Quote by Farid ud-Din Attar: “If you desire eternal joy, you must taste eternal sorrow first.”

This mystical teaching suggests that profound happiness is often preceded by deep suffering or sacrifice. It implies a necessary process of purification or understanding through adversity to achieve ultimate spiritual bliss, highlighting the transformative power of pain.

This concept is deeply rooted in Sufi narratives like 'The Conference of the Birds,' where the spiritual journey is arduous and fraught with trials. It reflects a widespread mystical understanding that spiritual growth often requires overcoming hardship.

Persian Sufi poet and mystic born around 1145 in Nishapur, whose masterpiece The Conference of the Birds is an extended allegory of the soul's journey toward God. He is considered one of the foundational figures of Persian mystical poetry and a major influence on Rumi.