The condition of man during his childhood indicates that man also is born like animals such as cows and bulls; except that one of the good traits in man’s nature is that he leaves evil and adopts good. This virtue is only present in humans. Animals do not have an aptitude for learning.
Sa‘di has also written a story in poetic form and stated that a fool tried to educate a donkey. He worked on it day and night. A wise person asked him, ‘O Fool! What are you doing? And why are you wasting your time and intellect for nothing? You cannot turn a donkey into a human, but in this process, you may become a donkey yourself.’
(Malfuzat, Vol. 5, p. 266–267)