In Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, before fully detailing the hare's cunning victory over the lion, Rumi reflects on the supreme power of intellect. He famously describes knowledge as the 'seal-ring of Solomon's kingdom,' declaring that the physical universe is mere 'form,' while knowledge is its animating 'soul.' This divine intellect grants humanity dominance over fearsome beasts, vast oceans, and unseen demons, proving that spiritual wisdom supersedes brute strength. However, Rumi also warns of invisible spiritual threats, comparing them to a hidden thorn in a stream. Even if a bather cannot see the thorn beneath the water, the sharp prick undeniably proves its presence. In the same way, the invisible 'pricking' of inner temptations and demonic whispers affects the human heart. Rumi advises seekers to purify themselves until their spiritual senses are transformed, allowing them to clearly perceive and overcome these hidden adversaries.

The Power of Knowledge and the Metaphor of the Hidden Thorn in the Masnavi

In Book One, Section 74 of the Masnavi, after the hare successfully tricks the lion into the well, the other animals gather to praise his extraordinary wit and strength. However, the hare immediately redirects their praise, attributing his success entirely to divine aid (*ta'yid-i Khuda*). He states, 'It was the aid of God, O chiefs; otherwise, who is a hare in this world?' This interaction highlights a central theme in Rumi's thought: true power, intellect, and victory do not stem from the individual ego or physical form, but are granted through divine grace and confirmation.

The Attribution of Success to Divine Aid (Ta'yid) in the Masnavi

In Section 55 of Book One of the Masnavi, Rumi introduces a fundamental spiritual principle through the voice of the hare: true power and knowledge originate from divine inspiration (ilham), not from physical dominance or worldly status. To illustrate how God elevates the weak over the strong, Rumi employs several key metaphors:

1. **The Honeybee:** Physically fragile, yet taught by God to construct marvelous hives filled with sweet honey, an art far beyond the capability of the mighty lion or wild ass.
2. **The Silkworm:** A small worm inspired by God to spin silk, possessing a subtle craft that even the massive elephant cannot comprehend.
3. **Adam:** Created from humble clay but taught divine names, allowing his knowledge to surpass the angels and subvert the pride of Satan.

Rumi contrasts this divinely inspired knowledge with the 'knowledge of the people of sense' (ilm-ha-ye ahl-e hess), which acts as a muzzle (puzband) preventing worldly minds from grasping sublime spiritual ...

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گفت ای یاران حقم الهام داد 
مر ضعیفی را قوی رایی فتاد
آنچ حق آموخت مر زنبور را 
آن نباشد شیر را و گور را
خانه‌ها سازد پر از حلوای تر 
حق برو آن علم را بگشاد در
آنچ حق آموخت کرم پیله را 
هیچ پیلی داند آن گون حیله را
آدم خاکی ز حق آموخت علم 
تا به هفتم آسمان افروخت علم
نام و ناموس ملک را در شکست 
کوری آنکس که در حق درشکست
زاهد ششصد هزاران ساله را 
پوزبندی ساخت آن گوساله را
تا نتاند شیر علم دین کشید 
تا نگردد گرد آن قصر مشید
علمهای اهل حس شد پوزبند 
تا نگیرد شیر از آن علم بلند
قطرهٔ دل را یکی گوهر فتاد 
کان به دریاها و گردونها نداد
چند صورت آخر ای صورت‌پرست 
جان بی‌معنیت از صورت نرست
گر بصورت آدمی انسان بدی 
احمد و بوجهل خود یکسان بدی
نقش بر دیوار مثل آدمست 
بنگر از صورت چه چیز او کمست
جان کمست آن صورت با تاب را 
رو بجو آن گوهر کم‌یاب را
شد سر شیران عالم جمله پست 
چون سگ اصحاب را دادند دست
چه زیانستش از آن نقش نفور 
چونک جانش غرق شد در بحر نور
وصف و صورت نیست اندر خامه‌ها 
عالم و عادل بود در نامه‌ها
عالم و عادل همه معنیست بس 
کش نیابی در مکان و پیش و پس
می‌زند بر تن ز سوی لامکان 
می‌نگنجد در فلک خورشید جان

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## English translation
He said, “O friends, God has inspired me; a strong counsel has come to a weak one. What God taught the bee was not given to the lion or the wild ass. It builds houses full of fresh sweetness; God opened the door of that knowledge to it. What God taught the silkworm, does any elephant know such a stratagem? Earth-born Adam learned knowledge from God, until that knowledge lit up the seventh heaven. It shattered the angels’ name and honor; blindness be upon the one who disputed against the Truth. For the ascetic of six hundred thousand years, that calf, it made a muzzle, so that he could not draw the milk of religious knowledge and could not circle that lofty palace. The sciences of the people of sense became a muzzle, so that they might not draw milk from that high knowledge. To the drop of the heart there fell a jewel that He did not give to the seas or the heavens. How long with form, O form-worshipper? Your meaning-less soul has not escaped from form. If a human were human by outward form, Ahmad and Abu Jahl would be the same. A picture on the wall is like a human; look what it lacks in outward form. Soul is what that shining form lacks; go seek that rare jewel. The heads of all the lions of the world were lowered when a hand was given to the dog of the Companions. What harm comes to it from that repellent form, when its soul has been drowned in the sea of light? Description and form are not contained in pens; ‘learned’ and ‘just’ are only in written names. Learned and just are wholly meaning; you will not find that in place, before, or after. It strikes the body from the side of placelessness; the sun of the soul does not fit within the celestial sphere.”

دفتر اول - بخش ۵۵ - جواب خرگوش نخچیران را / Book One - Section 55 - The Hare Answering the Prey

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بعد از آن گفتند کای خرگوش چست 
در میان آر آنچ در ادراک تست
ای که با شیری تو در پیچیده‌ای 
بازگو رایی که اندیشیده‌ای
مشورت ادراک و هشیاری دهد 
عقلها مر عقل را یاری دهد
گفت پیغامبر بکن ای رای‌زن 
مشورت کالمستشار مؤتمن

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## English translation
After that they said, “O quick-witted hare, bring forth what is within your understanding. O you who have become entangled with a lion, tell again the counsel you have thought out. Consultation gives perception and alertness; intellects give aid to intellect. The Prophet said, ‘Consult, O one who deliberates, for the one consulted is entrusted.’”

دفتر اول - بخش ۵۷ - باز طلبیدن نخچیران از خرگوش سر اندیشهٔ او را / Book One - Section 57 - The Prey Asking the Hare Again for the Secret of His Thought

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این سخن پایان ندارد هوش‌دار 
هوش سوی قصهٔ خرگوش دار
گوش خر بفروش و دیگر گوش خر 
کین سخن را در نیابد گوش خر
رو تو روبه‌بازی خرگوش بین 
مکر و شیراندازی خرگوش بین
خاتم ملک سلیمانست علم 
جمله عالم صورت و جانست علم
آدمی را زین هنر بیچاره گشت 
خلق دریاها و خلق کوه و دشت
زو پلنگ و شیر ترسان همچو موش 
زو نهنگ و بحر در صفرا و جوش
زو پری و دیو ساحلها گرفت 
هر یکی در جای پنهان جا گرفت
آدمی را دشمن پنهان بسیست 
آدمی با حذر عاقل کسیست
خلق پنهان زشتشان و خوبشان 
می‌زند در دل بهر دم کوبشان
بهر غسل ار در روی در جویبار 
بر تو آسیبی زند در آب خار
گر چه پنهان خار در آبست پست 
چونک در تو می‌خلد دانی که هست
خارخار وحیها و وسوسه 
از هزاران کس بود نه یک کسه
باش تا حسهای تو مبدل شود 
تا ببینیشان و مشکل حل شود
تا سخنهای کیان رد کرده‌ای 
تا کیان را سرور خود کرده‌ای

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## English translation
This speech has no end; take heed.
Turn your attention toward the story of the hare.
Sell the donkey’s ear and buy another ear,
For a donkey’s ear cannot comprehend this speech.
Go, see the hare’s fox-like play;
See the hare’s stratagem and lion-toppling.
Knowledge is the seal-ring of Solomon’s kingdom;
The whole world is form, and knowledge is its soul.
By this art, the creatures of the seas,
And the creatures of mountain and plain, became helpless before humankind.
Through it, leopard and lion fear him like mice;
Through it, whale and sea are in bile and turmoil.
Through it, peri and demon took to the shores;
Each one settled hidden in its own place.
The human being has many hidden enemies;
The one who is cautious is the wise human being.
Hidden creatures, ugly and beautiful among them,
Strike their blows upon the heart at every moment.
If, for washing, you go into a stream,
A thorn in the water may injure you.
Although the thorn is hidden low in the water,
When it pierces you, you know it is there.
The pricking of revelations and whisperings
Comes from thousands of persons, not from one person.
Wait until your senses are transformed,
So that you may see them and the difficulty be solved.
Whose words have you been rejecting?
Whom have you made your chief?

دفتر اول - بخش ۵۶ - ذکر دانش خرگوش و بیان فضیلت و منافع دانستن / Book One - Section 56 - Mention of the Hare's Knowledge and Explanation of the Virtue and Benefits of Knowing

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