Farid al-Din Attar is considered one of the preeminent mystical poets of the Persian literary tradition. The duration of his life is uncertain, though he can be placed in the 12th and 13th centuries C.E. Born in Nishapur in what is today Iran, Attar apparently was a pharmacist, but little information about his personal life is known. During his lifetime he is believed to have written approximately 9 books, including such famous works as the Manteq al-Tayr (The Conference of the Birds) and the Ilahi-Nama (The Book of God).

Muslim Saints and Mystics is an abridgement, translated by A.J. Arberry, of Attar's only known prose work: Tadhkirat al-Auliya (The Memorial of the Saints), which he worked on throughout much of his life and which was available publicly before his death. In what is considered the most compelling entry in this book, Attar relates the story of the execution of Hallaj, the mystic who had uttered the words “I am the Truth” in a state of ecstatic contemplation. Arberry's translation is an abridgement; the entry on Owaise al-Qarani translated by Mohammed A. Hafeez, omitted in Arberry's text, is included at the following link: Owaise al-Qarani.

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