A Comparative Study of the "Symbol of the Mystical Tree" in Kabbala and Sufism

Using comparative method, this paper seeks to illuminate the affects and effects of the tree of knowledge and the tree of existence in Sufi works and Kabbala Sefirot to show the similarities and differences of the symbol of tree in these two mystical schools. Explaining the evolution and development of this symbolic tree from a religious code to a mystical one and the share of these two schools in this evolution is the purpose of this paper. Concentrating on the idea of Tom Black, the Kabbalistic researcher, and structural similarities and detailed analysis it becomes clear that the structure of the iconic tree and its evolved and mystical form is the legacy of the Islamic Sufism, which adopted by Moses de Leon in  Zohar from Maqamat al-Qulub Shaikh Abu al-Hasan al-Nuri, and Shajarat al-kawn ibn Arabi. However, one cannot overlook the combined effect of Kabbala and Sufism on the fundamental and religious form of this symbol in Torah and Islamic sources. The heart plays a central role in the symbol of the mystical tree of Sufism and Kabbala. The seeker communicates with the other worlds through the heart and from microcosm enters the world of sublimity.