مجله ادبیات عرفانی
پیاپی 39 (زمستان 1403)

Sufi masters, considered role models of faith and righteous actions second only to the Prophet Muhammad, are central figures in Sufi literature. Tales about Sufi masters often recount their words, actions, and states in dealing with the self, others, and the Divine, constituting a significant portion of Sufi texts. In these narratives, the master typically serves as the protagonist who enlightens others through their words and deeds. However, there are instances where the master themselves undergoes a transformative experience or awakening.This study aims to examine tales of Sufi masters' awakenings in major Persian Sufi poems, including the works of Sana'i, Attar, Rumi, and Jami, and to trace the roots of these themes within the Sufi epistemological system. The findings reveal that out of 314 tales of Sufi masters in these works, 46 are narratives of awakening experiences. The factors that trigger these awakenings include encounters with ordinary people who enlighten the master about the concept of essential and functional unity, divine revelation, encounters with other, less experienced masters, and natural phenomena and animals as signs of divine guidance and lessons.In terms of narrative elements, dialogue, centered around the character of the master, plays a pivotal role in driving the action of these tales and conveying moral and religious teachings. The predominant theme of these narratives is the emphasis on the doctrine of functional unity, leading to the concepts of trust in God and acceptance of divine will, aligning with the Sufi theological and epistemological approach

While attention to environmental issues and animals is usually considered a recent human concerns, the issue of "animal" and its existential dignity has long been a topic of discussion in Islamic wisdom and Sufism. In his interpretation of verses from Surah “Safat” regarding Prophet Ibrahim’s dream and the sacrifice of his son, Ibn Arabi raises the question: what high status does the sacrificial animal possess that it could replace the prophet’s son? Sheikh Akbar believes that investigating this question requires understanding the world of Khayal, as he posits that these events occurred in Khayal and that Ibrahim was unable to interpret the dream’s significance. It is Although the primary focus of Sheikh's discussion is within Ishaq's chapter, evidence of his unique approach to the animal question can also be found in his other works. Ibn Arabi gave particular consideration to the existential dignity of animals, and his distinctive view remains thought-provoking, not only in comparison to his contemporaries but also in relation to contemporary human life.  This essay notes narratives in which Ibn Arabi expressed diverse thoughts on the status of animals, suggesting that, in certain instances, animals such as camels, cats and zebras hold a higher position than humans and even some Sufis. According to Ibn Arabi, animals have a special place with God. He believed that animals possess both outward and inward perception and that, unlike humans, their knowledge of God is innate.

The Mantiq al-Tayr, as a seminal work of mystical literature, symbolizes humanity’s quest for meaning and truth. To To explore the multifaceted nature of this text, this study examines the relationship between the theory of logotherapy and Mantiq al-Tayr. Employing a qualitative content analysis of thematic type, the central research question asks whether elements of Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy are present in Attar’s Mantiq al-Tayr, and whether the Mantiq al-Tayr can be effectively applied cognitively within the field of logotherapy, a contemporary approach in psychology.The findings indicate that love, acceptance of suffering and patience in pursuing goal, responsibility, changing the attitude towards challenges and the desire to find the truth are key factors in the birds' journey. Love serves as a driving force, significantly contributing not only to the formation of meaning but also to the reinforcement of  motivation and hope in the face of challenges. These factors constitute the main and driving themes of the narrative, which are significantly aligned with Frankl's semantic psychology. This study also demonstrates that the Simorgh in Mantiq al-Tayr can be interpreted as a symbol of a high level of existence, individuality, and ultimate human development attained through the search for meaning.. By achieving these results, this study has tried to highlight the importance of the bird's logic in understanding the psychological and spiritual realm and emphasize the practical importance of mystical literature in the field of psychology and its impact on well-being and quality of life.

The manifestation of God is the central tenet of the religion of the Ahl al-Haqq. According to their beliefs, God created the universe through general manifestation and manifested Himself in the form of man through special manifestation. Consequently, the Yarsanis consider humans to be embodiments of God’s essence (or grace), attributing to them various qualities, including the title “God” (as in “leader”) and identifying them with “the essence of God.” Because the term “God” initially signified “owner,” “possessor,” and “leader” before evolving to commonly mean “Allah,”  many Yarsanis are unaware of this historical shift in meaning, leading to a tendency to view humans as divine figures within the Ahl al-Haqq community. Now, the question arises as to what is the way out of the human-god. Research suggests that the conceptualization of God in the texts from different periods reveals a significant difference in meaning between the ritual texts of the early Yarsan founders and those of later periods. This distinction provides a clear verbal and spiritual connotation to its use, meaning, and instances.  This article, employs a descriptive-analytical method, drawing upon primary sources of the religion to examine and critique the tendency among some Ahl al-Haqq scholars to embrace the idea of a “human-god.” Furthermore, this article aims to analyze the conceptualization of the word “God” and its various interpretations within different texts.

In his literary works, Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī paid great attention to the native language of his family, which originated in the Vakhsh, Balkh, and eastern Khorasan regions. Therefore, understanding the native dialects of these regions is crucial for a more thorough appreciation of his works. In Ghazaliyate Shams  , alongside “khod”, “ khish” and “khishtan”, the pronoun “khode khod” is also sometimes observed. This study aims to investigate the contemporary usage of“khode khod.”. To achieve this, the study first presents evidences the usage of “khode khod” in Ghazaliyate Shams  and other relevant texts. It then demonstrates its continuity and survival in certain modern dialects. Subsequently, with the help of the author's dialectal intuition, its various aspects are carefully examined. The findings indicate that, "khode khod" in the Persian dialects common in Balkh, Herat, the Hazara regions of Afghanistan, eastern South Khorasan and eastern Khorasan Razavi, and some ancient texts belonging to these regions, is a "reflexive pronoun" and can assume the  grammatical cases of direct object, indirect object, and genitive case  in a sentence.It is also necessary to state that stylistics and linguists agree on the importance of paying attention to the differences resulting from geographical variables in Persian varieties and styles.

“Studies of Qalandariyyat predominantly employ two main approaches. The first is an interpretative approach, where symbolic images that appear unconventional and contrary to religious norms within these poems are interpreted and elucidated as mystical signs. The second is the historical approach, in which these poems are examined primarily from a social perspective and in relation to the cultural and political currents of the Islamic medieval period. Among these, what has been overlooked in the study of this type of poetry is the understanding of the poetics or the poetics of Qalandariyyat and its function within the framework of early Persian genres. This research addresses the issue of how Qalandariyyat constructs its heterotopic poetics through dialogue and parodic simulation with ascetic poetry (Zuhdiyat) and eulogistic poetry (Madhiyat), representing and explaining the carnivalistic aspects of this type of poetry with an emphasis on a ghazal by Sanā'ī. The investigations revealed that Qalandariyyat operates as an anti-genre within the Persian genre system; however, this opposition cannot be summarized within a single and simple framework. Instead, the broad category of Qalandariyyat, multiple diverse subcategories reside, which highlights the complexity and dynamism of the early literary genre system of Persian poetry, especially Qalandariyyat.