Intellectual and Spiritual Wanderings of Fariduddin Al-Aththar

 

Intellectual and Spiritual Wanderings of Fariduddin Al-Aththar

His full name is Muhammad bin Abu Bakr Ibrahim bin Abu Ya'qub Ishaq al-Aththar. While his kuniyah name is Abu Hamid or Abu Talib. According to a valid opinion as stated by Abdul Wahhab Azzam in his book, At-Tashawwuf wa Farid ad-Din al-Aththar, he was born in 513 Hijriyah in the village of Kadkan, Naisabur. Al-Aththar died and was buried in Naisabur in 627 H. His father was a Sufi who became a student of Shaykh Qutb al-Din Haidar. Like other students, Al-Aththar also studied with his father's teacher.

Farid al-Din al-Aththar replaced his father's job and became a perfume seller (Aththar). He also treated many patients and prescribed medicine to them. Hundreds of patients came for treatment to him. But al-Aththar then left his job to undertake an intellectual-spiritual odyssey, work, and worship.

Al-Aththar's Intellectual-Spiritual Wandering

Before embarking on an intellectual and spiritual odyssey, al-Aththar was struck by an event that transformed him from a perfume seller to a seeker of the spiritual path. The story is told by Abdurrahman al-Jami in his work Nafahat al-Uns, as follows:

One day, a dervish who came to the pharmacy to ask for medicine was amazed by the luxury of the shop. Opening wide, he looked around the shop and then probed and observed al-Aththar's appearance. Al-Aththar asked him why he was looking at him.

"I wonder how you will die if you have to give up all this wealth," replied the dervish.

Feeling insulted, al-Aththar retorted angrily, "I will die the same way you die."

“But I have nothing to worry about. All I have is the robe I'm wearing and this kasykul (bowl for begging). Now, are you still going to say that you will die the same way I died?" asked the dervish again.

"Of course," replied al-Aththar.

Hearing this, the dervish recited the name of Allah and, using his kashkul as a pillow, lay down and died.

After this incident he finally changed his previous perspective. He donated his belongings. Then do spiritual practice.

Regardless of the truth of the stories told by the speakers of Sufi stories, in the end al-Aththar made an intellectual-spiritual odyssey to a Sufi who became a professor in Naisabur; Sheikh Ruknuddin Abdurrahman bin Abdushomad. Al-Aththar studied with him for several years. Among al-Aththar's other teachers was Shaykh Qutbh al-Din Haidar. Sufi majdzub who has reached the level of wali abdal.

In addition to studying directly with a number of sheikhs. Al-Aththar indirectly also studied with Imam Ghazali. Even al-Ghazali for al-Aththar has a big enough role in inspiring and influencing his thinking. One of al-Ghazali's works; Risalah at-Thair (Bird's Treatise) is the work that inspired al-Aththar in writing Manthiq at-Thair.

Manthiq at-Thair Karya Monumental Al-Aththar

Badi' Muhammad Jum'ah, in Muqaddimah Manthiq al-Thayr, as quoted by Kiai Said Aqil Siroj in his dissertation states that al-Aththar's works reach one hundred and fourteen works as many as the number of letters in al-Quran al-Karim. His works are in the form of poetry and prose. Mantiq al-Thayr is his greatest work. The book was written at the end of his life after a very long journey. Al-Aththar's thought flows in the realm of philosophical Sufism. Mantiq al-Thayr is a work that contains the basics of fundamental Sufism. Al-Aththar confirmed Sufism with very deep philosophical views. One of the figures who admired and admired al-Aththar was the great Sufi Jalaluddin Rumi. In fact, Rumi indirectly made al-Aththar his teacher. He said,

Abdul Wahab Azzam mentions other works of al-Aththar which include: Khasr wa Namah, Asrar Namah, Manthiq al-Thayr, Mushibat Namah, al-Diwan, Syarh al-Qalb, Mukhtar Namah, Ilahi Namah, Asytar Namah, Jawhar al-Dzat , Tadzkirat al-Awliya', Bul Bul Namah, Madzhar al-'Ajaib, al-Shirat al-Mustaqim, Lisan al-Ghayb.

Badi' Muhammad Jum'ah said, “In general, there is no doubt that Manthiq al-Thayr is the greatest and most widely known work of Al-aththar. There is hardly one other work of al-Aththar that can match Manthiq al-Thayr except Tadzkirat al-Awliya'. The current era of Sufism scholars have considerable attention in translating al-Aththar's works as well as the attention of encyclopedia writers in every era. Manthiq al-Thayr has been translated into Indian, Turkish, French, Swedish, English, and more recently into Indonesian.

Wallahu A'lam bisshawab