Farid al-Din Attar is considered one of the preeminent mystical poets of the Persian literary tradition.

The duration of his life is uncertain, though he can be placed in the 12th and 13th centuries .!. "orn in #ishapur in $hat is today %ran, Attar apparently $as a pharmacist, but little information about his personal life is &no$n. During his lifetime he is belie'ed to ha'e $ritten appro(imately ) boo&s, including such famous $or&s as the Manteq al-Tayr *The onference of the "irds+ and the Ilahi-Nama *The "oo& of ,od+. Muslim Saints and Mystics is an abridgement, translated by A.-. Arberry, of Attar.s only &no$n prose $or&/ Tadhkirat al-Auliya *The 0emorial of the 1aints+, $hich he $or&ed on throughout much of his life and $hich $as a'ailable publicly before his death. %n $hat is considered the most compelling entry in this boo&, Attar relates the story of the e(ecution of 2alla3, the mystic $ho had uttered the $ords 4% am the Truth5 in a state of ecstatic contemplation. Arberry.s translation is an abridgement6 the entry on 7$aise al-8arani translated by 0ohammed A. 2afee9, omitted in Arberry.s te(t, is included at the follo$ing lin&/ Owaise al-Qarani.