In Farid al-Din Attar's Conference of the Birds, the tale of Sheikh Nasrabad circumambulating a Zoroastrian fire temple after forty pilgrimages illustrates the Sufi concept of destroying spiritual pride (ujb) and formalistic piety. The forty Hajj pilgrimages symbolize years of devotion that risk breeding self-conceit, while the fire temple and the infidel's girdle (zonnar) represent the absolute deconstruction of the social and religious ego. By deliberately embracing outward dishonor, the Sheikh burns away the illusion of his own righteousness, showing that true spiritual transformation requires the annihilation of self-conceit through the fire of divine love.