Mystical Elements in Judeo-Persian Literature

The Jews have an enduring presence in Iran. They invented Judeo- Persian language in order to have a kind of writing relationship with each other. Actually this is Persian language written in Hebrew alphabet. The oldest documents of this kind date back to the 8th century CE. There are numerous Judeo-Persian works including: interpretation of Old Testament, Hebrew grammar and lexicon, halakhah, midrash, poetry, stories and proverbs, magic, letters and legal documents. In these works we can not only trace some common terms of Islamic theology and jurisprudence, but also observe the remarkable influence of Sufi terms and teachings on Judeo-Persian language, especially the influence of mystic poets such as Ḥāfeẓ, Sāʻdi, ʻAṭṭār, Neẓāmi, Rūmi and … . The present article, firstly introduces Judeo-Persian poets who have used Islamic mystical elements in their poems, then, studies these elements under six headings: mystical terms, Sufi approaches, Sufi symbols, anti-sufism, pro-sufism, stages of achieving the Reality (sharīʻt, ṭarīqat, ḥaqīqat). Also, it intends to demonstrate the influence of Islamic Mysticism on the works of Jewish Persian poets.