The Objective Study of Awakening and Vigilance Elements from the Viewpoint of Khajeh Abdullah Ansari and Analyzing its Status in the Biography of Mystics in Tazkirat al-Oulia

Wakefulness is the first step in Progression so that till it does not happen, the movement in the path of mysticism does not begin. In several pre-seventh (A.H) century mystical texts, it has been mentioned as “Awakening and Vigilance” and considered as the first station of Progression. In some other texts, not mentioning these terms, it has been discussed indirectly under the station of repentance, and still in other works this concept and its place have been ignored. Anyway, awakening is an important and critical level in Progression which functions as a borderline separating the pre-and-post-repentance periods and, regarding the variety and multiplicity of the elements creating it, it is of special attraction for the researcher of mystical issues. Khajeh Abdullah Ansari is one of the writers which has considered this matter hair-splittingly in Manazel al-Saerin and has classified its elements exactly. Exploring the elements of awakening and vigilance in this work, this paper aims to explicate the place of these concepts in the spiritual evolution of mystics in Attar’s Tazkirat al-Oulia. The hypothesis of this study is that many mentioned tales about awakening and vigilance in Tazkirat al-Oulia can be analyzed and explained by the classification of Khajeh Abdullah Ansari. The results of this study confirm such a hypothesis.