When Birds Speak, Mystics Listen
Decoding nature’s hidden language in sufi tradition.
“Every creature’s praise flows toward God in its own birdsong.”
—Yalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rumi
Throughout centuries of Sufi tradition birds appear as messengers between worlds, symbols of the soul’s journey and carriers of wisdom not immediately accessible to ordinary human understanding.
From the hoopo who guided Solomon to specific meditation practices mimicking bird movements, this symbolic language created bridges between visible and invisible realms.
Solomon inherited from David and he said “Oh people, we have been taught the language of birds and we have been given from all things indeed this is evident bounty.”
Early Sufi commentator Sal al-Tustari 9th century explained in his tapsir “The language of birds refers not merely to their sounds but to understanding the spiritual realities they symbolize. Each bird manifests a particular divine attribute. Solomon’s ability to understand them represents the heart that recognizes divine qualities in all of creation.”
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali elaborates in his “Revival of Religious Sciences”:
“Every creature has its own form of praise and prayer to God. The bird’s morning songs are their form of remembrance (Dhikr). One who truly listens can discern in their calls the phrase ‘Subhan Allah’ (Glory be to God).”
—Abu hamid al-Ghazali
This understanding of birds as natural contemplatives appears in an early Sufi poem attributed to Rabia al-Aya:
“The bird’s chorus at dawn reminds the heedless heart; they have remembered while you have forgotten. Rise and join their praise oh, sleeper.”
—Rabia al-Aya
The most extensive exploration of bird symbolism appears in Farid al Din Attar’s 12th century Persian masterpiece: Mantiq Ut-Tair, “Conference of the birds” or “Speech of the birds”.
The nightingale and rose symbolize lover and beloved. The nightingale with a thousand songs is silenced by love when the rose comes into the garden. Not that the nightingale ceases its songs but each song becomes transformed into pure love.
“The birds in the green garden were reading your name spelling it carefully letter by letter calling you back to your origin” —Rumi
“I am a bird of the spirited garden; I do not belong to this mortal world. For a few days they have made a cage of my body. Look not at my ruffled and imprisoned state, for I am a bird of the divine garden.”
—Yalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rumi
“The diversity of bird species reflects the diversity of divine self-disclosures” —Ibn Arabi
The bird’s speech symbolizes the subtle communications occurring constantly throughout creation but perceived only by those whose inner faculties have been awakened.
The 13th century Kubrawi Sufi Najm al-Din Razi described a practice in his “The path of God’s bondsmen” (Mirsad al-‘Ibad): “When the disciple hears birdsong, he should pause and listen attentively recognizing that it is a form of divine remembrance. By attuning the heart to this natural dhikr, the soul begins to recognize how all of creation participates in praising the Creator.”
In the Chishi Order founded in Afghanistan and flourishing in India, spiritual concerts, sama, often included imitations of bird calls.
The 14th century master Nisamin Alia explained:
“The human voice imitating bird song creates a bridge between realms. It reminds the soul of its capacity to transcend earthly limitations and soar in the atmosphere of divine presence.”
—Nisamin Alia
This practice transforms ordinary bird sightings into spiritual reminders.
Turkish beachi dervishes developed a practice described in their texts: “Rising before dawn face east, where the sun will appear, listen to the progression of bird awakening: which species sings first, which responds, which joins later… In this natural sequence is hidden the proper order of spiritual awakening within the human being.”
“The Simurgh nests in the cosmic Tree of Knowledge that connects all realms of existence. Its feathers heal all illnesses—the illnesses of separation, ignorance, and forgetfulness of one’s true nature.” —13th century Sufi Abd al-Razzaq Kashani
“The Simurgh is not a bird you can trap or tame. It is your own perfect nature when all veils have been removed. The journey to Mount Qaf is the journey to yourself —the self beyond your limited identity.” —14th-century Persian Sufi Mahmud Shabistari “Secret Rose Garden” (Gulshan-i Raz)
Across centuries and cultures from Atar’s 12th century Persia to the 20th century Halveti Gerahi techers of Istanbul, Sufis maintained practices of bird observation and contemplation. As a Turkish Sufi manual from the early 20th century instructs: “Begin by watching birds without interpretation or analysis, simply observe their movements listen to their calls. Gradually the inner meaning of their behavior will reveal itself, not to the analytical mind but to the awakened heart.”
“The birds’ morning chorus is the most perfect natural dhikr (remembrance of God). While human remembrance is often distracted and impure, the birds’ praise is complete, without hesitation or forgetfulness. By attuning to their song, the heart can learn true remembrance.”
—Algerian Sufi Sheikh Ahmad al-Alawi (1869-1934)
This tradition connecting human spirituality with the natural world through bird symbolism reflects a perspective eloquently summarized by the 13th century Andalusian Sufi Ibn Sab’in: “The universe speaks a single language with countless dialects. The birds’ dialect is among the most eloquent for those who have ears to hear it. In their flight patterns, migration routes, nesting habits, songs, and social structures lies encoded the entire science of spiritual knowledge.”
From Solomon’s gift of understanding bird language to contemporary Sufi practices of nature contemplation, birds have served as messengers between visible and invisible realms, symbols of the soul’s journey and living reminders of the spiritual capacity to transcend limitations and return to one’s true nature.