Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
This study undertakes a comparative examination of the concept and quality of love in two prominent works of Persian mystical literature: Tamhīdāt by ʿAyn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī and the Ghazals of Ḥāfeẓ of Shiraz. The primary objective of this research is to analyze and compare the perspectives of these two eminent mystical thinkers on the notion of love, with particular emphasis on its ontological, epistemological, and spiritual dimensions. Love, as one of the most fundamental concepts in Islamic mysticism, is a multifaceted, complex, and dynamic phenomenon that, when confronted with notions such as reason, religious law, mystical experience, and intuitive knowledge, reveals diverse interpretations and expressions. While certain key themes—such as the dominance of love, the conflict between love and intellect, heedlessness, and the origin of love—are commonly found across various mystical texts, a close comparative analysis reveals significant parallels between ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s views on love and the themes presented in Ḥāfeẓ’s poetry. Utilizing qualitative content analysis as its methodological framework, this study identifies and examines the key symbols, metaphors, and motifs related to love in both works, mapping the similarities and differences in their conceptualizations. Ultimately, while it is not possible to definitively assert a direct influence of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt on Ḥāfeẓ, the textual evidence indicates a profound, meaningful, and undeniable intellectual connection between the mystical thought of these two influential figures in the history of Persian Sufism.
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