Fariduddin Attar

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The mausoleum of Fariduddin Attar in Nishapur

Fariduddin Attar ( Persian فرید الدین عطار, DMG Farīd ad-Dīn-e ʿAṭṭār ; * around 1136 in Nishapur ( Persia ); † 1220 or November 3, 1221 ) was a Persian poet and Islamic mystic (see Sufism ).

Life

Attar is the least known in Europe among the great classical poets of Persia . In 2005, the German-Iranian writer and Islamic scholar Navid Kermani dedicated his book Der Schreck Gottes to his radical image of God , comparing his revolt against suffering with the biblical Job .

Before he found his way to Sufism, he owned a drugstore , hence his nickname Attar ("the druggist"). A similar or additional interpretation of his name is that he worked as a doctor. Although his works are not well known in the West, Attar's poetry has influenced some mystics of both Eastern and Western origins over the centuries. He is also one of the most important figures in Sufism. He sheds new light on the teaching by describing the path ( tariqa ) with the art of a storyteller.

A well-known love story from Attar's work, also known as the Gathering of the Birds , is that of Meccan Sheikh San'an and the Christian girl.

One of the most famous of his 114 works is the Mantiq ut-tair ("The Birds Talk "). This epic tells of a thousand birds making a journey through seven valleys to the bird king, the Simurgh - a dangerous and arduous journey in which only thirty birds make it to the last valley. There the birds recognize their own identity in the king; Attar used a pun here , because the name of the bird king means simurgh , this is a legendary figure. But if you write the name si murgh , it becomes “thirty birds”. A partial French translation of this work was published in Liège in 1653 . In 1678 it was translated into Latin . Hadayatullah Hübsch turned the material into a radio play. Jorge Luis Borges occasionally referred to the work in his writings, especially in his supposed review of the fictional book The Path to Al-Mutasim .

Attar's work Tadhkirat al-auliya is a collection of legends of saints whose stories deeply influenced all later generations of Sufis. It also includes a biography of the famous mystic al-Halladsch , who strongly influenced the image of this martyr in later Persian , Turkish and Indian poetry.

Other well-known works by Attar are Ilahiname , in which a king tries to keep his six sons from worldly desires, and Musibatname ("The Book of Sorrows"), which tells of experiences during a forty-day retreat (see also Tekke ).

The famous Sufi Jalal ad-Din Rumi , who met Attar at a young age, was initiated into his teachings by him. He later referred to Attar as his own soul ; and he confesses that everything he says about the truth he learned from Attar. He also judged him: "Attar crossed the seven cities of love , we only got to the next street corner."

Even Attar's death sounds like a doctrinal story of Sufism, which is why it is assumed that it is a legend : When he was captured during the Mongol storm in the 13th century, someone offered him 1,000 pieces of silver. Attar advised his Mongolian "owner" not to enter into the trade, as the price was wrong. The Mongol took this to heart and did not sell it. Later another man came and offered a sack of straw for Attar, who this time said that that was exactly his price, because he was not worth more. Upon hearing this, the Mongol became angry and cut off his head.

Poem (selection)

ره ميخانه و مسجد كدام است
كه هر دو بر من مسكين حرام است
ميان مسجد و ميخانه راهيست
بجوئيد اى عزيزان كين كدام است
rah-e meyḫāne-wo masǧed kodām ast
ke har do bar man-e meskīn ḥarām ast
miyān-e masǧed-o meyḫāne rāh-ī-st
beǧū'īd ey 'azīzān k'īn kodām ast
The way to the wine house and the mosque, which one is it?
Both are forbidden to me poorly.
There is a path between the mosque and the wine house.
Find out, dear ones, which one it is.

literature

  • Fariduddin Attar: Stories and Aphorisms. Translated by Hellmut Ritter. Edition Tiessen, Neu-Isenburg 1995.
  • 'Attar: The Book of Sorrows. From the Persian by Bernhard Meyer. With the collaboration of Nasi Shahin, Mehrdad Razi, Tahereh Matejko and Jutta Wintermann. With an introduction by Monika Gronke. CH Beck, Munich 2017, ISBN 978-3-406-69762-3
  • Kenneth Avery, Ali Alizadeh (Eds.): Attar: Fifty Poems of Attar. re-press 2007, ISBN 978-0-9803052-1-0 , ( Online PDF , Open Access ).
  • Navid Kermani : The Terror of God. Attar, Job and the Metaphysical Revolt. CH Beck, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-406-53524-0 , ( reviews ).
  • Hellmut Ritter : The sea of ​​the soul. Man, world and God in the stories of Farīduddīn ʿAṭṭār . Leiden 1955; exp. 1978 edition.

Remarks

  1. ^ Peter Lamborn Wilson , Karl Schlamminger: Weaver of Tales. Persian Picture Rugs / Persian tapestries. Linked myths. Callwey, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-7667-0532-6 , pp. 46–77 ( Die Liebesdichtung ), here: pp. 54–56 and 72–75.
  2. ↑ Annemarie Schimmel : Gardens of Knowledge. Munich 1982, p. 119.
  3. ↑ M. Bayat, MA Jamnia: Stories from the Land of the Sufis. Frankfurt am Main, June 1998, p. 55.
  4. ↑ Idries Shah : The Sufis. Munich 1976, p. 99.
  5. ↑ Transcription according to DMG
  6. ↑ In Islamic mysticism, the wine house symbolizes the world or the universe, wine the sap of life, that of God, the heavenly wine tavern ( Persian ساقى, DMG Sāqī ).

Web links

Wikiquote: Fariduddin Attar  - Quotes
personal data
SURNAME Attar, Fariduddin
ALTERNATIVE NAMES the druggist
BRIEF DESCRIPTION islamic mystic
DATE OF BIRTH around 1136
PLACE OF BIRTH Nishapur (Eastern Persia)
DATE OF DEATH around 1220
Place of death Nishapur (Eastern Persia)