Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.
Abstract
Attar, in his work Mantiq-ut-Tayr elaborates on the seven valleys of spiritual journey, with the fourth valley being named "indifference" In this valley, the Lord is indifferent to the seeker, and the existence or non-existence of the seeker makes no difference to Him. Before Attar explains this valley in Mantiq-ut-Tayr he discusses its overall concept without any specialized terminology in the story of Job in Elahi-Nameh. Among the philosophical discussions in the Islamic world, the issue of God's knowledge of particulars, especially Al-Ghazali's interpretation of it, resonates with the valley of indifference. It is likely that Attar drew his main material for elucidating indifference from Al-Ghazali's "Incoherence of the Philosophers."
These discussions align with an ancient belief suggesting that not only humans but also the earth is so insignificant within the cosmos that the celestial sphere remains oblivious to it and is fundamentally unaware of its existence or non-existence. This issue is also raised in Attar's Asrar-Nameh and has been previously mentioned in Sanai's Hadiqe. Apparently, Sanai derived it from the Shahnameh, where the belief in the ignorance of the celestial dragon is manifested in several ways; this notion is a remnant of Zoroastrian beliefs. This article attempts to trace the origins of the valley of indifference, leading us first to a philosophical discussion and ultimately to a Zoroastrian belief found in the Shahnameh.
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