M1:266 — کارِ پاکان را قیاس از خود مگیر / گرچه ماند در نبشتن شیر و شیر

Translation: Do not compare the deeds of the pure with your own, Though in writing, shīr and shīr appear the same. Meaning: This verse warns against judging the actions of spiritually pure individuals by our own limited standards, as their inner essence and motivations are profoundly different, much like two identically written words can carry entirely distinct meanings, one being 'lion' and the other 'milk'.

In this verse, and through the preceding tale of the grocer's parrot, Mawlana unveils one of humanity's most crucial cognitive errors: 'self-analogy' (qiyās-i khōdī). To judge the actions of the pure and the saints by our own deeds is a fatal flaw, for we typically interpret others' inner intentions and realities through the lens of our own limited understanding and superficial observations.

The story of the grocer's parrot beautifully illustrates this fallacy: A parrot, having gone bald from a blow after spilling oil, upon seeing a shaven dervish, exclaims, 'Did you too spill oil?' The parrot can only attribute baldness to its own singular experience, failing to conceive that the dervish's shaven head stems from entirely different reasons, such as ascetic practices or a specific spiritual path. This is the error of 'analogizing cause and effect' (qiyās-i ʿillat-maʿlūl), a fallacy that prevents us from grasping the diverse origins of a phenomenon. Humans, much like the parrot, interpret the deeds and states of prophets and saints based on their own experiences and capacities, thereby falling into error.

Mawlana deepens this point with the example of 'shīr' and 'shīr.' These two words, one meaning a predatory animal (lion) and the other a beverage (milk), are identical in written form but miles apart in meaning and referent. The same holds true for human beings; ostensibly, all are human, they eat and sleep, yet their inner natures and essences differ as profoundly as earth and sky. This is precisely the point the Quran makes in criticizing those who denied the prophets: 'What is wrong with this Messenger that he eats food and walks in the markets?' (25:7). This superficiality blinds people to the boundless inner realities of prophets and saints.

This distinction penetrates to the very core of human existence. Mawlana uses the examples of bees (one stings, the other gives honey), deer (one produces dung, the other pure musk), and sugarcane (one empty, the other full of sugar) to demonstrate how identical inputs, when processed by different natures, yield entirely disparate outputs. The same principle applies to humans: from the same sustenance, one person produces avarice and envy, while another generates divine love. This means that one's character and inner essence determine what one receives from the world and how it is transformed. As Imam Sajjad states in the Supplication of Noble Moralities, life is desirable only when spent in obedience; should it become a pasture for Satan, it is better for life to be withdrawn. Sustenance is pure only when it aids virtue and purity; otherwise, it merely reinforces vices. This is the very point the Quran makes about itself: 'And We send down of the Qur'an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss' (17:82) – a single word, yet a healing for the believer and a loss for the oppressor.

This perspective also leads us to a profound difference between 'magic' (siḥr) and 'miracle' (muʿjiza). The outward appearance of both may seem to defy convention, but one is deceit and illusion, while the other is a manifestation of divine power; 'Between this staff and that staff, there is a deep difference.' This verse is an emphatic assertion that on the path of gnosis, one must avoid superficiality and always seek the inner reality and truth.

Key takeaways

• Do not judge the actions of the pure by your own standards; avoid superficiality.
• Every effect can have multiple causes; beware of the fallacy of self-analogy.
• Just like the words 'shīr' and 'shīr', identical appearances do not imply identical essences.
• One's inner nature dictates how inputs (food, words) are transformed into outputs (love or envy).
• Misunderstanding the deeds of saints stems from a failure to distinguish between outward appearance and inner reality.