Farid al-Din Attar

Book: The Conference of the Birds

Temptations:

One day, an immature person went to see an ascetic and complained to him about the actions of the devil.

"His trickery deceived me and led me astray from the right path and religion."

The man responded,

"Know, my dear friend, that before you, the devil came to me to complain about you because you afflicted him, and he is upset by your great injustice."

Here's what he told me:

"This world is my domain; whoever is his enemy is not my concern. So, go tell so-and-so to move on, to wash his hands of this world, which is mine. If I have, without mercy, targeted his faith, it's because he clung to the world, my kingdom. Whoever leaves my domain and renounces for good, I have nothing more to do with him, and I let him go."

ℹ️ In Sufism, the pursuit of inner truth, the purification of the soul, and detachment from the material world are central themes.

The dialogue between the immature, representing the soul in search, and the ascetic can be seen as an allegory of the spiritual journey. The immature complains about the traps of the devil, symbolizing the temptations and distractions that lead the soul astray from the right path. The ascetic, embodying spiritual wisdom, responds by revealing that even the devil complained about immature souls afflicting him, thus emphasizing the consequences of one's own actions.

When the devil declares that the world is his domain, he refers to material distractions and earthly attachments that distance the soul from its spiritual quest. The call to "wash one's hands of this world" can be understood as an encouragement to detach from worldly attachments, thereby renouncing distractions that hinder the spiritual journey.

The reference to targeting the individual's faith underscores the importance of inner purity. The devil states that he is no longer interested in those who leave his domain, suggesting that the soul that definitively renounces material attachments is liberated from the detrimental influence of the devil.

Overall, this allegory highlights Sufi themes of inner purification, detachment from the material world, and the quest for spiritual truth through the soul's journey toward divine proximity.

Artwork by John Martin "Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council" (1824)

Translated from Persian

illustration by Laurent Guidali

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