In Attar's 'The Tale of the Stone and the Clod' from the Elahi Nameh, the contrasting fates of the stone and the clod of earth falling into the sea serve as a profound allegory for the Sufi concept of Fana (spiritual annihilation of the ego). The stone represents the rigid self; because it clings to its separate identity and form, it merely sinks and continues to complain about its suffering. In contrast, the clod dissolves completely ('az khod fana shod') and loses its individual existence to become one with the vast, luminous sea. The poem teaches that true spiritual understanding and unity with the Divine can only be achieved by shedding the boundaries of the self.