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Aattar, RA
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Mazarae Farid o din, Attar, RA - Neshapur, Iran.
Mazarae Farid o din, Attar, RA - Neshapur, Iran.
FARID O DDIN, ATTAR, RA
Farid o ddin attar, RA, Ghus ul Azam Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani,
RA, Khawaja Moinuddin Hasan, Chishti Ajmeri, RA, Maulana
Jalaluddin Rumi, RA and Ibe Arabi, RA, were contemporaries
He was born in Nishapur, Iran and lived about 1119-1220:
Another source mentions he lived about 1136-1230). He lived close
to 100 years and was killed by the Mongol invaders. His tomb is in
Nishapur. Attar was one of the great sufi poets .
Different stories are told about his death. One common story is
that he was captured by a Mongol Soldier. One day someone
came along and offered a thousand pieces of silver for him. Attar
told the Mongol not to sell him for that price since the price was
not right. The Mongol accepted Attar's words and did not sell
him. Later someone else comes along and offers a sack of straw
for him. Attar counsels the Mongol to sell him because that is how
much he is worth. The Mongol soldier becomes very angry and
cuts off Attar's head so he dies to teach a lesson.
He is one of the most ancient poets of Persia. His work has been
the inspiration to Rumi and many other mystic poets of the
Persian Empire. Maulana Rumi considered Attar the spirit and
Sanai the eye-sight, both of whom his poetic masters. Attar met
Maulana Rumi towards the end of his life when Rumi was only a
boy. He gave his book Asrarnameh as a present to the young
Rumi.
Attar took his name from his occupation. He was a pharmacist,
perfumist and a doctor, in addition to being a poet. Attar saw as
many as 500 patients a day in his shop where he prescribed herbal
extractions/( medicine ), which he made himself.
In his shop, he also wrote while seeing patients. Attar wrote 114
pieces of articles and books, the same number of Suras in the holy
book of Qur'aan. About thirty of his works survived. Few of his
works are listed below:
1- Asrarnameh ( The Book of Secrets ), a collection of quatrains,
2- Illahinameh ( The Book of God ) and the last not the least, his
most well known masterpiece of
3- Mantiq at-Tayyr ( The Birds of the Sky ) known as "The
Conference of the Birds".
In The Book of God, he describes six human capacities and
abilities: ego, imagination, intellect, thirst for knowledge, thirst for
detachment, and thirst for unity. In The book of Secrets, he uses a
collection of small stories to elevate the spiritual state of the
reader.
In the book "Conference of the Birds," Attar explains seven
valleys ( veils ) which the "Bird of the Sky" goes through and
passes to meet Simurgh ( God ). This is a process that each of us
goes through. What we make of ourselves and what we become,
good or bad, happy or unhappy, satisfied or dissatisfied, we do
ourselves.
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Pictures by brother Ishaque, Charsadda- Pakistan.
