In Chapter 9, Poem 3 of the Mokhtar Nameh, Attar of Nishapur explores the theme of mystical bewilderment (hayrat) and the limitations of human intellect on the spiritual path.

Core Themes

• Universal Bewilderment: The seeker encounters total wandering, confusion, and chaos, which characterizes the path of spiritual seeking.
• Limitations of Rational Knowledge: Attar describes a desert where knowledge itself becomes ignorance, suggesting that worldly intellect is a barrier to divine understanding.
• The Wandering Cosmos: The celestial sphere (gardun) is depicted as being in a state of constant wandering, demonstrating that the entire universe is subject to this existential bewilderment.