In this parable from Farid al-Din Attar's Asrar Nameh, a king encounters a madman holding a human skull. When the king questions the madman's contemplations, the madman reveals his inability to distinguish whether the skull once belonged to an impoverished beggar like himself or a powerful monarch like the king. This narrative serves as a profound memento mori, illustrating that despite vast worldly disparities in wealth, armies, and earthly power, death is the ultimate equalizer. The allegory urges detachment from worldly ambitions, as the physical remnants of all humans are ultimately identical.