Annihilation, Survival, Union and Connection in Bidel Dehlavi's Poetry

Positions of annihilation، survival، union and connection are the most important and complicated subjects in Sufism and Islamic Gnosticism. Gnostics consider that these are the highest point of the spiritual pilgrimage (solouk) and that their target is attainting God. According to descent arch and ascent arch، human being has been available، before creation، in the invisible world and divine knowledge. To be descended to the world of creation، he has been، step by step، transferred through different worlds until he enters the material world. Through annihilating his human features and endowing himself with Divine characteristics، the pilgrim manifests his desire to return to his Divine origin. His spiritual pilgrimage starts from ‘toward God’ to reach ‘in God’ and، at the end، he attains union and connection with his Beloved. Dehlavi، whose poetry book is regarded as a dictionary of mystic expressions and who is the representative of Indian school، has described these positions in his poems. Dehlavi، like other Gnostics، believes annihilation and connection with God is a Divine gift and out of the pilgrim’s hands. He rejects dualism، believes in union and connection with God and regards abandoning ‘self’ and material possessions as the pre-requisites of attaining the ‘Beloved. ’ According to Dehlavi، God manifests Himself in new forms each moment and His manifestations are unrepeated; therefore، after connection with God، the pilgrim still yearns for the Beloved and his ‘self’ perishes in God.