An Analysis of Functions of Quranic Ayahs in Shah Nimatullah Wali's Poetry

The familiarity with and the unrivaled mastery of Shah Nimatullah Wali over the Quran and religious knowledge is a well-known fact that can especially be seen in his poems. In his poetry, Quranic themes and teachings are abundant and because of his great command of the Quranic ayahs, he has used various literary devices (including adaptation, tazmin, allusion, simile, analogy, etc.) in making the most of the Quran. The present paper, aiming at analyzing the functions of the Quranic ayahs in the poetry of this distinguished figure of mysticism, sought to answer these questions: How are Quranic ayahs reflected in the poetry of Shah Nimatullah? What functions do Quranic images have in the poetry of Shah Nimatullah? The research method used is descriptive-analytical and the research corpus comprises the poetry of Shah Nematollah. This study found that the most important objectives and functions of Quranic ayahs in his poems can be categorized in four main axes: 1. Rhetorical-literary functions 2- Presenting innovative, extraordinary and personal interpretations of the Quranic ayahs 3- Using citation and examples to validate mystical topics 4- Tayamon and tabarok.