An Evaluation of Farīd al-Dīn ʿAttār’s Symbolic Approach to the Concept of ‘Er/Eren’ in Mantiq al-Tayr

Abstract

The word “er (man)” in daily use in Turkish refers to “a male person,” but without reference to gender, it is often used to express a person who performs his/her job perfectly well. In Sufism, the concept of “er” is used to refer to al-insān al-kāmil (the perfect human being), who possesses the quality of being an exemplary servant. Although “er” denotes masculinity in its dictionary form, in mystical terms without reference to gender, the word includes all men and women who have the qualifications of a perfect human being and who gain Allah’s approval. Such Sufis as Aḥmad Yasawī (d. 562/1166), Mawlānā (d. 672/1273) and Yunus Emre (d. 720/1320) also used the concept of “er” in their works. In Sufism, this concept indicates maturity in religious and moral life. Farīd al-Dīn ʿAttār (d. 618/1221) is one of the leading mystics and poets of Persian and Classical Turkish Literature. He often used the concept of er in a symbolic way in his work Mantiq al-Tayr. The aim of the present study is to unearth and analyze what mystical concepts ʿAttār emphasizes through the symbolic meanings that he attributes to the concept of er. ʿAttār often uses the notion of er to mean al-murshid al-kāmil, al-insān al-kāmil, a saint, holy person or devotee. Furthermore, he uses the concept of er not only as a characteristic of humans but also that of some inanimate beings and animals. In his works, ʿAttār addresses this notion within Allah-servant relationships. He also uses the term for the Prophet, who is the master of every business and the goal of every human being in being a er. When considering the notion of er within the concepts of disciple/devotee, ʿAttār uses it to define people who are determined and patient on the way to the truth and who show a strong will in the face of the difficulties encountered. While emphasizing the importance of knowledge of marifāt, which is a special knowledge that Allah gives His servants so that they know themselves in their journey to wuslat, he emphasizes that the devotee should be a er of knowledge. In line with the intention to which people are attached and in which they put effort, ʿAttār uses metaphors, such as a man of path, a man of truth, a man of knowledge, a soldier of God, a man of journey; when they are attached to worldly things and serve for them, he uses the metaphor of "the man of the self". By using the concept of man, as used in daily life, ʿAttār tries to simplify meaning of the terms that are difficult to understand in Sufism, such as unity, abundance, non-existence, marifāt, al-sayr al-sulūk, fana, nafs for the reader so that they could comprehend them with ease. From this point of view, the concept of man in ʿAttār’s usage is far from a gender-specific meaning that denotes masculinity but has a usage that refers to a virtuous person.