In Attar's The Tale of the Sheikh of Nuqan, a destitute and starving sheikh prays to God for a simple loaf of bread. Instead of granting a miraculous, effortless provision, a divine voice instructs the sheikh to perform the grueling physical labor of sweeping the entire square of Nishapur to find a tiny fraction of gold to buy his bread. This allegory emphasizes the necessity of effort and worldly means alongside spiritual reliance (tawakkul) on God. It illustrates that spiritual status does not exempt one from divine testing or the fundamental requirement to endure hardship and labor for sustenance.