Showkat Ahmar Wani
· Seyyed Hossein Nasr emphasizes its portrayal of the soul’s quest for divine unity, highlighting Attar’s use of encrusted symbolism to convey stages of spiritual awakening.
· Sanjar Murodov notes Attar’s ontological framework, where Allah is the ultimate substance shaping existence. The poem explores human development, matter, and divine influence, integrating medieval Islamic thought with Greek philosophical influences, though adapted to a theistic worldview.
· Annemarie Schimmel praises Attar’s narrative for its intricate structure, blending anecdotes, parables, and poetry to guide readers through spiritual stages (e.g., love, detachment, unity). The Simorgh’s revelation as both a collective and singular entity underscores themes of self-discovery and divine immanence.
· Scholars like Leonard Lewisohn highlight the poem’s universal resonance, transcending Islamic mysticism to address human existential questions. Its influence extends to later poets like Rumi, with its accessible yet profound storytelling appealing to diverse audiences.
· Some scholars, such as Hellmut Ritter, compare Attar’s work to other mystical traditions, noting parallels with Christian and Hindu allegories of the soul’s journey, though rooted in a distinctly Islamic framework.
· Rumi venerated Attar as a colossus of mystical insight, a sage whose Mantiq-ut-Tayr rent asunder the veils shrouding divine truth. Scholars like Franklin Lewis posit that Rumi perceived Attar’s work as a celestial compass, its narrative of birds seeking the Simorgh an indomitable allegory for the soul’s annihilation in the divine Beloved, a theme Rumi fiercely amplified in his Masnavi.
Fariduddin Attar Nishapuri a colossus of Persian mystical poetry, forged an immortal masterpiece in Mantiq-ut-Tayr(The Conference of the Birds), a radiant allegory charting the soul’s grueling odyssey toward divine union. Through the epic quest of birds seeking their sovereign, the Simurgh, Attar spins a resplendent tapestry of spiritual revelation, interweaving divine unity (wahdat al-wujud), celestial love (‘ishq-e ilahi), and self-realization. This analysis excavates Attar’s vision of God in Mantiq-ut-Tayr, wielding incisive, evocative language to lay bare its transcendent truths.
In this towering work, Attar crafts a mythic saga where the world’s birds converge to pursue their elusive king, the Simurgh, enthroned on the fabled Mount Qaf. Led by the Hoopoe, an emblem of sagacity and fortitude, they undertake a harrowing pilgrimage through seven valleys: Quest (Talab), Love (‘Ishq), Gnosis (Ma‘rifat), Detachment (Istighna), Unity (Tawhid), Bewilderment (Hayrat), and Annihilation (Faqr-o-Fana). Each valley is a forge, refining the soul through trials of resolve and spirit. In the end, only thirty birds (si murgh, a linguistic mirror of Simurgh) attain the summit, gazing upon their own essence in the Simurgh’s incandescent presence. This epiphany, a cataclysmic awakening, unveils the inseparable oneness of self and Divine.
Rooted in Sufi mysticism and echoing Ibn al-Arabi’s wahdat al-wujud, Attar’s God is an infinite, ineffable reality, saturating every shard of existence. In Mantiq-ut-Tayr, the Divine is not a distant monarch but an intimate flame, kindled through the alchemy of self-discovery.
Attar envisions God as the singular, boundless truth, suffusing the cosmos with divine essence. The climactic revelation, where the thirty birds confront the Simurgh and behold their own reflection, shatters the illusion of duality, proclaiming wahdat al-wujud. Attar thunders:
“Thou art the radiant flame, thou art the vision divine,
Thou art the Simurgh, no other reigns sublime.”
The divine is not a peripheral energy but an intrinsic blaze, a radiant ember ignited within the soul’s sacred core. At the heart of Attar’s theology roars the fierce inferno of divine love. The Valley of Love, the second stage, enshrines ishq as the supreme power that obliterates the ego’s impurities, hurling the seeker into the divine’s ardent embrace. Far surpassing mere passion, Attar’s love is a cataclysmic tempest of spiritual alchemy.
“Love is the inferno that consumes the heart’s core,
In its pyre alone, God’s mystery doth soar.”
This cosmic ardor is the radiant compass steering the soul toward dissolution in the divine.
For Attar, the path to God is forged through relentless self-discovery. The birds’ epic in Mantiq-ut-Tayr is an unyielding plunge into the abyss of the self. At the journey’s zenith, they perceive the Simurgh as their own essence, a revelation of cataclysmic grandeur. Attar states:
“Know thine own soul, and God shall thou behold,
Within thy essence, His enigma doth unfold.”
This doctrine, echoing Rumi’s luminous teachings, shines in Attar’s allegory with unmatched clarity and ferocity.
The final valley, Annihilation and Poverty, forms the pinnacle of Attar’s mystical fortress. Fana fi Allah—the complete erasure of the self in God—heralds the supreme moment where the seeker’s ego is incinerated, fusing into the boundless divine sea. Attar’s verse thunders:
“While ‘thou’ persist, He remains beyond thy grasp,
Efface thyself, and His eternal realm unclasp.”
This transcendent annihilation, a cornerstone of Sufi metaphysics, is woven with a poetic ferocity that scorches the soul.
Mantiq-ut-Tayr is no mere tale but a metaphysical clarion, unraveling the profound interplay of God, humanity, and the cosmos. The Simurgh, a blazing emblem of divinity, and the birds’ odyssey, a paradigm of the soul’s yearning, fuse in a narrative of breathtaking profundity. The seven valleys, each a crucible of spiritual alchemy, map the Sufi ascent to divine gnosis, illuminating the inward spiral of the sacred quest.
Attar’s divine vision, while resonant with the revelations of Rumi, Hafiz, and Rabia Basri, burns with a singular radiance. His structured allegory, carving the spiritual ascent into seven distinct valleys, stands in contrast to Rumi’s rapturous, untamed hymns to divine pursuit. Attar’s symbolic tapestry, both intricate and piercingly clear, distills wahdat al-wujud into a narrative that ensnares scholars and seekers alike.
Mantiq-ut-Tayr endures as an immortal testament to Attar’s Sufi mastery and his vision of the divine. God, in Attar’s universe, is the all-pervading truth, unveiled through the furnace of self-knowledge, the conflagration of divine love, and the obliteration of the ego. His poetry, a lodestar of spiritual and literary brilliance, has ignited souls across ages. Through Mantiq-ut-Tayr, Attar issues an everlasting proclamation: the quest for God is the quest for the self—a pilgrimage every soul is fated to embark upon.
“I am alone; make me your single goal –
My presence is sufficient for your soul;
I am your God, your one necessity –
With every breath you breathe, remember Me.”
God declares Himself the seeker’s supreme Lord and the singular, indispensable reality. The phrase “your one necessity” annihilates all rival claims—wealth, status, or ego—demanding unwavering fealty to the Divine. In Sufi metaphysics, this commands detachment from the mirage of multiplicity, rooting the soul in the One Reality. It kindles irada (spiritual resolve), heralding God’s transcendence (tanzih) as the ultimate end, solitary and unassailable.
God’s nearness (hudur) is the divine ambrosia that quenches the soul’s profoundest yearnings, rendering all earthly pursuits obsolete. This assurance vows that divine proximity bestows absolute spiritual sustenance, serenity, and purpose. Embodying qurb (proximity to God), it reveals God’s immanence (tashbih), an ever-present flame accessible to the purified nafs. It foreshadows fana, where the soul, immersed in divine intimacy, craves nothing beyond.
Resonating with the Qur’anic al-Ghani (the Self-Sufficient), God is the boundless wellspring of existence, fulfilling creation’s every void. This reaffirms His sovereignty as Rabb (Lord) and Ilah (deity), bound intimately to the seeker (“for you”). In Sufi praxis, acknowledging God as the sole necessity demands zuhd (renunciation) and tawakkul (complete reliance), priming the seeker for the valley of poverty (faqr), where God alone reigns as truth.
This divine edict summons ceaseless dhikr, the Sufi practice of perpetual God-consciousness. “Every breath” decrees that remembrance permeate existence, transfiguring life into an unbroken liturgy of devotion. Echoing the Qur’an (“Remember Me, and I will remember you” [2:152]), dhikr is both invocation and an inner state, aligning the soul with God’s omnipresence. This discipline paves the way for the valley of unity (tawhid), where God’s reality consumes all.
God’s assertion of solitude (“I am alone”) and the mandate to make Him the “single goal” thunder the doctrine of wahdat al-wujud, obliterating duality. Attar masterfully balances God’s transcendence—His majesty as the ultimate aspiration—with His immanence, manifest in His sufficiency and presence in every breath. The call to dhikr offers a tangible path to divine intimacy, culminating in fana and union with the Simurgh. Through direct divine speech, Attar’s commanding, rhythmic imperatives (“make Me,” “remember Me”) ignite urgency, echoing the soul’s ravenous longing.
“The home we seek is in eternity;
The Truth we seek is like a shoreless sea,
Of which your paradise is but a drop.
This ocean can be yours; why should you stop
Beguiled by dreams of evanescent dew?”
The “home” signifies the soul’s ultimate destiny—union with God in the timeless realm of eternity (baqa). This contrasts sharply with the ephemeral world, a transitory illusion bound by temporality. In Sufi thought, the soul is a wayfarer (salik) journeying back to its divine origin (ma‘ad). Attar frames eternity as the soul’s true abode, aligning with the valley of quest (talab), where the seeker pledges to pursue the Divine. God, as al-Baqi (the Eternal), transcends time, beckoning the soul to its primordial purpose.
God, as al-Haqq (the Truth), is depicted as an infinite, boundless ocean, uncontainable and unfathomable. The “shoreless sea” evokes divine transcendence (tanzih), where God’s essence (dhat) defies all limits and comprehension. This metaphor resonates with wahdat al-wujud, portraying God as the all-encompassing reality subsuming existence. It primes the seeker for the valley of wonder (hayrat), where divine majesty overwhelms the soul, evoking Qur’anic imagery of God’s vastness (e.g., “His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth” [Qur’an 2:255]).
Even paradise, the conventional eschatological aspiration, is diminished to a mere “drop” against the infinite expanse of God’s reality. Attar critiques limited spiritual ambitions, a hallmark of Sufi thought, noting that paradise, though a divine reward remains a created realm. The seeker must aim beyond it for direct union with the uncreated Divine. This aligns with the valley of detachment (istighna), where even the yearning for paradise is relinquished in favor of divine love (‘ishq). God’s transcendence eclipses all created domains, urging the pursuit of His essence over His gifts.
The “ocean” of God’s infinite reality is promised as attainable, a testament to divine mercy (rahma). The rhetorical challenge “why should you stop?” rebukes the birds’ hesitation, spurring relentless perseverance on the Sufi path (tariqa). This call fuels the valley of love (‘ishq), where ardent longing propels the seeker through trials toward divine union. God’s accessibility, rooted in grace, balances His transcendence, echoing Qur’anic assurances of divine nearness (“We are closer to him than his jugular vein” [Qur’an 50:16]).
The “evanescent dew” symbolizes the transient allure of worldly pleasures—fragile, illusory, and devoid of substance. “Beguiled” condemns the birds’ distraction by these fleeting temptations, which pale against the eternal Divine. Attar underscores the Sufi view of dunya (the world) as a veil obscuring divine reality (Haqq), advocating zuhd (detachment) as essential for the valley of poverty (faqr). The dew’s impermanence, a staple of Persian poetic imagery, aligns with Qur’anic warnings against worldly deception (e.g., “The life of this world is but amusement and play” [Qur’an 6:32]).
The “shoreless sea” and the diminishment of paradise exalt God’s transcendent, infinite essence, surpassing all created realms and human conception. Yet, the promise of the “ocean” as attainable reflects God’s immanence and mercy, rendering the infinite accessible through spiritual striving. The “Truth” as the sole reality reinforces wahdat al-wujud, while the “evanescent dew” condemns worldly illusions, urging detachment. Attar elevates the seeker’s aspiration to direct union with God, achieved through love, perseverance, and the relinquishment of lesser goals, culminating in fana and unity with the Simurgh.
“Make of your heart a looking-glass and see
Reflected there the Friend’s nobility;
Your sovereign’s glory will illuminate
The palace where he reigns in proper state.
Search for this king within your heart; His soul
Reveals itself in atoms of the Whole.”
The heart (qalb), the epicenter of spiritual perception, is urged to become a pristine mirror (mir’at), reflecting divine reality with unerring clarity. The “looking-glass” demands a heart purified of ego, desires, and distractions through dhikr (remembrance) and tazkiya (purification). The imperative “see” commands active spiritual insight (basira). In Sufism, the heart is the throne of divine manifestation, as per the prophetic saying, “The heart of the believer is the throne of the All-Merciful.” This prepares the seeker for the valley of knowledge (ma‘rifat), where divine recognition dawns. God’s immanence shines within the polished heart, echoing Qur’anic intimacy (“We are closer to him than his jugular vein” [Qur’an 50:16]).
God, the “Friend” (Dost), is the beloved whose intimate bond with the seeker is steeped in divine love (‘ishq). His “nobility” (sharaf) encompasses sublime attributes—beauty, mercy, and majesty. A purified heart mirrors these divine qualities (sifat), enabling the seeker to bask in God’s presence. This reflection aligns with takhalluq (adopting divine traits) and foreshadows fana, where the ego dissolves, leaving only God’s radiance. Central to the valley of love, this evokes the seeker’s ardent yearning for the Divine, whose Asma’ al-Husna (Beautiful Names) become manifest through inner contemplation.
God, the “sovereign” (malik), radiates divine glory (jalal), a luminous outpouring that illuminates the heart with spiritual awakening. This divine light (nur) signifies gnosis (ma‘rifat), where the seeker beholds God’s majesty and truth. The heart becomes a chalice for divine radiance, aligning with the valley of unity (tawhid), where God’s singular dominion reigns supreme. This echoes the Qur’anic metaphor of God as the “Light of the heavens and the earth” (Qur’an 24:35). God’s transcendent glory is tempered by His grace, making His light accessible to the seeker.
The “palace” symbolizes the purified heart, now a sanctified throne for God’s sovereign presence. “Reigns in proper state” declares God’s full majesty manifested when the heart is cleansed of impurities. In Sufi thought, the heart becomes a locus of divine manifestation (tajalli), resonating with the valley of contentment (qana‘a), where the seeker finds serenity in God’s indwelling. The royal imagery, prevalent in Persian poetry, exalts God’s kingship (mulk) within the intimate chamber of the soul, affirming His immanence.
The seeker is urged to seek God, the “king,” within the heart, prioritizing introspection over external quests. “His soul” (jan) denotes God’s life-giving essence, intimately present within the seeker. This aligns with the prophetic maxim, “Know yourself, and you will know your Lord,” and prepares the seeker for the valley of unity (tawhid), where God’s oneness is realized within. The “king” underscores divine authority, while “soul” emphasizes God’s living presence, heralding the realization of wahdat al-wujud. God’s nearness is affirmed, accessible through self-knowledge.
God’s essence (dhat) permeates every particle of creation, from the infinitesimal “atoms” to the boundless “Whole.” This encapsulates wahdat al-wujud, where God is the singular reality underlying all existence. Every fragment of creation is a divine sign (ayat), as in (Qur’an 41:53) (“We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves”). This aligns with the valley of wonder (hayrat), where the seeker is awestruck by God’s all-encompassing presence, bridging microcosm and macrocosm in divine unity.
God is immanent, dwelling within the heart’s “palace” and every “atom” of creation, accessible through purification and introspection. His transcendence, as the “sovereign” with radiant “glory,” elevates Him beyond grasp, yet His light illuminates the seeker’s heart through grace. The “Friend’s nobility” kindles divine love, driving the seeker toward fana, while the “atoms of the Whole” affirm wahdat al-wujud, uniting creation in God’s singular reality. The heart, as mirror and throne, is the crucible for divine encounter, achieved through love, purification, and the realization of God’s indwelling presence.
“The Simorgh’s shadow and Himself are one;
Seek them together, twinned in unison.
But you are lost in vague uncertainty –
Pass beyond shadows to Reality.”
The Simorgh symbolizes God, the Absolute Reality (al-Haqq), while His “shadow” signifies His manifestations—creation, human souls, and divine attributes. Affirming their oneness collapses the dualistic chasm between Creator and creation, embodying wahdat al-wujud (the unity of being), a metaphysical doctrine later crystallized by Ibn al-ʿArabi but already luminously envisioned in Attar’s mystical narrative. Creation, as the “shadow,” is not autonomous but a theophany (tajalli), existing solely by virtue of God’s Reality—like a shadow inseparable from its source. This vision aligns seamlessly with the Valley of Unity (tawhid), wherein the seeker discerns all existence as a mirror reflecting the singular Divine Essence, echoing the Qur’anic affirmation: “Everything will perish except His Face” (Qur’an 28:88).
The Hoopoe, serving as the Sufi guide, exhorts the birds to seek both the Simorgh (God’s Essence) and His shadow (creation) as an indivisible whole, urging them to perceive their profound interwovenness. The phrase “twinned in unison” evokes a mystical inseparability, calling the seeker to a holistic vision that embraces both God’s transcendence (tanzih) and immanence (tashbih). The seeker is thus invited to behold creation as a divine sign (ayat), in accordance with Qur’an 41:53: “We will show them Our signs on the horizons and within themselves.” This revelation prepares the wayfarer for the Valley of Wonder (hayrat), where the unity of God’s Essence and His manifestations overwhelms the intellect with awe. God’s oneness encompasses both His transcendent Essence and His immanent expressions, demanding a discerning vision that steers clear of both pantheistic dissolution and dualistic fragmentation.
The birds are chastised for their hesitancy, ensnared in “vague uncertainty” born of their inability to apprehend divine unity. Their confusion arises from a dualistic mindset—perceiving God as severed from creation, or clinging to the deceptive multiplicity of the world, thereby obstructing their journey toward the Simorgh. Attar critiques this veil of multiplicity (kathra), which obscures spiritual clarity by masking the One behind the many. This critique resonates with the Valley of Knowledge (maʿrifa), where the seeker transcends ignorance to behold the truth of divine reality, echoing the Qur’anic admonition: “The life of this world is but amusement and diversion” (Qur’an 57:20).
The seekers are summoned to transcend the “shadows”—the illusory autonomy of creation, the false lights of multiplicity, and the fragmented partial truths—to attain the Absolute Reality (al-Haqq), God Himself. This summons is a clarion call to journey from the ephemeral to the eternal, from manifestation to Source, culminating in the direct apprehension of the Divine. To “pass beyond shadows” signifies fana (annihilation of the self), wherein ego, illusion, and falsehood dissolve, and giving way to baqa (subsistence in God). This ascent mirrors the Valley of Poverty (faqr), where all that remains is the abiding Reality of God alone. The invocation of “Reality” directly evokes the Divine Name al-Haqq, prefiguring the poem’s climactic moment, when the birds behold themselves as the Simorgh, thus realizing their ultimate union in divine oneness.
Formation is a luminous reflection of God’s Reality, inseparable from His Essence. God is the transcendent al-Haqq, surpassing the ephemeral shadows of creation, however immanent as their very source—binding Essence and manifestation in an indivisible unity. The critique of “vague uncertainty” underscores the imperative of spiritual insight (maʿrifa) to pierce the veil of multiplicity, an insight attained through disciplined striving and illuminated guidance. The call to “pass beyond shadows” exhorts the seeker to embrace zuhd (detachment) and fana, charting the inward path from illusion to Reality, culminating in the ecstatic realization of divine unity, as consummated in the birds’ ultimate merging with the Simorgh.
Author can be mailed at Shauqwani77@gmail.com
