In Farid al-Din Attar's Conference of the Birds, the tale of a lover who plots to kill his dying beloved so that he might be executed in retaliation serves as a stark allegory for ego-driven, distorted devotion. The lover's bizarre plan to forcibly intertwine their fates through murder and his own subsequent execution reveals a selfish attachment rooted in the fear of separation, rather than genuine, selfless love. Attar uses this absurd scenario to critique flawed human attachments where the ego attempts to control destiny to satisfy its own emotional needs. In Sufi teachings, true spiritual love (Ishq) demands the complete surrender of the ego and submission to the Divine will, standing in sharp contrast to the lover's possessive and destructive actions.