ʿAṭṭār

Persian Mystical Poet

His full name was Farīd al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm ʿAṭṭār. Very little is known of the life of this poet of Northeastern Iran. He almost certainly was a pharmacist, as his name implies, and he refers in his poetry to attending to patients in his shop. He is said to have died a victim to the general slaughter of the inhabitants of the region that accompanied the Mongol invasion. An author in several genres, he is most important for the success with which he married narrative poetry with mystical thought. His narratives are comprehensive (and often have complete and well told smaller narratives embedded in them).