نشریه مطالعات عرفانی
پیاپی 7 (بهار و تابستان 1387)

The holy Qurān is the revealed book of Muslims. In addition, it is a literary and artistic text which contains all features of an artistic work both in form and content. On the other hand, since Mysticism may be regarded as an aesthetic view to religion and scriptures, in the evolutionary process of interpretation, some commentators have interpreted the Qurān in regard to these two characteristics. Consequently a particular method of interpretation appeared that may be called literary – mystical method. A prominent sample of this method is the third version of Meybodi Kashf al-Asrār. In this article through comparing Kashf al-Asrār with Rowd al-Janān _ Both written in the sixth century _ an attempt has been made to indicate the influences of mystical views on the interpretation of the Holy Qurān.

The concept of wish is one of the most basic concepts of the Sufi literature and culture. Also, it is of high frequency in themes and motives of Persian tales. In the present article an attempt has been made to examine the typology of this motive, its goal, examples and functions in the Sufi texts. This survey clarifies the following. 1) Although the mystical desires have high as well as low examples, but most of them are material and worthless so as they may be reckoned among caprices. 2) Since, to wish, from viewpoint of Sufism, regarded as objection against the Divine providence and teachings of spiritual masters, it is taken blameworthy. 3) In most cases, desires in general and material desires in particular are not fulfilled, and if so, they will bring up repentance and punishment. 4) Desire in Manteq al-Tayr and Mosibat Nāma of Attār has a positive direction, and since the aspirants-birds or followers of the path-have reached the full self-negation and annihilated in the Ultimate Reality, so their wish which is the integration with The Real is fulfilled. 5) Wish in Sufi tales has generally four functions: i) The starter element of story ii) The formative element of story iii) The complementary element of story iv) The concluding element of story.

Mysticism is the most beautiful, subtle and artistic glance at religion. Mystics have interpreted all natural and supernatural phenomena from an aesthetic viewpoint and thereby have presented the most elegant and artistic understandings. On of the concepts which mystically reconsidered and henceforth gained an ideal and profound sense in he terminology of Sufism, is death. Like anyone else a mystic seeks immortality, his desire for an eternal life motivates in him a transcendental Divine love which ultimately in integration with the Beloved, the mystic himself achieves to a perpetual life. Hence through a ceaseless effort, he begins to purify himself from all Filthes and impurities and to liberate the divine dimension of his existence i.e. his soul from the earthly one i.e. his body till finally reach the union with the Beloved and get immortality. This article first delves into the different types of death from mystics’ opinions. Then, comparing Fanā to Nirvāna, it elaborates how the former in Sufism enriches the later in Buddhism. It also takes a short glance at how Fanā manifests itself in the Persian literature and mysticism and finally examines the state of Fanā as the origion of inspired paradoxes.

The spirituality and nobility of Rumi's Mathnawi are indebted to different factors of which taking various and artistic advantages from the Holy Qurān can probably be considered as the foremost ones. Undoubtedly, a group of spiritual benefits and informative lessons of Mathnawi is taken through deliberation on the sayings and behaviors of the messengers of God mentioned in the Holy Book. The present paper tries, as far as possible, to clarify some of these ethical and mystical teachings centered on the theme of union of messengers of God. Hence, in the first section, the author has introduced and classified teachings related to the integration of messengers as the basic theoretical reference of Rumi. The subtitles of this section are such as: The integration of messengers in the source of call, the common duties and purposes of their prophetic mission and the sameness of the Holy Qurān with early scriptures. In the second part, through various subtitles such as the similarity of messengers of God in personality, invitation and goals are, the impact of the same subject on the Mathnawi illustrated. The Fresh matter of the paper is that the addressees of Mathnawi, through following Rumi's spiritual and instructive manner in using of the Holy Book, can realize the secret of the scriptures, then, by finding out the similarities and samenesses of God's messengers, the readers can attain.

Salāmān and Absāl is a well known mysterious story with different versions. The criticism of Fakhr Rāzi on a phrase in the ninth chapter of Ishārāt was the main reason of spreading various versions of the story. This critic kept Khājeh Nasir's mind so busy that he finally decided to search for Ibn Sinā's original version. Following Khājeh Nasīr other writers and commentators began to opine on the same subject and tried to decode the story. A claim can be made that all of the other research works which appeared later are mostly based on Khājeh's perspective who after a long investigation found two old versions of the story. One of them was a tale translated from Greek to Arabic by Honain-Ibn-Ishāq about a centurey prior to Ibn-iSinā's time. Nevertheless, Khājeh that philosophically interpreted both versions believed that IbniSinā had no regard for Honain's version. The succeeding commentators to Khājeh mainly followed him and asserted that the mysterious concepts of the story are not in conformity to Ibn Sinā's comment. It appears that the main rasen for such an conviction may be misunderstanding of them from the esoteric meanings of the story. In the present article an attempt has been made to analyse and criticize different interpretations of the story as narrated by Honain. Furthermore, by looking at the ninth chapter of Ishārāt, I have tried to prove that in spite of the popular view among scholars, Ibn Sinā's version of the story is in conformity with mysterious concepts mentioned in Honain's version. In fact in comparison to the other interpretations of the story, Ibn-i- Sinā's one may be reckoned among the best mystical exegeses of the story.

Human feelings have mostly been considered as a controversial and problematic matter in many mystical works of poem. Regarding this subject, mystical traditions, though generally taking these feelings seriously to such an extent that speak of the ‘reasons of heart’ as the foundations of knowledge, but have failed to present a clear systematic scheme of the process of acquiring knowledge through feelings in the framework of their mystical geometry. In the present paper an attempt has been made to examine this process as reflected in the mystical corpus of Bahā walad and Rumi. By focusing on such concepts as 'taste' and 'scent' in their literature and bringing to light such factors as ‘inner preparedness’ and ‘friendly view to the world’ in their thought, the author hopes to clarify, with direct reference to the explicit expressions of Bahā walad, the obscurities present in Rumi's poetry concerning the role of feelings in obtaining of gnosis. To this end, by resenting numerous evidences from Bahā walad's Maārif and Rumi's Mathnawi, it has been illustrated that from their standpoint, human feelings have a cognitive trait and so should be counted among reliable sources of acquiring knowledge and insight. It is clear that feelings in this sense do not stand in apposition to rationality. In addition the epistemic credit of emotions and inner impressions in their opinion led both not to emphasize on the religious experience as a unique and excellent one and not to regard detaching from human feelings as a necessary condition towards acquiring gnosis. This idea explicitly expressed in Bahā walad's writings and the author tries to follow its trace in Rumi's poetical works.

On of the great mystics and spiritual guides of Khurāsān school and Khusravāni wisdom is Sheykh Abu al-Abbās Qassāb of Āmol (314-424 A.H.Solār). There are scattered inquiries about his behavior, spiritual discipline and miraculous deeds in the early texts which need to be examined in a scholarly manner. The present article surveys an anecdote in which one of disciple of Sheikh demands Nalayn-slippers-from his master. This anecdote just mentioned in a microfilm copy of morādal-Moridin and as for as the author has investigated is nearly precedent in the Sufi texts. In this research with regard to some examples such as the prophet's Nalayn, the special slippers of Abu Yazīd of Bastām, the emphasis of Shams Tabrizi on the necessity of having particular sandals in every Sufi sects, Mowlaviyeh viewpoint on Sufi master's footwear and also the holiness of shoe in Fotowwat path, it can be concluded that the act of bestowing Nalayn to disciples by elders is a ritual act in Sufism and that Qassāb belongs to the Fotovvat path which is peculiar to Iranian.

The first part of this article includes an analysis and criticism of the way Hamdoun Qassār has been described in the valid writings of Sufism from the beginning of the 4th century to the end of the 13th century. The second part, presenting some biographical facts of him as a Muslim traditionist and jurist, distinctly replies to two questions: i) Whether or not Hamdaun- Qassār can be regarded as the founder of the Malāmatiyeh sect? and ii) Whether or not his disciples were reffered to as Hamdauniyeh or Qassāriyeh in his own lifetime? Then it proceeds to his thoughts and ideas. This survey shows that he regards human beings, carnal soul and material world as the major barriers upon the way of human transcendence and strongly advises that one must get rid of them. To achieve this he also recommends certain educational methods. But in spite of some claims, there is no trace in his words, deeds and educational way from whatever that might create animosity and hatred among people or evoke their reproach. In the present paper, necessarily, Hamdoun's style of livling is propounded and it has been manifested that despite the fact that Hamdoun degrades his despotic soul and presses hard upon himself, he venerates other people and tries to set up a relation with them based on toleration and indulgence. In addition, he is well aware of his invirons and seizes the opportunities to introduce the social corruptions of his time.