The Position of " Sharh-e Taarrof" Comparing to the other Sources of Tazkerat-ol Olyaa

Researchers’ views vary on Tazkerat-ol Olyaa’s sources. Some believe that Attaar has taken many of his ideas from Hojviri’s book of “Kashf-ol Mahjoob”. Some have introduced “the Dissertation of Qosheiriyeh” as the main source of Attar, and some believe that there are some direct word-by-word translations taken from Solami’s “Tabaghaat-ol Soofiyeh”, found in Tazkerat-ol Olyaa. However, what has not been attended to is how Attaar has made use of Mostamli Bokhari’s Sharh-e Taarrof which is considered the first mystical work in Persian. This book, considering its comprehensive mystical discussions, has priority over Kashf-ol Mahjoob and the Dissertation of Qosheiriyeh. This study intends to determine the significance of this book (Sharh-e Taarrof) among Attaar’s sources by comparing some excerpts taken from Tazkerat-ol Olya and Sharh-e Taarrof. Hence, some examples are provided to reveal how Attaar has been influenced by Kashf-ol Mahjoob and by the translation of the Dissertation of Qosheiriyeh in order to depict a clear picture of the influence and the position of “Sharh-e Taarrof”.