“The Conference of Birds” (Mantiq-at-Tayr) and the mystical of Islam

Abstract

The search for God is a central theme of most religions. Religious devotes try to find God in many ways. Some by practicing religion in an orthodox way; other by pursuing the simplicity of daily actions as a form of to reverence God face-to-face. Other, still, by resorting to allegoric language, in prose or verse, to realize the sacred. The Attar’s “Conference of Birds” belongs to the latter group. This book, written in 12th century´s Persia, is the testimony of the complexities, perseverance, delicacy and the difficulties that men have to go through to get near God.