L. Lewisohn - Attar and the Persian Sufi Tradition: The Art of Spiritual Flight

AR AND THE PERSIAN SUFI TRADITION

Published in 2006 by I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd

6 Salem Rd, London w2 4bu

175 Fifth Avenue, New York ny 10010

www.ibtauris.com

in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies

4244 Grosvenor Gardens, London sw1w 0eb

www.iis.ac.uk

In the United States of America and in Canada distributed by

St Martins Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York ny 10010

Copyright Islamic Publications Ltd, 2006

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978 1 84511 148 9

A full cip record for this book is available from the British Library

A full cip record for this book is available from the Library of Congress

Library of Congress catalog card: available

Typeset in Minion Tra for The Institute of Ismaili Studies

Persian poem by Decotype, Amsterdam

The Institute of Ismaili Studies

The Institute of Ismaili Studies was established in 1977 with the object of promoting scholarship and learning on Islam, in the historical as well as contemporary contexts, and a better understanding of its relationship with other societies and faiths.

The Institutes programmes encourage a perspective which is not confined to the theological and religious heritage of Islam, but seeks to explore the relationship of religious ideas to broader dimensions of society and culture. The programmes thus encourage an interdisciplinary approach to the materials of Islamic history and thought. Particular attention is also given to issues of modernity that arise as Muslims seek to relate their heritage to the contemporary situation.

Within the Islamic tradition, the Institutes programmes promote research on those areas which have, to date, received relatively little attention from scholars. These include the intellectual and literary expressions of Shiism in general, and Ismailism in particular.

In the context of Islamic societies, the Institutes programmes are informed by the full range and diversity of cultures in which Islam is practised today, from the Middle East, South and Central Asia, and Africa to the industrialized societies of the West, thus taking into consideration the variety of contexts which shape the ideals, beliefs and practices of the faith.

These objectives are realized through concrete programmes and activities organized and implemented by various departments of the Institute. The Institute also collaborates periodically, on a programme-specific basis, with other institutions of learning in the United Kingdom and abroad.

The Institutes academic publications fall into a number of interrelated categories:

1. Occasional papers or essays addressing broad themes of the relationship between religion and society, with special reference to Islam.

2. Monographs exploring specific aspects of Islamic faith and culture, or the contributions of individual Muslim thinkers or writers.

3. Editions or translations of significant primary or secondary texts.

4. Translations of poetic or literary texts which illustrate the rich heritage of spiritual, devotional and symbolic expressions in Muslim history.

5. Works on Ismaili history and thought, and the relationship of the Ismailis to other traditions, communities and schools of thought in Islam.

6. Proceedings of conferences and seminars sponsored by the Institute.

7. Bibliographical works and catalogues which document manuscripts, printed texts and other source materials.

This book falls into category six listed above.

In facilitating these and other publications, the Institutes sole aim is to encourage original research and analysis of relevant issues. While every effort is made to ensure that the publications are of a high academic standard, there is naturally bound to be a diversity of views, ideas and interpretations. As such, the opinions expressed in these publications must be understood as belonging to their authors alone.

To the memory of Annemarie Schimmel (19222003)

My friends, a shower of roses from that garden

As my memoir upon your heads Ive rained down.

Since everyone has made some kind of contribution,

Set forth another revelation and passed on,

So I as well like all the rest have shown

The sleepers how the bird of the soul has flown.

Ar, Maniq al-ayr, vv. 44914493

Table of Contents

HERMANN LANDOLT

HUSAYN ILAHI-GHOMSHEI

MUHAMMAD ESTELAMI

SHAHRAM PAZOUKI

PAUL LOSENSKY

LUCIAN STONE

FATEMEH KESHAVARZ

MICHAEL BARRY

CHRISTOPHER SHACKLE

JOHANN CHRISTOPH BRGEL

MUHAMMAD ISA WALEY

LEILI ANVAR-CHENDEROFF

LEONARD LEWISOHN

EVE FEUILLEBOIS-PIERUNEK

CARL W. ERNST

List of Plates

(and cover) The hoopoe addresses the assembled birds, abballh of Mashhad, from Ar, Maniq al-ayr (Isfahan, 1609). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 63.210. fol. 11.

The lady with a piece of bread saves the condemned man from her husband the swordsman, unknown artist, from Ar, Maniq al-ayr (Isfahan, 1609). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 63.210. fol. 4. The Lady here represents the tajall, or Manifestation of the Divine, in the aspect of Mercy.

Zulaykh seizes Ysuf s tunic by the hem, Bihzd from Sad, Bstn (Herat, 14871488). National Library, Cairo, Ms. Adab Farsi 908, fol. 52v.

The saintly Bishr searches for the body of the blasphemous Malkh who drowned in the Well of Being, Bihzd, from Nim, Khamsa (Herat, 1494). The British Library, Or. 6810. fol. 175r.

Alexander kneels before the holy man to obtain his blessing in order to capture the castle of Derbent, Bihzd, from Nim, Khamsa (Herat, 1494). The British Library, Or. 6810. fol. 273r. Alexander is shown here portrayed with the features of the ruler of Herat in Bihzds own day, Suln usayn Mrz Bayqar, who commissioned this particular manuscript.

Majnn first sees Layl in school, probably by Bihzds pupil Qsim-i Al, from Nim, Khamsa (Herat, 1494). The British Library, Or. 6810, fol. 106.

Khusraw sees Shrn bathing, Suln Muammad, from Nim, Khamsa (Tabriz, 15391543). The British Library, Or. 2265, fol. 53v.

Alexander kneels before the holy man to obtain his blessing in order to capture the castle of Derbent, Mr Muawwir, from Nim, Khamsa (Tabriz, c.1540). The British Library, Add. 25900, fol. 250. This painting was modelled upon a Bihzdian prototype similar to that shown above in Plate 5.

The pretentious cleric drowned by the weight of his long beard, Bihzd, from Ar, Maniq al-ayr (Herat, 14871488). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 63.210. fol. 44.

The Sufi comforts the weeping young man at his fathers funeral, Bihzd, from Ar, Maniq al-ayr (Herat, 14871488). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 63.210. fol. 35.

Mhn rides the seven-headed dragon in the valley of the fiends, Bihzd, from Nim, Khamsa (Herat, 1493). The British Library, Add. 25900, fol. 188r.

Fettered demons bear aloft the palanquin of King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba and their minister Asaph, attributed by a Turkoman scribe to Ustd Muammad-i Siyh-Qalam, Master Muammad of the Black Stylus, from