مجله ادبیات عرفانی
پیاپی 4 (بهار و تابستان 1390)

The immensity of the event of Āshūrā and the prominence of its figures, particularly Imam Hossein, demand surpassing the superficial considerations and contemplating in the spirit of their deeds and sayings. Mystical point of view is a possible approach to this event. It gives it a different color and distinguishes it from the many other dreadful battles throughout the history by elevating it to the level of a school of thought and mysticism. In Persian literature the mystical approach to the event of Āshūrā is attenuated in respect to the historical and emotional approaches, but it certainly worth a deeper and more precise analysis. In this essay the symbols of thirst and water are analyzed from the mystical point of view, chiefly the viewpoints of Oman Samani and Safi Ali Shah.

Invocation (zekr) as one of the most important Islamic acts of worship plays an important role in man’s spiritual development, and is manifested in various Qur’anic verses. The impact of these verses has elevated the status of invocation in Islamic gnosis. Invocation has a significant role in the itinerary of spiritual path, so far as without it the realization of Mystic’s Stations (maqāmāt) or transmutation in his internal status is impossible. Apprehending the value of invocation in progress on the Way to Allah, most mystics and shaykhs invite their disciples to continuance in God’s invocation. Moreover, in their sayings, prose and verse works, they have explicitly explained the fundamental role of invocation in their Stations, spiritual and mystical degrees, and in general in man’s evolutionary development. In this essay, the basic writings of Sufis up to the 8th century A.H, particularly, the works of the three prominent mystic poets, Sanāī, Attār and Mowlānā are considered to provide a comprehensive analysis of the role of invocation in the Perfection of human beings.

Bahā-e Valad in his book Maāref explains and interprets a great number of verses from the Holy Qur’an. In this essay, firstly, an introduction to the concepts of interpretation and hermeneutics is provided and then, the methods of interpretation of the Qur’an utilized in Maāref are explicated. In addition, the theological basis of Bahā-e Valad’s methods of interpretation is discussed and some critical points are accentuated.

This article is an attempt to improve acquaintance with the Persian tales that were principally reflected in mystical prose and enjoyed brevity and simplicity of expression. It expounds the narrative structure of the short tales in Hojvīrī’s Kashf al-Mahjūb by studying the elements of the minimalist stories in a hundred and sixty selected tales. Moreover, Hojvīrī’s style in characterization, formation of plot, point of view, dialogue, tone and theme is analyzed.The results of this inquiry indicate that some features of the minimalist style such as selection of an instant and its scant narration, simple plot, brevity, the use of a limited number of characters and events, avoidance of phraseology and the use of simple expressions are present in a great number of Kashf al-Mahjūb’s short tales.

Mohī al-Dīn ibn Arabī in line with the emphasis of the Islamic gnosis tradition on the immediate and intuitive knowledge, bases his mystical viewpoint upon a kind of immediate knowledge to which he refers as ‘intuition’. In contrast to the reality of this cognition which is beyond sense and wisdom, it is known and referred to as the ‘eye’. Ibn Arabī utilizes the expressions ‘eye of the heart’, ‘eye of insight’ and ‘eye of certainty’ in a broad semantic range and nominates certain features for each. In some cases, these expressions represent the general concepts of intellect and reason and in some others the specific meaning of ‘immediate intuition’. Their most specific use is manifested in al-Tadbīrāt al-Elāhīyah. In this text ‘eye of insight’ and ‘eye of certainty’ both stand for heart, while the former looks at the divine light- a divine means for guidance-, the latter looks to another divine light towards which God’s creations are guided. On this basis, heart as a divine being for the vision of compassionate manifestations, in a mystical systematic interaction with the source of light, realizes the intuition of the realities.

In his writings, Mevlānā’s utilizes numerous allegories and similes to the allegories to convey his thoughts and teachings. In some cases, the allegories highly resemble each other. For example, depicting a lion, in all cases, it is described in circumstances that would mistakenly render it as a cow. This allegory is a symbol, an implicit and explicit synthesis of a being whose constituent elements, the lion and the cow, each represent an independent symbol. It demonstrates Mevlānā’s adeptness at creating an original symbol, for the intended synthesis, out of these elements. The religion of Islam and the Prophet’s tradition asserted that the realities of diverse aspects of Messengership, namely, the Word of God, the Messenger of God and the God’s saint, which can be called theophanies, are identical. Therefore, in order to create a symbol that symbolizes a theophany, Mevlānā combines the symbol of the Divine, the lion, with the symbol of the world, the cow. Thus, to symbolize both aspects, he uses the symbol of the lion in the image of a cow. Although this symbol is utilized in Divān-e-Shams, its highest application is in Mathnawī. The repetition of this symbol is corroborative of its herein identified conceptual structure which describes the mode of applying this symbol throughout Mathnawī. Thus, it unveils its significance, function and embodiment in Mevlānā’s thought and language.

Illumination, a perpetual concept in mythology, history and cosmology of diverse populations, is provenance of Hermes rituals in ancient Egypt enjoying various functions of divinity, intellectuality, ontology, guidance and aestheticism. Yet, its function was extensively multiplied in Zoroastrian theology. The conjoint impact of diverse religions of Judaism, Gnosticism, Christianity and ‘Sabeen Mandaee’ played a significant role in the transference of the illumination thought. However, its apogee was reached in Islam on the basis of intellect.An analysis of the literary and mystical writings of Hallāj, Rūzbehān and Sohrewardī, indicate that illumination in these texts stand for the unity of God, the sanctity of Islam’s prophet, the Divine and Human Beauty, ontological status and angelology. The results of this inquiry suggest that the vast disposition of Sufism and Persian literature, relying on the Islamic principles, reflects a totality of ancient savants’ ideas.