Conference of the Birds

### Introduction

*“And so they converged to seek a leader worthy of their nation of birds.” (Attar & Wolpe 41)*

Many forms of government in the present-day allow for some form of communal input in the government, something also seen in Attar’s Conference of the Birds. Each bird has a unique area of expertise, and all of them are what make up the king they wished for. This story is well known for its more spiritual and philosophical messages, the actual text is very open to interpretation. And since the core story of the text tells of the birds going on a search for a leader, the tale can be interpreted as Attar discussing his own ideas about leadership throughout the text in addition to the rife religious and philosophical themes in the text, and sometimes even discusses leadership in accordance with those latter themes. The story offers two central leaders, the Hoopoe and the Simurgh. The Hoopoe serves as the spiritual leader and guide, pressing others to move past their weakness.  The Simurgh represents the communal effort of the thirty surviving birds who complete the arduous journey and are rewarded with sovereignty over themselves. Beyond them, the story discusses leadership in some way across several characters and parables, often intersecting with his own Sufi beliefs. The characters in the novel invoke the Sufi tradition of a Sheikh to guide new Sufi disciples, parables of altruism and acceptance in the path of reaching the beloved.  The concept of leadership is an important undertone among the spiritual and religious overtones, and an important concept learned by the birds at the end of the journey. And the journey’s ending also offers a twist on traditional leadership ideas: the birds discover that all the birds that survived the Seven valleys make up the Simurgh.

### The Simorgh and the Hoopoe as Leadership Metaphors

While Attar’s *Conference of the Birds* is primarily looked at as a religious or a philosophical text, there is an argument to be made about Attar writing about his views on leadership as well. For instance, several of the bird's excuses for not wishing to go on the journey to find the Simurgh are connected to leadership and the upper-class—such as the Homa, who believes he is too important to go on the journey because he chooses kings to rule, and the partridge, that believes it's material wealth to be more important than going to find the Simurgh. The plot of the epic is started when the birds decide they need a leader that will lead them to greatness, so it is suggested that the journey is in search of the Simurgh. The Simurgh is one of two major leaders presented in the book—the other is the Hoopoe who leads the flock of birds through the seven valleys in search of the Simurgh. The Hoopoe seems to represent a singular good king who will lead the people for the time being but should strive towards an ending similar to the one the birds have. The birds in the end discover that the thirty survivors of their arduous journey make up the Simurgh itself, and as such, the Simurgh could be a metaphor for collective leadership within a community. Therefore, Attar seems to suggest that while a decent monarch is good for a community in the short term, a community should strive to lead itself as a collective group if they wish to succeed. As Dr. Kamram Mofid puts it: "I believe Attar's classic Persian story can teach us a lot about the principles of vision, participation, values-led and collective leadership we must embody to build a better and more harmonious world," (Mofid).

The idea that *The Conference of the Birds* espouses a method of group leadership makes a bit more sense when you look at the personal life of Attar. While a renowned poet today, Attar himself was never recognized in his work until centuries after he died in the same town he was born. This likely stems from the fact that during his life, Attar never employed himself under a king or similarly high government figures like most other poets at the time did. Rather Attar worked as a pharmacist—his penname 'Attar' even being a descriptor of his profession—when he was not undertaking journeys for the sake of spiritual enlightenment. "Attar's travels seem to have been undertaken more in the pursuit of knowledge than patronage; during his life, he never sought a king's favor or wrote anything in nobles' praise," (Koshbakht, et al.) Going off of this, the most contact he might have had with any form of government leader during his lifetime would have been in the invading Mongol horde, which would go on to sack Attar's hometown of Nishapur in 1229. Many scholars believe that this is when Attar passed, and there are numerous folk tales regarding his death at the hands of the invading Mongols. Looking at this, it can be assumed that Attar would have had far more contact with lower-class people from all walks of life and most of the contact he would have received from largescale government figures would have been hostile at best. Therefore, if the Simurgh is to be considered both the ideal leader and made up of a community working together then it could be said that Attar witnessed communities coming together in times of great needs—like the remaining birds did throughout the seven valleys—and could have been convinced that they were capable of running themselves.

The Simorgh itself is treated as the ideal of a leader by the birds throughout the story. "Judging by standards laid in mainstream leadership theories, Simorgh could be described as a visionary and charismatic leader, under her leadership the birds in the story seek to improve their rank among other animals," (Dai & Foroughi). This makes it all the more poignant that in the end, the birds discovered that their surviving flock makes up the Simorgh. From here, it can be argued that Attar is advocating that once a community proves themselves sufficiently capable, they should be left to govern themselves together. In this case, while the Hoopoe is an important leader at the start of the journey and throughout the flock's migration, once the birds get through the seven valleys and discover the Simurgh, the Hoopoe is barely mentioned at all. And while the seven valleys have undeniable religious undertones and meanings, these valleys can also be treated as personal trials that a community must endure that will make them ready to lead a community together.

Therefore it can be argued that the flock of migrating birds can be considered a metaphor for a community working towards a common goal. *The Workings of the Simurgh Metaphor in Distributed Leadership* by Alireza Hejazi provides a chart that demonstrates this, as well as outlining the roles the major characters and events of the story have in shaping the metaphor. In it, Hejazi posits that the valleys the birds travel through represent the development or the growth of an organization. A few other important comparisons he outlines are the Simurgh representing communal wisdom or practice and the roles of each bird as corresponding to distributed leadership. "Shared or distributed leadership occurs when all members of a team are fully engaged in the leadership of the team and are not hesitant to influence and guide their fellow team members in an effort to maximize the potential of the team as a whole," (Hejazi 4). Meanwhile, Hejazi also places the Hoopoe as acting as the group's individual. In particular, it is the Hoopoe who convinces the other birds to stop making excuses and begin the journey, and it is the Hoopoe who comes up with the idea of seeking the Simurgh collectively in the first place. However, the Hoopoe also takes advice from the other birds and listens to their ideas and opinions, and incorporates the good ones into his strategies. This reflects the idea that the Simurgh could be construed as representing leadership being shared by an entire group, rather than only coming from a singular source.

The Simurgh and the Hoopoe, in the end, both have their place leading the congregation of birds. The Hoopoe—the singular leader—however, is only needed in the journey until the Simurgh—the final thirty birds working together—is found. Therefore it can be argued Attar uses these birds as a basis for demonstrating his views on leadership, in addition to the rife religious messages the story is well known for.

### Individual Leadership in *The Conference of the Birds*

The arduous journey the flock went on is allegorical to the human experience, a journey made all the more difficult without a good leader.  Cooperation within the group is important; gears that fit improperly seize up or don't have enough grip to turn.  But without a maestro the concerto doesn’t start, doesn’t follow time, and doesn't sound as amazing as it should.  The importance of a strong individual leader cannot be understated and cannot be given to the wrong candidate.  In terms of the birds present at the congregation, the hoopoe is who Attar designates the individual leader.  Instead, it could be any of the birds at the conference.

The discovery of the Simurgh stresses the idea that the birds are their own leaders, that the thirty survivors are what they sought after: the best king.  They couldn't have made the journey without their own determination, or cooperating with each other.  By working in perfect unison, flocks of birds can normally perform awesome aerial maneuvers.  But a flock of diverse species of birds, working together for a common goal as in the story is, according to Dr. Mohammed Sebipour: “Attār is unintentionally suggesting how a conference of birds resembles the way our brain works.”(2). They are a flock of neurons making the functions of the body work, and the body is the Simurgh.   However, there is still a director, a conscience that accepts the mantle of leadership and controls unconscious thought.  This is the individual leader required, the sheikh meant to corral the awry assembly into a better path towards the beloved.

### Sufi Influence

Sheikhs themselves are important to Sufi culture and Attar’s society.  In Sholeh Wolpe’s introduction she writes “To become a Sufi, one must be initiated and instructed extensively by a sheikh, who serves as a teacher and a guide” (12) They serve the purpose of guiding new disciples on the path to the beloved, having great spiritual wisdom.  Like a bird, a sheikh is above the whims of the world, focusing on their devotion to the beloved.  Having a good teacher is important to Attar’s faith, it is important to the flight of the birds.  However, the hoopoe is not the best bird to lead the flock.

### The Homa

The Homa bird could lead the procession because it flies the best.  A mythical bird that spends all its life in the air, hatching from an egg and laying its own in the sky (Owlapps). It lacks legs that bind it to the earth and prevent reaching the beloved.  This separation is key to the Sufi belief, highlighted in the parable of a mourner, where a mourner follows his friend's coffin, crying “You didn’t even see the world, didn’t experience life!  How could you leave?” (Wolpe 162).  Seeing the world is equated to experience, something a bird constantly flying will have plenty of.  The grief is eased by a passerby with the idea that what are they but sights that don’t last “he still would not have been able to take any of it with him” (Wolpe 162), they are ephemeral, they go away when not being looked at, and are meaningless to those passed.  The Homa bird, floating infinitely above the ground, gets to fill their eyes with the world and the wonderful sights, but never gets to land anywhere.  By the time Homa's life is up, its visions are lost in the wind.  They are just as weightless; they disappear when the bird flies elsewhere.  This disconnect physically and metaphorically explains the huma’s spiritual enlightenment; they are without worldly connection to this earth.  With this knowledge and experience the Homa should have led, guiding the other birds in separating their feet from the floor in an endless flight.

Being the strongest and most capable is only a part of what makes a good individual leader; it also represents great spiritual power and leadership.  Being the subject of many legends, it bestows kingship on whose shadow it falls over, its feathers bring good fortune, and according to one legend its golden eggs sold for money, and the dervish who tried to take hold of the bird lost it forever (Owlapps).  This kind of mystical intangibility is indicative of the Sufi belief in connection to the beloved, something you can only obtain if you give yourself fully to it.  In the parable of moths to a flame, only the moth that ascends to the flame and burns with it truly knows the beloved.  “Who else can understand it? No one except the moth who becomes one with it” (Wolpe 310).  Ruzbihan was a Sufi writer influenced by Attar, who made a similar connection between birds and the beloved.  Carl Ernst comments “Sometimes he [Ruzbihan] combines the Simurgh with the Huma… the soul ascends like a heavenly bird to find its identity” (6).  Only the birds that ascend to the Homa as a leader and fly endlessly with it, truly get to experience the beloved.

### The Nightingale

The Homa complains of its pride being greater than the essence of the beloved.  Pride is a weakness shared by the Hawk, proud of serving its master.   Pride is also a weakness shared and unmentioned by the hoopoe, proud of his service to Solomon. Weakness is commendable when admitted to and worked to strengthen, like the Homa and all the other birds do.  The Nightingale also offers an excuse, that they are too in love with the rose to bother searching for a leader, the beloved.  In truth, they are closer to the beloved than any bird, knowing both the blooming and wilting of a rose and loving it for everything.  The nightingale already knows “for even the Beloved’s scorn is a gift and, therefore, elevation” (Wolpe 326).  The birds come to realize they want even the beloved's curses and thorns to just be in its presence, which the nightingale is experienced with.  The hoopoe who leads them only knows the good graces of Solomon, ignores his own flaws, and takes an egotistical approach to its leadership.

### A False Leader

The Hoopoe is the current singular leader of the flight.  They are considered Solomon’s guide and claim to have a spiritual advantage over the other birds, and “...equivalent to a Sufi Sheikh” (Wolpe 18), however this very attachment is what disqualifies him.  As he ridicules the other birds for their worldly attachments, he sits on Solomon’s shoulder and reports directly to him, an eye in the sky for a King’s domain.  The Homa makes kings, but it doesn’t serve them. Like the Hawk, the Hoopoe is tied down to another master, as much as it tries to deny it.  The Hoopoe instead is a catalyst of ambition, because no matter its situation it is trying to rally support for searching for a better position.  It is the first step, but no leader of a great migration. There are many birds that share the potential to be leaders, but in accordance with the author Attar’s faith, one is required.

Attar was influenced by the Sufi faith and his societal surroundings, and *The Conference of the Birds* reflects the impression of his beliefs. The road to union with the beloved is a migration of birds, each species its own masterfully made and yet flawed bird, displaying weakness before the flight.  Attar mentions many birds briefly as they give their laments and excuses for not making the journey.  These are misconstrued ideas, instead each weakness can be strengthened with the help of others in the group, and from a teacher.  The right guide is important through a trial of flight and self-discovery, it shouldn’t have been the Hoopoe.

### Sources

Attar, and Wolpé Sholeh. The Conference of the Birds. W.W. Norton &amp; Company, 2017.

“Drawing of the Head of a Simurgh.” *Metropolitan Museum of Art Open Access Images*,

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/452302.

Foroughi, H., & Dai, W. "Widening the leadership mythology: in the search for Simorgh."

“Folio from a Manafi' Al-Hayawan (Usefulness of Animals) by Ibn Bakhtishu (D.1058).”

Smithsonian Open Access, Smithsonian, www.si.edu/object/folio-manafi-al-hayawan-usefulness-animals-ibn-bakhtishu-d1058-verso-three-hoopoes-and-bush-red:fsg\_F1928.7.

PuntOorg International Journal, 2018, 2(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.19245/25.05.wpn.2.1.2

Habiballah of Sava, and Farid al-Din Attar. “‘The Concourse of the Birds’, Folio 11r from a

Mantiq Al-Tair (Language of the Birds).” *Metropolitan Museum of Art Open Access Images*, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451725.

Hejazi, A. "The Workings of the Simurgh Metaphor in Distributed Leadership". Open

Access Library Journal, 1: e628, 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1100628

Kandler, Johann Joachim. “Hoopoe (Wiedenhoppe) (One of a Pair).” *Metropolitan Museum of*

*Art Open Access Images*, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/205889?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=hoopoe&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=2.

Khoshbakht, Maryam, Moussa Ahmadian, & Shahrukh Hekmat. "A Comparative Study of

Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales & Attar's The Conference of the Birds." International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature [Online], 2.1 (2013): 90-97. Web. 15 Nov. 2021

Mofid, Kamran. "Simorgh Tells Me: We Are the Leaders We Have All Been Searching For."

Globalization for the Common Good, 16 Sept. 2015, gcgi.info/blog/724-simorgh-tells-me-we-are-the-leaders-we-have-all-been-searching-for.

Saebipour, Mohammad Reza et al. “The Conference of the Birds: An Old Artistic Concept Making Sense in Modern Sciences.” *Basic and clinical neuroscience* vol. 9,4 (2018): 297-305. doi:10.32598/bcn.9.4.297

Ernst, Carl W. “The Symbolism of Birds and Flight in the Writings of Rūzbihān Baqlī.” The Heritage of Sufism, 1999, pp. 353–356. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=reh&AN=ATLA0001402381&site=ehost-live.

Huma Bird. http://www.owlapps.net/owlapps\_apps/articles?id=5123641&lang=en