The Advent of Attār and Fake Attārs; A Study on the Origin of Fake Attārs

After Farid al-Din Attār of Nishāpur، as this study assumes، there were some other persons who claimed to be Attār. Claiming that they have written Attār’s works، these fake Attārs attribute their own products to the poet of Mantiq al-Tayr. When reading the introduction of these fake works، the readers may assume that their poets have been born before the real Attār. Examining this unusual phenomenon، the current article reveals that believing in the “emanation of lights” or، as extremists and their opponents called it، believing in the “advent” might cause this event. Meanwhile، some radical tendencies of followers of Mansur al-Hallāj were also found to be the source of this phenomenon. According to the emanation of lights، divine lights are transferred from each person to another. This process was started from Ali ibn Abi Tālib and transferred to other Imāms and mystics. So، fake Attārs presumed that they had become Farid al-Din Attār through the emanation of lights.