In this parable from Attar's Mosibat Nameh, an old madman who was once a pious worshiper warns a youth entering a mosque. The madman explains that his current state of social ostracization and 'madness' is the result of his long years of devotion. This allegory underscores the Sufi concept that the path of divine love is fraught with hardship and can lead to the complete annihilation of one's social and intellectual identity, warning the novice that true worship goes far beyond outward form and can be 'breaking' to the self.