Digital Victorian Periodical Poetry

Poet and Sufi. Alternative signatures: Ibrahim ben Adhem, Ibrahim Balkhi, and Ebrahim-e Adham. Born in Balkh (modern-day Afghanistan). After a mystical encounter with Khidr (a prominant mystic), renounced his throne as the King of Arab regions of Balkh and embarked on a path of humility and spiritual discipline that made him a celebrated figure in Sufi tradition. Led a semi-nomadic life, working for his livelihood and reportedly engaged in border conflicts, where he is believed to have died on a maritime operation. Inspired countless followers and was detailed in works like Attar’s Tazkirat al-Awliya and Rumi’s Masnavi. Biographical information: Richard Nelson Frye, The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4: The Period from the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs, (London: Cambridge, 1975), p. 450. (NM)