In Farid al-Din Attar's Conference of the Birds, the Hoopoe's response to the flock establishes a core Sufi tenet: true divine love transcends the dualities of conventional belief (iman) and unbelief (kufr), and requires the absolute sacrifice of the seeker's life or ego (jan). The Hoopoe explains that love is a consuming fire that destroys selfhood, rendering concerns of worldly security, religious orthodoxy, or personal preservation meaningless for a true lover.