In Farid al-Din Attar's 'The Conference of the Birds', the flock's collective resolution to seek the Simorgh is accompanied by their realization that they cannot succeed through self-will (khod-sari). They demand a guide (pishva) and pledge absolute obedience to their chosen leader, promising to follow every command without question. This allegorizes the fundamental Sufi doctrine of submission to a spiritual guide (Pir or Sheikh) as a prerequisite to navigating the perils of the spiritual path and overcoming the ego.