In Book Five of the Masnavi, Rumi presents the allegory of Majnun falling ill and refusing to be bled by a physician. Majnun clarifies that his resistance does not stem from a fear of physical pain or death, as he survives amongst wild beasts in the wilderness. Instead, he explains that his entire being is so thoroughly saturated with and unified with his beloved, Layla, that his skin, veins, and blood are identical to hers. He fears that the physician's lancet ('nishtar') might pierce or wound Layla herself. Through this narrative, Rumi illustrates the mystical station of absolute union ('ittihad') and annihilation ('fana'), where the lover's ego is completely dissolved into the beloved, rendering any distinction between self and other impossible.