In Attar's Mokhtar Nameh (Chapter 34, Poem 14), the poet explores the Sufi critique of rationalism and the necessity of ego-erasure to achieve union with the Divine.

The Pitfall of Intellectual Inquiry

The poem starts with the Divine warning the seeker that engaging in 'how' and 'why' (chun-o-chera) leads to affliction (bala). In Sufism, reliance on logical reasoning, scholastic speculation, and intellectual inquiry is often viewed as a spiritual veil. By trying to comprehend the Divine through the limited intellect, the seeker remains separated and distressed.

Self-Severance (Zod-boridan) as the Key to Union

When the seeker asks how to achieve union, the Divine responds that one must 'sever ties with yourself' (za khod bebor). Rather than a long, intellectual process, union is instantaneous once the illusion of individual selfhood and ego is dismantled. Self-severance is synonymous with Fana (annihilation of the self), allowing the individual to be absorbed into the Divin...