Daniel served in the court of King Darius, but the other royal officials were jealous of Daniel and they schemed against him.
To punish Daniel, the king threw him into a den of lions, but the lions did not harm Daniel. The goodness of Daniel's heart, radiating peace and tranquility, tamed those lions.
The king realized he had wronged Daniel, and he freed him from the lions' den.
But what about the lions? As soon as Daniel left the lions' den, their predisposition took hold once again, and they awoke to their lionhood, pacing back and forth and roaring loudly.
Inspired by: Big Tales by Hazrat Inayat Khan, compiled and edited by Mansur Johnson. the Hazrat Inayat Khan Study Database.
Notes: This is a story in Part 1 of the book: Daniel You can find out more about the prophet Daniel at Wikipedia. In the Hebrew Bible, an angel comes to Daniel in the lions' den, but Inayat Khan makes no mention of any angels in his story about the lions. The Quran does not mention Daniel, but stories about Daniel are found in other Islamic texts; see Wikipedia: Islamic View of Daniel.
Here is some more from Inayat Khan's commentary: "The lions represent the destructive elements in the human mind. They represent wars, disappointments, rivalries, jealousies, envy, passions, and so forth, in different horrible guises. Our ego is the lion of lions. And if this is conquered, then these external lions - the different egos around us - are conquered also. And wherever we go - with anyone, whether foolish or wise, good or bad - we now have peace."
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