A Comparative–Analytical Study of Mystical Stations and Stages in Ibn Sina’s Risālat al-Ṭayr and Attar of Nishapur’s Manṭiq al-Ṭayr

Abstract

Mystical stations (maqāmāt), as opposed to mystical states (aḥwāl), consist of stages and waystations that the seeker (sālik) must traverse on the path of spiritual wayfaring in order to attain the Truth; they encompass the journey from seeking (ṭalab) to unity (tawḥīd). Using a descriptive–analytical method, the present study examines the mystical dimensions of the stations and stages of the birds. This research seeks to identify the similarities and differences between Attar’s Manṭiq al-Ṭayr and Ibn Sina’s Risālat al-Ṭayr with respect to the mystical stations and stages of the birds. According to the findings, Attar’s Manṭiq al-Ṭayr shares four mystical domains with Ibn Sina’s Risālat al-Ṭayr: the station of seeking, the station of proximity, the station of self-sufficiency, and the impediment of the veil (ḥijāb) as an obstacle to the path. In the birds’ journey, this veil appears as the veil of darkness at the beginning and as the veil of majesty at the end. Moreover, in the intervals between the station of seeking and the station of proximity and arrival in Risālat al-Ṭayr—which corresponds to the station of poverty (faqr) and annihilation (fanāʾ) in Manṭiq al-Ṭayr—there are discernible differences in the manner of the birds’ spiritual journey. These differences reveal Ibn Sina’s philosophical worldview and Attar of Nishapur’s mystical worldview as reflected in the narrative of the birds’ departure toward the abode of the Simurgh.