The Reflection of Shii Theological Thoughts in Sanai's Works

Sanai is one of the prominent Persian poets who has benefitted from more theological and religious beliefs in his works in comparison to others. In spite of the dominance of Sunnite religions, such as the Asharite and Hanafite, in his time and place of living, the Shiite theological beliefs are vastly reflected in the works of this philosopher so that he has accurately referred to many of the religious principles of this group alongside those of others and defended them as theological and religious realities. The purpose of this paper is to show that in the middle of the lines of his gnostic and religious poems, Sanai has extensively dealt with theological issues, particularly, those in Shii theology, and in many cases, he has preferred them to the beliefs of other religious branches. In doing so, the writer initially propounds the issue of oneness, in which, by rejecting “vision” and turning to esoteric exegesis and the interior of the Quran, he goes far from the religious principles of the Asharites and comes close to Shii beliefs. Then he poses the issue of “leadership” (Imamat) and, by referring to a number of rational and traditional arguments, aggresses with Imam Ali's wilayah (guardianship) and being the successor of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). In this regard, the writer declares his solidarity with Imam Ali's friends and household and denounces his enemies. In what follows, he emphasizes that the element of “acknowledging act”, like the element of affirmation by heart, is one of the main pillars of faith. Of course, the writer also discusses Sanai's ideas of other theological issues, such as justice, favor, the knowledge of God through God, and the best system, which reflect his Shii viewpoints, by resorting to his poems and valid theological sources so that it comes to light that, through research and without any prejudice, as he accepts the theological realities of other religious groups, he also acknowledges important Shii theological truths. In fact, we can infer from Sanai's theological discussions that, through posing, collecting, and presenting the theological beliefs of various groups, particularly the Asharites and Shiites, in his works, he intends to establish a kind of proximity between them.