Knowledge and Action in the Works by Farid al-Din Attar (Quantitative Analysis Methods)

   Knowledge and action are fundamental categories in Islamic thought; however, their examination in researches on Persian Sufi literature remains fragmentary. The legacy of Farid al-Din Attar, in this regard, is especially understudied.

   This article aims to explore how knowledge, action and related concepts (gnosis and certainty) are treated in the works by Farid al-Din Attar.

   The research focuses on the texts’ corpora by this medieval author.

   To compile the corpus, the attribution of Attar’s poetic heritage was conducted using the Burrows’ Delta method. Based on a co-occurrence matrix derived from Attar’s collected works, the most representative quotations illustrating the relevant thesaurus were selected. An auxiliary objective was to test, on specifi c material, a methodology of combined reading that integrates “distant reading” and “close reading.” We suggest that this approach may help to reduce subjectivity in the selection of quotations for analysis. The study reveals that the medieval author does not advocate rationalism; rather, his goal is to call the reader toward mystical supra-rationalism via transcending partial knowledge to attain metaphysical Mystery. Nevertheless, the practical dimension of this experience remains crucial for him. This is not the passivity of mystical determinism often attributed to Sufi sm but rather an appeal to active action, interpreted by the author in the context of masculinity, martial heroism, and self-sacrifice.

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