Full Value

''The Sea Will be the Sea
Whatever the drop's philosophy.''
~ Farid Ud-Din Attar

What a man! When Attār was 114 years of age, Genghis Khan invaded Persia...

"Khan, hearing reports of discontent amongst his men, told his confidantes he feared there was some saint in the city whose powers were protecting it. He announced that he would lead the third raid himself and if that failed they would turn back. On the third day the war cries were fiercer, the advance guard spread out much wider, and the drumming of the horse’s hooves much louder.

As Attar picked up his soup bowl, he sensed someone standing beside him. He looked up and saw Khizr who took the bowl from his hand. When Attar protested, Khizr returned the bowl to him and said, “Never forget that there is someone above you who has power over lives. None of your powers will work now even if you tried. Your summons have been issued. The seventh valley of death and deprivation awaits you and many others.”

"Attār fell into the hands of one of the Moghul soldiers, who was about to put him to death, when another Moghul, out of consideration for his age and matchless piety and his resignation in the face of death, offered to purchase his life for a thousand dirhams (pieces of silver). The bargain would have been sealed had not Attār, anxious to see the bird of his soul released from its carnal cage, exclaimed; “Do not accept this paltry sum. You may depend upon getting a better offer.” After some time, another Moghul approached, and seeing that the old man would not be of much service offered a bag of fodder as his price. “This is my full value”, said Attār, “now you may sell me”. This enraged the soldier so much that he murdered the sage on the spot. Thus Attār had the supreme gratification of dying a martyr."

"Attar is one of the most ancient poets of Persia. His work has been the inspiration of Rumi and many other mystic poets of Persian Empire. Rumi considered Attar the spirit and Sanai the eyesight , both of whom his poetic masters. Attar met Rumi at the end of his life when Rumi was only a boy and gave his book Asrarnameh as a present to him.

Attar took his name from his occupation. He was a druggist, 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, the same number of suras in the holy book of Koran. About thirty of his works survived. To name a few of his works are love stories, biographies of saints, Asrarnameh (“The Book of Secrets”), a collection of quatrains, Illahinameh (“The Book of God”) and the last not the least, his most well known masterpiece of Mantiq at-Tayr (“The Bird 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 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." ~ poetseers.org