In Attar's Elahi Nameh, Majnun offers a mystical interpretation of time and human lifespan. When a dervish asks him his age, Majnun distinguishes between his physical, chronological age (forty years) and his spiritual age (over a thousand years). He considers the time lived in self-consciousness and separation from his beloved, Layla, as a 'loss' or non-existence. Conversely, the fleeting moments spent in Layla's presence are so profound that they equate to thousands of years of true life. This narrative illustrates the Sufi concept that one's real existence is measured only by moments of spiritual presence and union with the Divine, transcending linear worldly time.