The Analysis Beauty as Represented in Mawlawī’s Oeuvre: A Plotinusian Reading

The correspondence between philosophers’ and theorists’ views regarding literary text has been addressed by scholars. Chief among these views is the concept of “beauty” which has been theorized differently by numerous philosopher and theorists. Plotinus is among the philosophers who presented thought-provoking views on beauty and provided a bright horizon for philosophers and mystics, especially Mawlānā. In this study, the category of beauty, as the most frequent word in Mawlānā’s poems, is examined based on Plotinus’ school of thought. The study finds that both Plotinus and Mawlānā believed in sensory, intellectual, and intuitive beauty and considered the true source of beauty the infinitude of divinity, and the outward and worldly beauties as a shadow of that absolute beauty.  Plotinus and Mawlānā believed in the existence of two senses, two intellects and three souls; yet there are minor differences in their attitudes towards them which derives from Mawlānā’s incorporation of the intellectual views of Plotinus with principles of Islamic mysticism like revelation, aptitude, love, and greatness, etc., and gives a mystical feature to the category of beauty.