Analytical Re-reading of the Necessity of a Teacher of Conduct in the Mystical Path ‎with Emphasis on Masnavi

One of the most challenging topics in mystical education is the need of the seeker for a teacher and its necessity in mystical behavior, but the great mystics for some reason have refused to provide scientific and argumentative discussion in this field. Despite the importance of the issue, the functions a teacher can have in training the seeker have not been sufficiently explained and analyzed. Among Muslim mystics, Jalaluddin Mohammad Rumi, by accepting the principle of master-centeredness in conduct, has given a mystical explanation of the dimensions of such issue. In the present study, an attempt has been made to extract more than sixty verses related to the issue from different chapters of Masnavi to describe Rumi’s view on the necessity of a teacher in the mystical journey in the cognitive and behavioral dimensions by the descriptive-analytical method and by analyzing the content of verses. Based on the findings of this study, four functions of the teacher in the cognitive dimension, namely, knowing the path and destination, recognizing obstacles, diagnosing detective and intuitive events, and recognizing the difference in seekers’ structure were identified. Also, five functions in the behavioral field, namely, the care for promotion to higher levels, speeding up and facilitating the journey, the effect of the teacher’s inner guardianship, removing obstacles, and eliminating possible harms due to the absence of a teacher were categorized. Based on the results of this study, it is impossible to achieve all such factors according to Rumi without the guidance and support of a teacher.