In Section 17 of Golshan-e Raz, Mahmud Shabestari defines the spiritual traveler (salik) as one who becomes aware of their divine origin and purifies themselves of their ego, likening the process to fire becoming free of smoke. He describes the spiritual journey (suluk) as an ascent from the contingent realm (imkan) to the Necessary Being (wajib). This upward journey reverses the soul's original descending journey of creation, allowing the traveler to shed defects and ultimately attain the state of the 'perfect man' (insan-e kamil).