Attar of Nishapur

Faridoddin Abu Hamed Mohammad Attar Nishapuri, known as Attar of Nishapur, was a Persian poet and writer who lived around the years 1145 to 1221. He came from a city called Nishapur and became very important in the study of Sufism, a special kind of spiritual path in Islamic mysticism.

Attar wrote many beautiful poems and stories. His most famous books include The Conference of the Birds, Book of the Divine, and Memorial of the Saints. These works share deep thoughts about life, spirit, and wisdom.

His writing had a big effect on other famous poets, like Rumi, and helped shape Persian poetry for many years. People still read Attar's poems today because they teach important lessons about love, faith, and understanding life.

Biography

Information about Attar's life is limited and has grown into stories over time. Attar was born into a Persian family and worked as an apothecary, helping many people with their needs. He lived in Nishapur, a big city in medieval Khorasan (now in northeastern Iran), during the time of the Seljuk era.

Though not widely known as a poet during his lifetime, Attar's importance as a writer and teacher of Sufi ideas was recognized much later. The famous poet Rumi spoke highly of him. Attar came from a family that valued learning and was drawn to the Sufis from a young age. He left his apothecary shop to travel to places like Baghdad, Mecca, and India, where he met many Sufi teachers. Attar was a Sunni Muslim and spent his life sharing Sufi thoughts through his writing. Sadly, he died during a difficult time when the Mongols attacked Nishapur in 1221. His mausoleum can still be visited in Nishapur today.

Teachings

Attar's writings show the growth of Sufi ideas. He believed that the soul could feel connected to its source even in this life through inner cleaning and special experiences. He used stories from many places, not just Sufi teachings, to share his ideas. He could find deep meanings in everyday things and use them to explain his beliefs.

Attar did not like the ideas of Aristotle and did not want to share secrets about nature, even though he knew a lot about medicine. He only used such knowledge when it fit the story he was telling. His works are very useful for learning about Sufi beliefs and stories, even if they are not always accurate for historical facts.

Poetry

Attar's poetry explores themes of divine love, self-discovery, and the connection between earthly life and deeper spiritual truths. His work greatly influenced other famous poets, including Rumi. One of his most well-known poems is Conference of the Birds (Mantiq al-tayr), where birds journey to find a legendary figure. Along the way, they face challenges that represent human faults and spiritual growth.

In addition to this famous work, Attar wrote several other important poems and stories. These include the Ilāhī-Nāma, where a king teaches his sons about spiritual values through storytelling, and the Mukhtār-Nāma, a collection of short, meaningful poems. His poetry often uses symbols to share deep, spiritual ideas in a way that readers can understand and reflect on.

Main article: The Conference of the Birds

The Tadhkirat-ul-Awliyā is Attar's only known prose work. It is a collection of stories about Muslim saints and mystics. One of the most famous parts of this book is the story of Mansur al-Hallaj, a mystic known for his deep spiritual experiences.

Main article: Tadhkirat al-Awliya

Main article: Ilāhī-Nāma

Mukhtār-Nāma (Persian: مختارنامه), a wide-ranging collection of quatrains (2088 in number). In the Mokhtar-nama, a coherent group of mystical and religious subjects is outlined (search for union, sense of uniqueness, distancing from the world, annihilation, amazement, pain, awareness of death, etc.), and an equally rich group of themes typical of lyrical poetry of erotic inspiration adopted by mystical literature (the torment of love, impossible union, beauty of the loved one, stereotypes of the love story as weakness, crying, separation).

The Diwan of Attar (Persian: دیوان عطار) consists almost entirely of poems in the Ghazal ("lyric") form, as he collected his Ruba'i ("quatrains") in a separate work called the Mokhtar-nama. There are also some Qasida ("Odes"), but they amount to less than one-seventh of the Divan. His Qasidas expound upon mystical and ethical themes and moral precepts. They are sometimes modelled after Sanai. The Ghazals often seem from their outward vocabulary just to be love and wine songs with a predilection for libertine imagery, but generally imply spiritual experiences in the familiar symbolic language of classical Islamic Sufism. Attar's lyrics express the same ideas that are elaborated in his epics. His lyric poetry does not significantly differ from that of his narrative poetry, and the same may be said of the rhetoric and imagery.

Legacy

Attar was a very famous poet who wrote about deep, spiritual ideas. His work inspired many other poets, including Rumi. Rumi spoke highly of Attar's writing and ideas.

Attar's name, which means a maker of perfumes or a healer using plants, came from his work. In his time, many medicines came from plants, so he was like a doctor and a shopkeeper of medicines.

Attar's stories have been used by writers and performers around the world. For example, a writer from Argentina mentioned one of his books, and a theater group in California performed a play based on his work.