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The excerpt presents a parable in which a fox abandons his usual hunting by adopting outwardly saintly conduct, believing it will earn merit without changing inner nature. It then stages encounters with birds—a crow, a cock, and an owl—through questions, instruction, and outcomes that expose hypocrisy, vanity, and the limits of performative reform.",{"@graph":69,"@context":116},[70,84,99],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":45,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/religion-spirituality/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/letters-and-lectures-of-idries-shah-the-fox-and-the-birds/428464/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"author":86,"headline":65,"publisher":89,"fileFormat":92,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":93,"datePublished":93,"encodingFormat":92,"isAccessibleForFree":94,"interactionStatistic":95},"DigitalDocument",{"name":87,"@type":88},"WPS_1790064749","Person",{"url":74,"name":90,"@type":91},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-29",true,{"@type":96,"interactionType":97,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":98},"ViewAction",{"@type":100,"mainEntity":101},"FAQPage",[102,108,112],{"name":103,"@type":104,"acceptedAnswer":105},"What is the core lesson of the fox’s reform in “The Fox and the Birds”?","Question",{"text":106,"@type":107},"The fox tries to change his reputation and outward behavior, believing he can earn merit without changing his inner nature. The story highlights that character cannot be transformed by outward change alone.","Answer",{"name":109,"@type":104,"acceptedAnswer":110},"How does the fox teach the birds?",{"text":111,"@type":107},"The fox interviews and addresses each bird’s perceived shortcomings, offering “instruction” through direct questions and moral framing before actions follow.",{"name":113,"@type":104,"acceptedAnswer":114},"Why does the story emphasize birds’ reactions to appearances?",{"text":115,"@type":107},"It links birds’ tendency to judge by appearances with feelings of shame when confronted with shortcomings, using this contrast to underline the theme of superficial reform.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":118,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":90,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":120,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":122,"site_id":62},428464,1790646757,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":125},{"doc_id":122,"user_id":126,"nickname":87,"user_avatar":127,"doc_module":4,"category_id":44,"category_name":45,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":128,"file_id":129,"file_url":130,"file_type":131,"file_size":132,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":16,"language":133,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":134,"faqs":135,"seo_title":136,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":123,"read_time":137},3985747859154,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c","dRie  \nEvenings with Idries Shah  \nhah'By the best-selling author of The Sufis'  \n# LETTERS ANDLECTURES OFIDRIES SHAH\n\nBooks by Idries Shah  \nSufi Studies and Middle Eastern LiteratureThe SufisCaravan ofDreamsThe Way of the Sufi  \nTales of the Dervishes:Teaching-stories Over aThousand YearsSufi Thought and ActionTraditional Psychology,  \n# Teaching Encounters and Narratives\n\nThinkers of the East:Studies in ExperientialismWisdom of the IdiotsThe Dermis Probe  \nLearning How to Learn:Psychology and Spiritualityin the Sufi WayKnowing How to Know  \nThe Magic Monastery:Analogical and Action PhilosopbySeeker After TruthObservations  \nEvenings with Idries ShahThe Commanding Self  \nUniversity Lectures  \nA Perfumed Scorpion(Institute for the Study of  \nHuman Knowledge and California University)  \n# Special Problems in the Study of Sufi Ideas\n\n(Sussex University)  \nThe Elephant in the Dark:Christianity,  \nIslam and the Sufis(Geneva University)  \nNeglected Aspects of Sufi Study:Beginning to Begin  \n(The New School for Social Research)  \nLetters and Lectures of Idries Shah  \n# Current andTraditional IdeasReflections\n\nThe Book of the Book  \nA Veiled Gazelle:Seeing How to SeeSpecial Illumination:The Sufi Use of Humour  \n# The Mulla Nasrudin Corpus\n\nThe Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla NasrudinThe Subtleties of the Inimitable Mulla NasrudinThe Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla NasrudinThe World of Nasrudin  \n# Travel and ExplorationDestination Mecca\n\nStudies in Minority BeliefsThe Secret Lore of MagicOriental Magic  \nSelected Folktales and Their BackgroundWorld Tales  \nA NovelKara Kush  \nSociological WorksDarkest EnglandThe Natives Are RestlessThe Englishman's Handbook  \nTranslated by Idries ShahThe Hundred Tales of Wisdom(Aflaki's Munaqib)  \n100000000  \n# LETTERS ANDLECTURES OFIDRIES SHAH\n\nIdries Shah  \nISF PUBLISHING  \nCopyright ◎ The Estate of Idries Shah  \nThe right of the Estate of Idries Shah to be identifiedas the owner of this work has been asserted by themin accordance with the Copyright,Designs andPatents Act 1988.  \nAll rights reservedCopyright throughout the world  \nISBN 978-1-78479-222-0  \nFirst published 1981Published in this edition 2019  \nNo part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means,electronic,mechanical or photographic,by recording or anyinformation storage or retrieval system or method nowknown or to be invented or adapted,without priorpermission obtained in writing from the publisher,ISF Publishing,except by a reviewer quoting briefpassages in a review written for inclusion in a journal,magazine,newspaper,blog or broadcast.  \nRequests for permission to reprint,reproduce etc.,to:The Permissions DepartmentISF Publishing  \nThe Idries Shah FoundationP.O.Box 71911London NW29QAUnited Kingdompermissions@isf-publishing.org  \nIn association with The Idries Shah Foundation  \nThe Idries Shah Foundation is a registered charity inthe United KingdomCharity No.1150876  \nThe Fox and the Birds  \nTHERE WAS ONCE a fox who decided togive up his usual method of hunting.In fact,not realising that he could notchange his inwardness by a change ofoutwardness,he really thought thatby telling other creatures what to do,he would earn merit for himself andwould abstain from doing them harm.He was,in a word,in his own mind,areformed character.  \nHis lectures to all and sundry,and hisapparently saintly way of life attractedmany to him,especially birds;for aseveryone knows birds tend to go byappearances and to feel ashamed whenchallenged with their shortcomings.  \n工  \nIDRIES SHAH  \nThe crow first applied to the fox forinstruction,and the fox took him to hismountain retreat.Next came the cock,and finally the owl.  \nThe fox interviewed the birds one byone.To the crow he said:'You live ondead bodies,and although you thinkyou can repent,nothing but death isgood enough for you.?And he seizedthe crow and killed and ate him.Aftera day,the fox sent for the cock.'Doyou repent your fighting proclivities,your lasciviou","cbCaig7LsslsMVEf","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaig7LsslsMVEf","pdf",1955270,"English","# Letters and Lectures of Idries Shah\n## Teaching Encounters and Narratives\n## The Mulla Nasrudin Corpus\n## Travel and Exploration\n## Special Problems in the Study of Sufi Ideas\n## Current and Traditional Ideas\n## The Fox and the Birds","[{\"question\":\"What is the core lesson of the fox’s reform in “The Fox and the Birds”?\",\"answer\":\"The fox tries to change his reputation and outward behavior, believing he can earn merit without changing his inner nature. The story highlights that character cannot be transformed by outward change alone.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the fox teach the birds?\",\"answer\":\"The fox interviews and addresses each bird’s perceived shortcomings, offering “instruction” through direct questions and moral framing before actions follow.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the story emphasize birds’ reactions to appearances?\",\"answer\":\"It links birds’ tendency to judge by appearances with feelings of shame when confronted with shortcomings, using this contrast to underline the theme of superficial reform.\"}]","Letters and Lectures of Idries Shah - The Fox and the Birds | PDF",202]