The Ilahi-nama of Farid al-Din 'Attar

The Ilahi-nama of Farid al-Din 'Attar is a medieval Persian narrative poem translated and annotated by scholar John Andrew Boyle. This translation brings the 13th century mystical text to English readers while preserving its spiritual and philosophical elements. The text centers on a caliph and his six sons, with each son expressing his deepest worldly desire to the father. Through their dialogue and the father's responses, the work explores human nature and divine truth through allegory and storytelling. The book contains Boyle's complete English translation alongside detailed notes on the cultural and religious context of medieval Persia. His commentary examines the work's structure, symbolism, and relationship to Islamic mystical traditions. At its core, the Ilahi-nama grapples with universal questions about desire, wisdom, and the path to spiritual enlightenment. Its framework of father-son dialogues serves as a vehicle for broader meditations on the relationship between the material and divine realms.

No reliable reader reviews or ratings could be found online for this specific English translation by John Andrew Boyle of Attar's Ilahi-nama. The book appears to be an academic translation primarily used in research and scholarly settings, without significant public reviews on common platforms like Goodreads or Amazon. While the original Persian text by Attar has many reviews, they do not specifically address Boyle's translation and analysis. This appears to be a specialized academic work with limited public reader feedback available.

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🔹 The Ilahi-nama is a mystical poem written in Persian that follows a king counseling his six sons, each of whom desires something worldly (kingdom, magic, love, etc.) while the father attempts to guide them toward spiritual enlightenment. 🔹 Farid al-Din 'Attar was both a perfume-seller and poet in 12th-century Persia - his pen name "'Attar" actually means "perfumer" in Persian. 🔹 John Andrew Boyle's translation marked the first time this important Sufi text was made available in English, opening up medieval Persian mystical literature to a much wider audience. 🔹 The work contains approximately 6,500 verses and uses a complex system of allegories and parables to convey its spiritual teachings, including stories about historical figures, animals, and supernatural beings. 🔹 Unlike 'Attar's better-known work "The Conference of the Birds," the Ilahi-nama focuses more on human relationships and social interactions as vehicles for spiritual lessons rather than purely mystical symbolism.