In the vast ocean of Persian Sufi literature, few names shine as brightly as Farid ud-Din Attar of Nishapur. While most Western readers recognize him as the author of the timeless masterpiece The Conference of the Birds, a lesser-known, almost mythical work continues to captivate spiritual seekers and bibliophiles: The Book of Secrets (Persian: Asrar-Nama).
For decades, students of Islamic mysticism have scoured the internet, climbed library stacks, and traded whispers in academic forums for one specific digital artifact: the "Book of Secrets Attar of Nishapur PDF."
But what is this elusive book? Why is the PDF version so highly sought after? And, most importantly, where does one begin the search for this treasure of Sufi wisdom?
Sometimes, the Book of Secrets hides inside larger compilations. Look for PDFs titled "The Collected Works of Attar of Nishapur" or "Attar: A Selection of His Poems" (edited by Afkham Darbandi). These often include the most famous chapters of the Asrar-Nama, even if the title says "Conference of the Birds."
The “secret” (sirr) of the title is not esoteric knowledge to be guarded, but an experiential truth: God alone is real, and the individual self is a veil. Attar relentlessly attacks the ego (nafs), portraying it as a tyrant, a thief, and an idol. In one memorable passage, he compares the self-seeking devotee to a man who prays only to be seen—his worship is not a ladder to heaven but a heavier chain. The secret, therefore, is that spiritual progress is not about adding virtues but about subtracting the self. As Attar writes (in paraphrase), “You are the veil between you and the Beloved; remove yourself, and the road is cleared.”
This doctrine of fana’ (annihilation) is presented not as morbid nihilism but as joyful liberation. In a striking tale, a mystic thanks God for his suffering because every pain crushed another brick in the wall of his ego. The secret, once unveiled, reveals that what we call “I” was always an illusion—and what remains is the divine breath.
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Book of Secrets Asrar-Nama Farid ud-Din Attar of Nishapur is a foundational work of Persian Sufi literature. Unlike his narrative masterpieces, this work is a didactic poem—a "plotless" meditation focusing on spiritual growth, the nature of existence, and the soul's journey toward the Divine. book of secrets attar of nishapur pdf
Институт востоковедения Российской Академии Наук Core Themes and Structure The Structure of Human Existence
: The central concept is that the human body acts like a "spell" guarding a hidden spiritual treasure. To reach this treasure, one must transcend physical boundaries. Death and Resurrection
: The poem serves as a deep meditation on the transitions between life, death, and the ultimate spiritual awakening. Tawhid (Oneness of God)
: The introductory chapters emphasize the unity and transcendence of God, describing Him as unknowable to the human mind yet the constant pursuit of all souls. Chapter Layout : The work consists of 18 chapters
(or "articles") that do not follow a single story but are connected by an "invisible thread" of anthropological and theological inquiry. شعر پژوهی(بوستان ادب) Accessing the Text For those seeking a digital copy (PDF) of the Asrar-Nama
, several authoritative and archival versions are available: Original Persian Manuscript : A digitized version of a 1944 print is available on the Internet Archive Scholarly Commentary : Modern research papers, such as those on ResearchGate , provide context on Attar's philosophy within the Asrar-Nama Translations
: While incomplete in some public domains, French translations (like Le Livre des Secrets
by C. Tortel) and various English academic excerpts exist in university repositories like The Institute of Ismaili Studies Historical Significance Attar's works, including the Asrar-Nama Unveiling the Mystic Codex: The Quest for the
, had a profound influence on later Sufi poets. Legend states that a young
met Attar in Nishapur, where Attar presented him with a copy of the Asrar-Nama , marking a symbolic passing of the mystical torch. specific chapter summary
or more information on how this work compares to his more famous Conference of the Birds Farid al-Din 'Attar - The Institute of Ismaili Studies
The Asrar-Nama (Persian: اسرارنامه), commonly translated as the "Book of Secrets" or "Book of Mysteries," is one of the most profound didactic poems in the history of Islamic mysticism. Composed in the 12th century by the legendary Persian apothecary-poet Farid al-Din Attar of Nishapur, this masterpiece serves as a manual for the human soul’s journey away from the material world and toward divine reality. The Historical Significance: Attar and Rumi
Attar of Nishapur (c. 1145–1221) was an apothecary by trade—his pen name, Attar, means "perfumer" or "pharmacist". He is often cited as the bridge between early Sufism and the later, more lyrical school of Jalal ad-Din Rumi.
Legend has it that a young Rumi met the aging Attar in Nishapur while his family was fleeing the Mongol threat. Attar reportedly gifted the young boy a copy of the Asrar-Nama, recognizing his spiritual potential. Rumi famously acknowledged this debt, stating:
"Attar has roamed through the seven cities of love, while we have barely turned down the first street". Core Themes and Philosophy
Unlike Attar’s more famous Conference of the Birds, which is a narrative allegory, the Asrar-Nama is a collection of meditations and spiritual stories that explore the core tenets of Sufism. Studied in academic courses on Persian literature and Sufism
Self-Knowledge as God-Knowledge: Attar consistently argues that the key to knowing God is first knowing one's own soul. He writes that if one is ignorant of their own essence, any attempt to grasp the essence of God is futile.
The Rejection of Worldly Reason: The book emphasizes that while reason serves a purpose in the physical world, it is a "blind eye" on the spiritual path. True enlightenment is achieved through Divine Love, which transcends the limitations of logic and philosophy.
Death and Resurrection: A recurring motif in the text is the "entanglement of the soul in the material world" and the necessity of "dying before one dies"—annihilating the ego to witness the Divine.
The Seven Valleys: Though more central to the Conference of the Birds, the Asrar-Nama also alludes to the stages of spiritual development: Quest, Love, Knowledge, Detachment, Unity, Wonderment, and Poverty/Annihilation. Accessing the PDF and Translations Translating Classical Iranian Poetry: Farid al-Din Attar
Simply downloading a "Book of Secrets Attar of Nishapur PDF" is not enough. Attar is not a poet to be consumed; he is a mirror to be stared into. Here is a practical method for study:
In the vast constellation of Persian Sufi poetry, the 12th-century poet Farid ud-Din Attar of Nishapur occupies a singular, blazing star. While his epic The Conference of the Birds (Mantiq al-Tayr) is celebrated as a grand allegorical journey, his lesser-known but equally profound Asrar-Nama (The Book of Secrets) offers a more intimate, urgent, and psychologically penetrating map of the spiritual path. Unlike the linear narrative of the Conference, The Book of Secrets is a mosaic of parables, direct exhortations, and lyrical meditations—a manual for the soul that seeks to dismantle the ego’s fortress and unveil the divine secret hidden within every human heart.
Surprisingly, tech platforms like GitHub host plain-text files of public domain Persian literature. Search GitHub for "Attar Nishapur" – you may find a raw Persian text file of the Asrar-Nama that you can convert to PDF yourself.
The Book of Secrets is not a systematic treatise but a collection of stories and discourses organized around key Sufi concepts: repentance (tawba), patience (sabr), gratitude (shukr), fear (khawf), hope (raja’), poverty (faqr), and love (ishq). Attar deliberately avoids abstract theology. Instead, he uses brief, often shocking narrative parables—such as a madman who sets fire to a king’s robe to teach detachment, or a lover who drinks his own blood to prove his sincerity—to jolt the reader out of conventional reasoning. Each story functions like a Zen koan: it does not explain the secret; it enacts the dissolution of the self that makes the secret perceivable.