Background
Born near Nishapur in the second half of the twelfth century, he died in 1230. Very little is known about his life, most of which he spent in retirement in a SufiSufi monastery, having become a follower of mysticism at an early age. He made a pilgrimage to Mecca, however, and traveled in Syria and Egypt, where he met many masters of mysticism, writing, as a result of his acquaintance with them, a biographical work
