In Farid al-Din Attar's 'The Conference of the Birds', Shibli's act of wearing a zunnar (a non-Muslim girdle) and sitting on ashes at his deathbed symbolizes profound spiritual bewilderment (hayrat) and the complete shedding of conventional piety. He claims to burn with the 'zeal of Iblis' (ghayrat-e Iblis), referencing the complex Sufi motif where Iblis is sometimes seen as the ultimate, tragic monotheist who accepted eternal damnation rather than bow to anyone but God. Shibli's adoption of the zunnar and his identification with Iblis's plight illustrate the advanced Sufi state of transcending outward religious reputation, embracing absolute ruination, and maintaining exclusive focus on the Divine.