Farid al-Din Attar
فريد الدين عطار
The Apothecary of the Soul
Born: ~1145
Died: ~1221
Also known as: Attar of Nishapur, Abu Hamid bin Abu Bakr Ibrahim
Farid al-Din Attar was a Persian poet and Sufi mystic from Nishapur whose allegorical masterpiece Mantiq al-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds) is one of the most celebrated works of Sufi literature. His influence on later Persian mystical poetry, particularly on Rumi, was profound.
Key Accomplishments
- Composed Mantiq al-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds), a masterpiece of Sufi allegorical poetry
- Authored Tadhkirat al-Awliya, a foundational hagiography of early Sufi saints
- Wrote several major mystical poems including Ilahi-nama and Musibat-nama
- Profoundly influenced Rumi and the subsequent Persian mystical poetic tradition
The Full Story
Attar spent most of his life in Nishapur in northeastern Persia, where he is believed to have worked as a pharmacist (attar means "apothecary" or "perfumer") while composing a vast body of mystical poetry. Details of his life are sparse and often legendary, but his literary output places him among the greatest Persian poets.
His masterwork, Mantiq al-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds), is an allegorical poem in which the birds of the world, led by the hoopoe, embark on a quest to find their king, the Simorgh. After crossing seven valleys representing stages of the spiritual path, only thirty birds (si morgh in Persian) arrive, discovering that the Simorgh they sought is themselves. This brilliant wordplay encapsulates the Sufi teaching of divine unity. The work has been translated into dozens of languages and remains one of the most widely read Sufi texts.
Attar also composed the Ilahi-nama (The Book of God), Musibat-nama (The Book of Affliction), and the Tadhkirat al-Awliya (Memorial of the Saints), a prose hagiography of early Sufi masters that remains an essential source. Rumi acknowledged Attar's influence, reportedly saying, "Attar traversed the seven cities of love while we have merely turned down the first street." Attar is believed to have died during the Mongol destruction of Nishapur in 1221.
Places
Connected Figures
Rumi
The Master of Ecstatic Love
Later poet who was profoundly influenced by Attar's mystical poetry
Thinkers & PoetsSa'di
The Master of Speech
Near-contemporary Persian poet from the same literary milieu
Thinkers & PoetsAl-Ghazali
The Proof of Islam
Earlier scholar whose integration of Sufism into mainstream Islam influenced Attar
Notes
Sources
- [1]Ritter, Hellmut. The Ocean of the Soul: Man, the World and God in the Stories of Farid al-Din Attar. Brill, 2003.
- [2]Darbandi, Afkham, and Dick Davis, trans. The Conference of the Birds. Penguin Classics, 1984.
- [3]Lewisohn, Leonard. "Attar, Farid-al-Din." Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1987.