Annihilation (Fana) from Attar's Point of View

Annihilation is an important fundamental concept in Iranian-Islamic mysticism and is somehow the pivot of mystic issues. The literal meaning of annihilation is destruction and dissipation, but it has a different meaning in mysticism: annihilation of the self to reach the truth (survival). Attar Neishaburi is an outstanding mystic who has explained and explicated mystic issues succinctly. The high frequency of this word in his works reveals the importance it has in his thoughts. Therefore, in the present research, Attar’s approaches to this issue will be studied and analyzed. Having attained the rank of annihilation, Attar seems to see true survival in annihilation and believes that such a man, who has reached the rank of annihilation, is to be revered since he has achieved the peace of the two worlds. Moreover, the links that the poet creates between annihilation and taverns, perfection, pride, silence, poverty, and the sea are noteworthy.