Study of Nostalgia in the treatises of Shahabeddin Sohrevardi

Nostalgia which is described as homesickness, regret and affection for the past is one of the common motifs in mystical literature. Considering its context and content, mystical literature is inherently able to analyze nostalgia, and since looking regretfully to the past is intensified in some periods of Islamic Sufism and mysticism and manifestation of this attitude has been influential in the mystical texts, investigation of this concept could be considered as a novel step towards further understanding of the thoughts of the authors of the works. Therefore, in this study attempts are made to show to what extent and how Shahabeddin Sohrevardi’s Persian treatises benefit from nostalgic sentiments. Nostalgia of time and place, homesickness and eagerness toward Utopia are deemed as specific nostalgia out of nostalgic components within Sohrevardi’s treatises. Meanwhile, regretting and missing the original birthplace and homeland are the most frequent examples.