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`Attar's statue beside his mausoleum, Nishapur, Iran
`Attar's statue beside his mausoleum, Nishapur, Iran

Abū Hamīd bin Abū Bakr Ibrāhīm (born 1145-46 in Nishapur – died c. Nishapur, or Neyshābūr ( is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Nishapur, or Neyshābūr ( is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot 1221), much better known by his pen-names Farīd ud-Dīn (Persian: فریدالدین) and ‘Attār (Persian: عطار - "the pharmacist"), was a Persian and Muslim poet, Sufi, theoretician of mysticism, and hagiographer. layout and formatting it should ensure no clashes with the top of the infobox A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Hagiography ( is the study of Saints. A hagiography, from Greek (hağios (ἅγιος "holy" or "saint" and graphē (γραφή

Contents

Biography

Information about `Attar's life is rare. He is mentioned by only two of his contemporaries, `Awfi and Khadja Nasir ud-Din Tusi. However, all sources confirm that he was from Nishapur, a major city of medieval Khorasan (now located in the northeast of Iran), and according to `Awfi, he was a poet of the Seljuq period. Nishapur, or Neyshābūr ( is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot Greater Khorasan (خراسان بزرگ (also written Khorasaan, Khurasan and Khurasaan) is a modern term for eastern territories of ancient Persia For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The Great Seljuq Empire was a Medieval Sunni Muslim empire established by the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks that once controlled It seems that he was not well known as a poet in his own lifetime, except at his home town, and his greatness as a mystic, a poet, and a master of narrative was not discovered until the 15th century. [1]

Life

`Attar's mausoleum in Nishapur, Iran
`Attar's mausoleum in Nishapur, Iran

`Attar was probably the son of a prosperous chemist, receiving an excellent education in various fields. Nishapur, or Neyshābūr ( is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. While his works say little else about his life, they tell us that he practiced the profession of pharmacy and personally attended to a very large number of customers. [1] The people he helped in the pharmacy used to confide their troubles in `Attar and this affected him deeply. Eventually, he abandoned his pharmacy store and traveled widely - to Kufa, Mecca, Damascus, Turkistan, and India, meeting with Sufi Shaykhs - and returned promoting Sufi ideas. Kufa ( Arabic, ar الكوفة) is a city in modern Iraq, about 170 km south of Baghdad, and 10 km northeast of Najaf. Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. Turkestan (literally meaning "Land of the Turks" is a region in Central Asia, which today is largely inhabited by Turkic peoples. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Sheikh, also rendered as Sheik, Cheikh, Shaikh, and other variants ( Arabic:, shaykh [2]

`Attar's initiation into Sufi practices is subject to much speculation and fabrication. Of all the famous Sufi Shaykhs supposed to have been his teachers, only one - Majd ud-Din Baghdadi - comes within the bounds of possibility. The only certainty in this regard is `Attar's own statement that he once met him. [3]

In any case it can be taken for granted that from childhood onward `Attar, encouraged by his father, was interested in the Sufis and their sayings and way of life, and regarded their saints as his spiritual guides. [4]

`Attar reached an age of over 70 and died a violent death in the massacre which the Mongols inflicted on Nishabur in April 1221. The Mongol Empire ( Mongolyn Ezent Güren or mn Их Mонгол улс Ikh Mongol Uls; 1206–1368 was the largest contiguous Empire [1] Today, his mausoleum is located in Nishapur. A mausoleum ( plural: mausolea is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons It was built by Ali-Shir Nava'i in the 16th century. Nizām al-Din ʿAlī Shīr Herawī ( Chagatai / Alisher Navoiy ( 9 February 1441 &ndash 3 January 1501) was a Central Asian

Like many aspects of his life, his death, too, is blended with legends and speculation. A well-known story regarding his death goes as follows:

`Attar was taken prisoner by a Mongol during the invasion of Nishabur. Someone soon came and tried to ransom him with a thousand pieces of silver. `Attar advised the Mongol not to sell him for that price. The Mongol, thinking to gain an even greater sum of money, refused the silver. Later, another person came, this time offering only a sack of straw to free him. `Attar then told the Mongol to sell him, for that was all he was worth. Outraged at being made a fool, the Mongol cut off `Attar's head.

Teachings

The thought-world depicted in `Attar's works reflects the whole evolution of the Sufi movement. The starting point is the idea that the body-bound soul's awaited release and return to its source in the other world can be experienced during the present life in mystic union attainable through inward purification. [5] By explaining his thoughts, the material uses is not only from specifically Sufi but also from older ascetic legacies. Although his heroes are for the most part Sufis and ascetics, he also introduces stories from historical chronicles, collections of anecdotes, and all types of high-esteemed literature. [1] His talent for perception of deeper meanings behind outward appearances enables him to turn details of everyday life into illustrations of his thoughts. The idiosyncrasy of `Attar's presentations invalidates his works as sources for study of the historical persons whom he introduces. Idiosyncrasy, from Greek ιδιοσυγκρασία idiosunkrasia, "a peculiar temperament" "habit of body" ( idios "one's own" As sources on the hagiology and phenomenology of Sufism, however, his works have immense value. Hagiography ( is the study of Saints. A hagiography, from Greek (hağios (ἅγιος "holy" or "saint" and graphē (γραφή

Judging from `Attar's writings, he viewed the ancient Aristotelian heritage with skepticism and dislike. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. [6][7] Interestingly, he did not want to uncover the secrets of nature. This is particularly remarkable in the case of medicine, which fell within the scope of his profession. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the He obviously had no motive for showing off his secular knowledge in the manner customary among court panegyrists, whose type of poetry he despised and never practiced. A panegyric is a formal public speech, or (in later use written verse delivered in high praise of a Person or thing, a generally highly studied and discriminating Such knowledge is only brought into his works in contexts where the theme of a story touches on a branch of natural science.

Poetry

`Attar speaks of his own poetry in various contexts including the epilogues of his long narrative poems. He confirms the guess likely to be made by every reader that he possessed an inexhaustible fund of thematic and verbal inspiration. He writes that when he composed his poems, more ideas came into his mind than he could possibly use. [8] He also states that the effort of poetical composition threw him into a state of trance in which he could not sleep. [9]

Like his contemporary Khaqani, `Attar was not only convinced that his poetry had far surpassed all previous poetry, but that it was to be intrinsically unsurpassable at any time in the future, seeing himself as the “seal of the poets” and his poetry as the “seal of speech. Khāqāni or Khāghāni ( 1121 / 1122) &ndash 1190) (Persian خاقانی a Persian poet who was born in Shirvan, under the ”[10]

Works

Statue of the German orientalist Hellmut Ritter beside `Attar's mausoleum. It was made by order of Goethe and Hafez fans in Germany.
Statue of the German orientalist Hellmut Ritter beside `Attar's mausoleum. It was made by order of Goethe and Hafez fans in Germany. ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfgaŋ fɔn ˈgøːtə (in English generally ˈgɝːtə 28 August 1749 22 March 1832 was a German writer Khwāja Šamsu d-Dīn Muḥammad Hāfez-e Šīrāzī, or simply Hāfez ( was a Persian mystic and Poet. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

The question whether all the works that have been ascribed to him are really from his pen, has not been solved. This is due to two facts that have been observed in his works:[1]

  1. There are considerable differences of style among these works.
  2. Some of them indicate a Sunnite, and others a Shia, allegiance of the author. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic

Classification of the various works by these two criteria yields virtually identical results. The German orientalist Hellmut Ritter at first thought that the problem could be explained by a spiritual evolution of the poet. Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures languages peoples history and archaeology in recent He distinguished three phases of `Attar's creativity:

  1. Works in which mysticism is in perfect balance with a finished, story-teller's art. Mysticism (from the Greek grc μυστικός mystikos, an initiate of a Mystery religion) is the pursuit of communion with identity
  2. Works in which a pantheistic zeal gains the upper hand over literary interest.
  3. Works in which the aging poet idolizes Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib while there is no trace of ordered thoughts and descriptive skills. An imam (إمام plural ائمة A'immah, امام is an Islamic leader often the leader of a Mosque and/or community ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (a=علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب|t=ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib 13th Rajab, 24 BH – 21st Ramaḍān, 40 AH [2]

Ritter surmised that the last phase, that of old age, was coincidental with a conversion to Shi'ism. [11] However, in 1941, the Persian scholar Nafisi was able to prove that the works of the third phase in Ritter's classification were written by another `Attar who lived about two hundred and fifty years later at Mashhad and was a native of Tun. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Mashhad ( literally the place of martyrdom) is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia [1] Ritter accepted this finding in the main, but doubted whether Nafisi was right in attributing the works of the second group also to this `Attar of Tun. One of Ritter's arguments is that the principal figure in the second group is not Ali, as in the third group, but Hallaj, and that there is nothing in the explicit content of the second group to indicate a Shia allegiance of the author. Mansur al-Hallaj ( Arabic: منصور الحلاج - Mansūr al-Hallāj - Mansūr-e Hallāj; full name Abū al-Mughīth Husayn Mansūr Another is the important chronological point that a manuscript of the Jawhar al-Dāt, the chief work in the second group, bears the date 735 A. H. (= 1334-35 A. D. ). While `Attar of Tun's authorship of the second group is untenable, Nafisi was certainly right in concluding that the style difference (already observed by Ritter) between the works in the first group and those in the second group is too great to be explained by a spiritual evolution of the author. The authorship of the second group remains an unsolved problem. [1]

In the introductions of Mokhtār-Nāma and Khosrow-Nāma, `Attar lists the titles of further products of his pen:

“Manteq al-Ṭayr” (“Conference of the Birds”)
“Manteq al-Ṭayr” (“Conference of the Birds”)

He also states, in the introduction of the Mokhtār-Nāma, that he destroyed the Jawāher-Nāma' and the Šarḥ al-Qalb with his own hand.

Although the contemporary sources confirm only `Attar's authorship of the Dīvān and the Manteq al-Ṭayr, there are no grounds for doubting the authenticity of the Mokhtār-Nāma and Khosrow-Nāma and their prefaces. [1] One work is missing from these lists, namely the Tadkerat al-Awlīya, which was probably omitted because it is a prose work; its attribution to `Attar is scarcely open to question. In its introduction `Attar mentions three other works of his, including one entitled Šarḥ al-Qalb, presumably the same that he destroyed. The nature of the other two, entitled Kašf al-Asrār and Ma'refat al-Nafs, remains unknown. [13]

In the following, the authentic works are discussed separately:

Manteq al-Tayr (Conversation of the Birds)

Led by the hoopoe, the birds of the world set forth in search of their king, Simurgh. Simurgh or Simorgh (سیمرغ sometimes spelled Simurg or Simoorg, also known as Angha (عنقا is the modern Persian name for Their quest takes them through seven valleys in the first of which a hundred difficulties assail them. They undergo many trials as they try to free themselves of what is precious to them and change their state. Once successful and filled with longing, they ask for wine to dull the effects of dogma, belief, and unbelief on their lives. In the second valley, the birds give up reason for love and, with a thousand hearts to sacrifice, continue their quest for discovering the Simurgh. The third valley confounds the birds, especially when they discover that their worldly knowledge has become completely useless and their understanding has become ambivalent. There are different ways of crossing this Valley, and all birds do not fly alike. Understanding can be arrived at variously--some have found the Mihrab, others the idol.

The fourth valley is introduced as the valley of detachment, i. e. , detachment from desire to possess and the wish to discover. The birds begin to feel that they have become part of a universe that is detached from their physical recognizable reality. In their new world, the planets are as minute as sparks of dust and elephants are not distinguishable from ants. It is not until they enter the fifth valley that they realize that unity and multiplicity are the same. And as they have become entities in a vacuum with no sense of eternity. More importantly, they realize that God is beyond unity, multiplicity, and eternity. Stepping into the sixth valley, the birds become astonished at the beauty of the Beloved. Experiencing extreme sadness and dejection, they feel that they know nothing, understand nothing. They are not even aware of themselves. Only thirty birds reach the abode of the Simurgh. But there is no Simurgh anywhere to see. Simurgh's chamberlain keeps them waiting for Simurgh long enough for the birds to figure out that they themselves are the si (thirty) murgh (bird). The seventh valley is the valley of depravation, forgetfulness, dumbness, deafness, and death. The present and future lives of the thirty successful birds become shadows chased by the celestial Sun. And themselves, lost in the Sea of His existence, are the Simurgh[15]. The poem's title possibly served as inspiration for jazz bassist Dave Holland's 1972 album of the same name. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Dave Holland (born October 1, 1946) is a British Jazz Bassist and Composer who is a significant representative

`Attar's Seven Valleys of Love

Tadhkirat al-awliya (The Memorial of the Saints)

Attar's only known prose work which he worked on throughout much of his life and which was available publicly before his death, is a biography of muslim saints and mystics. Tadhkirat al-Awliya or Tadhkerat al-Awliya ( Arabic:تذکرة الاولیا, literally "Biographies of the Saints" is a 72-chapter book written by the In what is considered the most compelling entry in this book, `Attar relates the story of the execution of Hallaj, the mystic who had uttered the words “I am the Truth” in a state of ecstatic contemplation.

Influence on Rumi

`Attar is one of the most famous mystic poets of Iran. Mysticism (from the Greek grc μυστικός mystikos, an initiate of a Mystery religion) is the pursuit of communion with identity His works were the inspiration of Rumi and many other mystic poets. `Attar, along with Sanai were two of the greatest influences on Rumi in his Sufi views. Hakim Abul-Majd Majdūd ibn Ādam Sanā'ī Ghaznavi ( was a Persian Sufi ( Tajik) Poet who lived in Ghazna, in what is now Sufism ( تصوّف - taṣawwuf, Persian: صوفی‌گری sufigari, Turkish: tasavvuf, Urdu: تصوف Rumi has mentioned both of them with the highest esteem several times in his poetry. Rumi praises `Attar as such:

"Attar roamed the seven cities of love -- We are still just in one alley".

As a pharmacist

`Attar was a pen-name which he took for his occupation. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) `Attar means herbalist, druggist and perfumist, and during his lifetime in Persia, much of medicine and drugs were based on herbs. An herbalist is A person whose life is dedicated to the economic or medicinal uses of plants Medication, also referred to as medicine, can be loosely defined as any substance intended for use in the diagnosis cure mitigation treatment or prevention of disease Perfume is a mixture of fragrant Essential oils and Aroma compounds Fixatives and Solvents used to give the human body animals objects and living The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the A(n herb (ˈhɝb or /ˈɝb/ see pronunciation differences) is a plant that is valued for qualities such as medicinal properties flavor scent or the like Therefore, by profession he was similar to a modern-day town doctor and pharmacist. A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health Pharmacists are Health professionals who practice the art and science of Pharmacy.

Literature & further reading

Notes & references

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h B. Reinert, `Attar, in Encycloædia Iranica, Online Edition, (LINK)
  2. ^ a b Iraj Bashiri, "Farid al-Din `Attar"
  3. ^ Tadkerat al-Awlīya; pp. Encyclopædia Iranica is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language Encyclopedia about the history culture and 1,6,21
  4. ^ Tadkerat al-Awlīya; pp. 1,55,23 ff
  5. ^ F. Meier, “Der Geistmensch bei dem persischen Dichter `Attar,” Eranos-Jahrbuch 13, 1945, pp. 286 ff
  6. ^ Mūṣibat-Nāma, p. 54 ff
  7. ^ Asrār-Nāma, pp. 50, 794 ff
  8. ^ Asrār-Nāma; p. 185: verse 3146, and p. 186: verse 3151
  9. ^ Asrār-Nāma; p. 185: verse 3148
  10. ^ Elāhī-Nāma, p. 365. 6, and p. 365. 8; Mūṣibat-Nāma, p. 365. 1; Dīvān, ed. Nafīsī, p. 361; Manteq al-Ṭayr, p. 288. 7
  11. ^ H. Rittner, “Philologika X,” pp. 143 f
  12. ^ quoted in H. Ritter, “Philologika X,” pp. 147-53
  13. ^ Ritter, “Philologika XIV,” p. 63
  14. ^ Red-Sulphur. org: `Attar's praise of Hadrat Abu Bakr | url = http://red-sulphur.org/?q=node/491
  15. ^ Central Asia and Iran

See also

External links

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