In Chapter 47, Poem 76 of Attar's Mokhtar Nameh, the poet asks the candle what brings it pleasure. The candle replies that its ultimate pleasure is to be left alone in its pain, so that it may burn continuously.

In Persian mystical literature, the candle represents the lover or the mystic on the spiritual path. This dialogue highlights a central Sufi paradox: spiritual suffering (pain or dard) is not something to be avoided or cured; rather, it is the highest form of pleasure and the very essence of the mystic's existence. Being left to burn in one's own suffering represents the soul's commitment to the transformative fire of divine love, where the pain itself becomes the ultimate satisfaction.