افکار عطار نیشاپوری و حقیقتِ نبوت: منطق و برہان کی روشنی میں ایک تنقیدی مطالعہ

“The Thought of ʿAṭṭār of Nishapur and the Reality of Prophethood: A Critical Study in the Light of Logic and Demonstrative Reason”

Abstract

This research undertakes a critical examination of the metaphysical and theological dimensions of Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār of Nishapur’s thought concerning the reality of prophethood (ḥaqīqat al-nubuwwah) within the broader framework of Islamic philosophy and mysticism. By analyzing his seminal works such as Manṭiq al-Ṭayr and Tadhkirat al-Awliyāʾ, the paper explores how ʿAṭṭār’s mystical vision integrates rational argumentation (manṭiq) and demonstrative reasoning (burhān) into his understanding of the prophetic station. The study investigates whether ʿAṭṭār’s symbolic language and allegorical method transcend philosophical discourse or employ it as a means to articulate divine realities accessible only through spiritual unveiling (kashf).Through a comparative lens, the paper contrasts ʿAṭṭār’s epistemological approach with classical Islamic philosophers such as al-Fārābī, Ibn Sīnā, and al-Ghazālī, and evaluates the extent to which his interpretation of prophecy aligns with orthodox Islamic theology (ʿaqīdah). This critical inquiry situates ʿAṭṭār’s mystical logic within the dialectic of reason and revelation, demonstrating that his concept of prophethood operates not merely as a metaphysical principle but as the very axis of divine-human communication.