“Cover your breast with nothingness, and draw over your head the robe of non-existence.”
Attar, mystic poet
Perplexity.ai had this to say:
| Metaphor | Sufi Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cover your breast with nothingness | Empty the heart of ego and worldly desires |
| Robe of non-existence | Embrace self-annihilation (fanā) for union with the Divine |
See Perplexity’s fuller explanation as to why you’d want to do what feels undesirable at the outset.