TEHRAN -- Alzahra University will hold a conference on Hakim Sanai on the commemoration of his 850th birthday on December 2 and 3.

Scholars and academics will submit papers on the life, works and beliefs of the Iranian sufi Hakim Abul-Majd Majdud ibn Adam Sanai Ghaznavi.
Sanai and criticism on his works, Sanai ideology and his mysticism, the poetry style of Sanai, Sanai’s wisdom and philosophy are the themes of the conference.
Known as Sanai or Sanai of Ghazna, he was one of the earlier Sufi poets. He was born in the province of Ghazna in 1080(?) and died around 1150.
Rumi acknowledged Sanai and Attar as his two primary inspirations, saying, “Attar is the soul and Sanai its two eyes, I came after Sanai and Attar”.
His book “Hadiqatul Haqiqah” (The Walled Garden of Truth) contains mystical teachings intermingled with proverbs, fables, and anecdotes. The uncommon manner in which Sanai introduced and explained the esoteric teachings of Sufism -- through the medium of poetry -- was a key to its popularity and lasting value.
It is still widely considered by scholars to be the first great mystical poem in Dari, and the work had far reaching influence on both Muslim and Persian literature.