In Poem 56 of the Mokhtar Nameh, Farid al-Din al-Attar explores the relationship between human spiritual longing, divine responsiveness, and the ultimate necessity of self-effacement (bikhodi) for attaining proximity to the Divine.

Key Concepts

• Divine Reciprocity: The poem opens by noting that the Divine responds to even the smallest expressions of human yearning, such as a dawn's lament (nale-ye sahar-gah) or a single sigh (ah). This highlights the grace and attentiveness of the Divine to the seeker's sincere devotion.
• The Necessity of Selflessness (Bikhodi): The seeker realizes that personal effort or ego-driven pursuit is insufficient for true proximity. Thus, the seeker desires selflessness (bikhodi). The paradox of mystical union is that one must be emptied of self (made bikhod) by the Divine before being granted passage (rah) to the Divine Self.