Fana and Nirvana in the Poems of Mowlana and Bidel and their Comparison to those in Indian Buddhism

Fana (annihilation) is considered as one of the fundamental doctrines in Islamic mysticism. Through spiritual journey, the mystic is released from any kind of delusive entity, achieves infinite truth, and finally annihilates in it. In Indian mysticism, the term “nirvana” is used instead of “Fana” which takes the seeker out of the realm of universe and its goal is annihilation, vanishing, and quietude. Mawlana as the lord of love and mysticism in literature and Bidel as the representative of Indian style have much in common in many mystical fields. Bidel’s poetry book is as a dictionary of mystical terms although in Indian mysticism, mystical words are a little different from those in Islamic mysticism. Nirvana in Indian religion is similar to the concept of Fana in Islamic tradition and Bidel has applied it in its Islamic concept. According to this comparative study, it seems that Bidel like Mawlana has an Islamic view to Fana, and it is even claimed that nirvana as an Indian ritual in which there is no concept of God, has not achieved a position in practical Fana in Bidel’s poetry.

Annihilation is one of the most important and fundamental ideas of Islamic mysticism and mysticism of different religions. The status of annihilation is one of the most important and complex issues in Sufism and Islamic mysticism. Islamic mystics consider the status of annihilation as the goal of the seeker's journey and say that the main goal of going through all circumstances and positions is to achieve annihilation. In Indian mysticism, instead of the word “annihilation”, “nirvana” is used, which is one of the most important principles in all philosophical schools of India, both religious and non-religious. Reaching Nirvana means the highest victory, although the loss of individuality and identity, is also hidden in it. (Stacey, 1375: 327). This study deals with intellectual and linguistic features of Bidel Dehlavi, the Persian poet and mystic in the Indian subcontinent, in explaining the qualities of a perfect human. The anthropology in Bidel’s ideology, the reason of human creation, Mohammadieh truth, human perfection in Bidel’s thought and Indian mysticism are among central subjects in this research. Using descriptive analysis and library method, this study explores the poetry and idea of Bidel from stylistic view in intellectual levels. The results showed that Bidel who was raised in India presented a comprehensive and complete definition of human and his qualities relying on his Islamic and Ibn Arabi-like ideas. Bidel’s perception of perfect human differs from that of Indian mysticism and Buddhist perspective that assume the ultimate goal of perfect human is to achieve Nirvana and an arhat state or that of Yoga perspective that aims to reach the mere state of freedom. Therefore, the intellectual feature of Bidel in explaining the qualities of perfect human, parallel with his Islamic thoughts, approaches his works and entails messages from his special ideas and intellectual style. Bidel Dehlavi and Rumi are two mystical poets, one of whom lived and flourished in an Islamic country and one was raised as a Muslim in India under the influence of Indian ideas. Let us examine the concept of annihilation in the thought of Rumi and Biddle and its relation to Indian annihilation (Nirvana), to find a clearer view of the worldview of these two thinkers and common concepts in Indian and Islamic mysticism. The main question of this research is: What is the view of Biddle and Rumi about the mystical position of annihilation? What are the commonalities and differences between Biddle's Islamic annihilation and Indian annihilation (Nirvana)?

This research has been conducted by descriptive analysis. First, the theoretical foundations of the research were mentioned based on mystical references in Iran, Islam, and India, and then the concept of Fana (annihilation of the self) was extracted by delving deep into Matnavi Ma’navi and GhazaliyatBidel as two works by Mowlana and Bidel Dehlavi. Finally, the extracted concepts were classified, compared, and analyzed using the method of content analysis.

The concept of Fana in Islamic mysticism and Nirvana (soteriological release) in Buddhist mysticism are among issues that come from mystical experiences practiced in each tradition, and the wayfarers attempt to achieve this purpose. Islamic Fana is interpreted as “dying before one dies” and it has some stages: Fana by acts or annihilation, Fana by qualities or passing away, and Fana by essence or nullification. Through these stages, the mystic releases from his act and sees God as the doer of all acts, loses his qualities and just sees the properties of Haqq so his ego breaks down and he returns to Haqq (God). However, Nirvana in Indian mysticism is the end of mystical experience and does not have the stage of Baqaa be-llah (subsistence in God). In Islamic mysticism, the way that a Salek (wayfarer) must pass has different stages, dwellings, and guidelines that lead him. One of the stages of seyr va solouk (spiritual journey) is Moraqebeh (Sufi meditation) in which a Salek releases his mind from anything other than God, and instead, replaces that with God. A Buddhist mystic by doing some acts and commitment to 8 steps including appropriate perspective, appropriate will, appropriate speech, appropriate behavior, appropriate living, appropriate attempt, appropriate thought, and appropriate thinking can achieve Nirvana. Therefore, Nirvana is a state that is achievable and is the result of the attempts of a Buddhist follower; whereas, Fana is a state that comes from God and is the result of divine attraction. In Islamic mysticism, the truth of Fana is not annihilation and passing away, but rather it is a sort of real insight. Likewise, Nirvana in Buddhism does not mean nihilism and breaking down, but rather its truth is a sort of special insight free from any formality and attachment and by which human achieves mere enlightenment, quietude, and silence. The insight denoted by Islamic mysticism is by no means analogous with obtained insight or even knowledge by presence (consciousness). It is instead a quality of perfect witnessing (Shuhud) by which a Salek can perceive the truth without any physical medium. By such an insight, the pluralities disappear in the truths of the world of unity. However, the insight in Buddhism by which human achieves Nirvana is identical with an absolute insight that is obtained directly. As for Fana, Mowlawi believes that one’s spirit, without losing the essence of its individuality, remains in God. He uses various allegories to illustrate his point, for instance, he holds that life is in death, and subsistence is in Fana. In the poems of Bidel, Fana as the ultimate destination for the attempts to the general truth and the purpose of human endeavors to spiritual perfection is displayed through lively images.

Fana is a mystical concept that exists in other religions, too. The equivalent of Fana in Buddhist mysticism is Nirvana. By studying the Ghazaliyat of Bidel as a Muslim mystic, it is perceived that, in addition to being an Indian and his familiarity with Buddhist mysticism, he has had the advantage of reliance on the expressions and ideas in Islamic mysticism by using the instructions of Islam. Contrary to what is expected, he has not used the term Nirvana, that is equal to Fana, even once in his poems. Although Nirvan or Indian Fana is the goal of a Buddhist mystic and he achieves this state by detachment from human qualities, the purpose is release from Samsara suffering and nihilism, not subsistence in God. The spiritual journey of a Buddhist wayfarer has guidelines that is not favored by Muslim mystics. Nirvana is the result of human attempts and is achievable but Islamic Fana is not merely the result of endeavors because it needs attraction, too. Mowlana has had special attention to the issue of Fana in Mathnavi and has applied this term 89 times. This subject has also received special attention in the poems of Bidel Dehlavi who has referred to this mystical concept in his Ghazaliyat 101 times. He has mostly been under the influence of the Islamic concepts, the terminology of Islamic mysticism, and some great mystics such as Mowlana. He has consciously or unconsciously preferred not to use the expressions of this tradition specially its key term, Nirvana, that is similar to Islamic Fana although he lived his life in the land of Buddhist tradition. As a Muslim poet, Bidel who has used Islamic instructions holds that the ultimate goal of spiritual and mystical journey is reaching to God. He regards that Vusul elal-Lah (reaching to God) and Baqaa bel-Lah (subsistence in God) relies on detachment from human qualities and attachment to divine qualities. Thus Fana in the poems of Bidel is identical with Islamic Fana. By an investigation of the poems of Bidel, it is concluded that the concept of Nirvana in the sense that exists in Buddhism, has no way in the poetry of Bidel. The ideology of Mowlana and Bidel relies on reaching to God and subsistence in God and they both regard Fana and Baqaa mutually interdependent. They believe that a wayfarer by breaking down his ego and unity with divine qualities can reach to real subsistence.