The following tale is found in Ibn Zafar’s political treatise, The Consolation For The Ruler During The Hostility Of His Subjects.  Because it is likely to unfamiliar to most readers, I will paraphrase it here.

In the attic of a wealthy merchant lived a small colony of rats.  They rested during the day, but at night roamed through the merchant’s house in a search for food.  Naturally the merchant detested their presence and sought to rid himself of the rats; he ordered his servants to clean out the attic and set traps for the rats.  Soon all of the rats had been destroyed, except for a male and a female who happened to be away from the house at the time.  When the pair returned to the house and found all their comrades dead, the male rat said to the female, “How correct is the adage that he who puts his faith in the things of this world is like the man who lies down to sleep in the shade before the sun has reached a high point in the sky.  When the shade goes away, he is exposed to the sun, and is burned by its rays.” 

The two rats, having nothing left, decided to leave and seek a new abode.  Finally they found a pleasant valley surrounded by greenery and trees, and with a knoll rising at its center.  The couple dug a hole at the foot of a slope, and made this their new home.  Soon after, they noticed an old gerbil peering at them from his own hole at the top of a hill.  In time the rat couple and the gerbil became friends.  At one point, the gerbil ventured to offer the rats some advice.  Unfortunately, the rats were not receptive to advice.  But the gerbil persisted, saying, “There are four enterprises that no one should attempt without first seeking qualified advice.  First, do not go to the marketplace without inquiring whether the market be busy or uncrowded.  Second, do not seek to marry a woman without probing into her family and general situation.  Third, do not undertake a journey without ascertaining the safety of the route and the destination.  And fourth, do not emigrate to another country without learning as much as possible about its political, economic, and social circumstances, so that you may be aware of its strengths and weaknesses.” 

Here Ibn Zafar interrupts his fable to offer the following counsel.  If someone offers you advice, listen to it carefully.  If the advice would hurt others without helping you, then understand that the person is a scoundrel.  If the advice hurts others, but benefits you, then understand he is a crafty and ambitious person.  But if the advice helps you without harming anyone, then conclude that he is a good man and worth listening to.  If you with to know whether a man his controlled by good or evil, simply ask him for advice on something.  The answer you receive will tell you all you need to know.  The worst type of character, says Ibn Zafar, is he who pretends to be something he is not, such as the weak man who pretends to be strong, the ignorant to purports to be learned, and the poor man who feigns wealth.  He who behaves like this only augments and amplifies his own faults.  It is extremely important to seek advice from qualified, experienced persons; anyone who ignores them, does so at their own peril. 

The gerbil offered this advice to the rat couple:  “I have lived in this country for a long time and know many things about it.  He who knows his environment is better able to master it and survive.  You should abandon the burrow you have dug for yourselves at the foot of that slope.  It would be better to seek a new place on higher ground.”  But the rats would not listen.  “We are not afraid of low ground,” they said, “because we rats can take whatever Fortune gives us, and we are hardy and strong.”  They walked away, smirking and chuckling to themselves at the supposed stupidity of the gerbil.  The rats stayed where they were and raised a small family with their offspring. 

One day a flood came when the male rat was away from the burrow on business.  The water level had completely surrounded the knoll, and the burrow was submerged.  The female rat and her offspring perished in the flood, and all of their possessions were also ruined.  When the male rat returned and saw the disaster, he bemoaned his fate.  The dry and safe gerbil then appeared at the top of the hill; he called out to the rat, and asked him what he thought of his advice now.  “My lot is a bitter one,” said the rat.  The gerbil responded, “Be glad you are alive.  Gratitude at this fact will assist you in winning the favor of Fortune.”  Ibn Zafar again interrupts his story to tell us:  a man should greet three things with a smiling face.  These three things are:  a friend, a debtor, and good fortune.  No matter what evil event may occur, a great spirit will never forget to be grateful.

“I should have listened to you,” said the rat to the old gerbil.  “The man of understanding should seek to associate only with the wise.  Had I correctly assessed my situation, I would have reflected on my surroundings and probed more deeply into the reasons for things.  I would have noticed that you climbed to your hole at the top of the hill for a good reason, and that you were guided by prudence and experience.”  The rat then found a hole close to where the gerbil lived, high above the reach of any possible flood.  So concludes Ibn Zafar’s tale of the rat and the gerbil.

Even the soundest advice is of little use if its intended recipient refuses to accept it.  Some people are determined to remain inside a shell of ignorance.  With such people, the counsels of prudence and logic will have no effect.  The wise counselor can only offer what he knows; the rest is in the hands of him who hears it.  This is a truth that can be very difficult for a conscientious man to accept, for he has been conditioned to believe that he can sway others with reasoned argument.  Along these lines, I am reminded of Ibn Muqaffa’s tale of the monkeys, the firefly, and the crow, which is found in his book Kalila and Dimna. 

There was once a band of monkeys who had caught a firefly, and joyfully believed they possessed the ability to generate fire.  They carefully nursed the firefly, placed it amid dry grasses, and surrounded it with tinder.  They fanned their little mound, hoping to coax the firefly into producing flames.  A crow watching all this from a nearby tree viewed the scene with scorn.  He said to a man walking by, “Don’t those monkeys realize they are wasting their time?  They have captured an insect, not fire!”  The man responded, “It would be better not to waste your time with them.  They have already made up their minds, and are content with their situation.”  But the crow could not remain silent.  He flew down to the monkeys, and began hectoring them about their folly.  After a while, one of the monkeys grew tired of hearing the crow’s voice.  He seized the crow and dashed him to the ground, killing him instantly.  

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Read more tales of wisdom in the essay collection Digest.