 50%; text-align: left; vertical-align: top; overflow-wrap: anywhere; padding: 0.45rem 0 0.2rem 1rem;">تا نرنجد شیر رو رو زود زود</td>
</tr>
<tr data-translation-for="1">
<td colspan="2" lang="en" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: top; padding: 0.15rem 1rem 0.8rem; font-size: 0.92em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgba(128, 128, 128, 0.28);"><em>Do not seek our dishonor, O stubborn one,<br />
Lest the lion be angered — go, go, quickly, quickly!&quot;</em></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>

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 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.

Learn Before

متن و ترجمه / Text and Translation

Related

Learn After

گفت آری گر وفا بینم نه مکر	مکر ها بس دیده ام از زید و بکر
He said, “Yes, if I see loyalty, not trickery; I have seen many tricks from Zayd and Bakr.
من هلاک فعل و مکر مردمم	من گزیدهٔ زخم مار و کژدمم
I am undone by people’s actions and cunning; I have been stung by snake and scorpion.
مردم نفس از درونم در کمین	از همه مردم بتر در مکر و کین
The nafs lies in ambush against me within; in cunning and rancor it is worse than all people.
گوش من لایلدغ المؤمن شنید	قول پیغامبر به جان و دل گزید
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.”