In Section 1 of the Twentieth Discourse of Attar's Asrar Nameh, the poet delivers a poignant reminder of human mortality, warning that the physical body will inevitably decay and return to dust. Attar leverages the imagery of death to emphasize the extreme urgency of spiritual devotion (ta'at) while one is still alive. He juxtaposes the living believer's ability to perform acts of humility and worship—metaphorically 'rubbing one's cheeks in the dust' in prostration before God—with the absolute powerlessness of the grave, where such actions are permanently impossible. The passage serves as a didactic call for seekers to abandon heedlessness and utilize their present, God-given time for sincere spiritual work before the opportunity is lost forever.