In this poem from Chapter 7 of Mokhtar Nameh, Attar explores the mystical experience of selflessness (fana) and the realization of the ego's insubstantiality.

Key Concepts

• The Experience of Selflessness: The poet begins by describing a state of selflessness ('bikhudi') and offers to explain how he attained this spiritual realization.
• The Divine Sun: The 'sun' represents the Divine Reality or the light of Truth. When this spiritual light shines, it illuminates the true nature of existence.
• The Ego as a Shadow: In the presence of the Divine light, the individual self is recognized as merely a 'shadow'—an insubstantial, dependent, and illusory entity.
• Annihilation in the Divine: Recognizing the self as a shadow, the poet moves toward the light and 'falls into the midst of it', symbolizing the ego's dissolution and complete absorption into the Divine presence.