In Chapter 33, Poem 18 of Attar's Mokhtar Nameh, the central theme is the eternal and inescapable nature of the soul's longing for the Beloved. The poet asserts that this desire transcends physical existence, persisting in both life and death ('in shirt and shroud'). Furthermore, this yearning is portrayed as an involuntary, intrinsic bond that exists independently of the poet's own volition or the Beloved's reciprocation ('Whether I wish it or not... Whether You wish it or not'). This reflects the Sufi understanding of divine love as a fundamental, deterministic reality of the soul's existence rather than a mere choice.