Love the from the Viewpoint of a Christian Mystic; St. Bernard and its Analysis Based on Islamic Mysticism

Love is a matter that has celebrated by almost all mystics, and each of them has explained the truth and its place in the theological system of mysticism. Studying a subject in the structure of the mystical thought of various schools inspires a deep understanding about the related issues. Thus, this paper studies the status of love from the viewpoint of one of the twelfth century Christian mystics. Using, analytical-descriptive method and concentrating the works of St. Bernard, this paper study the view of this Christian mystic about love. He has discussed the truth of love in God and in man. Bernard considers the truth of love first in the Essence of God and then the essential characteristics of the three hypostases of the Trinity, and considers love as a gift to God. He categorized love in four times. He has also proposed existential and spiritual effects for love in the stage of Gog's Essence, the three hypostases of the Trinity and also the love of man. Some Bernard's words about the truth, the types and effects of love have close similarities with the Islamic mysticism, although the explanations are different in terms of mysticism. Bernard has considered the love of God and man separately, and has focused on "the human love to God". However, in the Islamic mysticism, there is a close relation between this issue with the mystical ontology and the unity of existence, and the love is regarded absolutely. Furthermore, due to the foundations of the permeation of love, and the theoretical explanations of mystical topics, there is not essential detachment between the God's states and the love of God.