The Analysis of Iranian Artists’ Inclination toward Sufism and Mysticism during the Islamic Age

The relationship and interaction between Islamic art and mysticism and Sufism are debated by researchers in the field over the past few years. While traditionalists see mystical and nativist meanings behind various forms and types of Islamic art and regard the relationship as something substantive and metaphysical, critics reject it due to inattention to historical facts, and some have even rejected any connection between Islamic art and mysticism. Due to the necessity of taking historical and social approaches to the matter, and the existence of various pieces of evidence indicating the relationship between Islamic art and its artists and Sufism, both viewpoints need revision. In this regard, the present study aimed to look at the causes and motives prompting Iranian artists to be interested in Sufism and create works related to mysticism by considering the artists as tangible components and the main sources of artistic creation (compared to merely metaphysical factors). Therefore, taking basic and qualitative research methodologies, the question was analyzed using historical, descriptive, and analytical methods, and the data were analyzed inductively. The findings showed that the inclination of some Iranian artists to mysticism and Sufism was evident in the crossing between Sharia and Tariqa, and the natural art-mysticism intersection, some Islamic clergymen’s sharia-based prohibitions against some art types, mystics’ tendency to cultivate art, the inspiration of mystical teachings in the creation of artworks, the influence of Sufi rulers and wealthy groups in creating artworks with mystical themes, and the effect of political and social turbulences like wars on making people turn to the followers of Tariqa were six major motives prompting Iranian artists to welcome mystical and Sufist ideas.