A Comparative Study of the Symbol’s Types of Avicenna’s Resalat-Al-Tair and Attar’s Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr

From time immemorial, symbolism has been a way of telling stories and myths. This statement also applies to ancient Persian literature in Iran. The socio-cultural movement of mysticism and Sufism required a certain kind of language so that it would not be easy for those who are unfamiliar with these concepts to understand its deep meanings. Avicenn in his Resalat-Al-Tair and Attar in Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr, used symbols to express the secondary concepts that are specific to the realm of mysticism. The present article, in an analytical descriptive manner, compares the types of symbols in the two texts. The results of the present study indicate that Ibn Sina and Attar both used the symbol to express mystical concepts, in such a way that these two works can be considered as symbolic stories with mystical colors. Most of the symbols of these two works, especially the logic of the bird, are among the symbolic (conventional) symbols. In the sense that it is the result of the initiative and creativity of Ibn Shina and Attar. Apart from this, traditional (general) symbols can also be found in these two works.