فهرست مطالب seyyed muhammad rastgoo far

Islamic mysticism or Sufism is one of the most outstanding appearances of Islamic culture that has had a fundamental and undeniable role in the history of Islam. A careful study of the history and development of the movements of Islamic culture shows that this movement, like most other ones, has been originated from, developed, and cultivated in an Islamic environment, though it has undoubtedly been affected by Hellenistic, Christian, Iranian, and other cultures in its historical process. The purpose of this article is to show the origin of Islamic mysticism and Sufism in Hadith through citing examples of some hadiths of the holy Prophet (s) and Imam ʿAlī (a) that clearly represent some mystical beliefs, methods, principles, and practices. It will be proved that in the early sources of Islam, especially in hadith sources, there have been abundant grounds for the emergence of Islamic mysticism and Sufism, without any need for other cultures. Proving this point, we reject the view that Islamic mysticism has originated from foreign cultures.

Some texts, especially mystical and literary, are so intricate and labyrinthine that can be interpreted differently. These various interpretations sometimes result from the interior aspect of the texts, based on semantical understanding, and sometimes arise from their exterior aspect, based on different ways of reading the texts. Accordingly, while in another article along with other interpreters of Mathnavi, the word “قدرت” in the following verse was read as ‘power’ (Qodrat), in this article it is read as ‘your value’ (Qadrat) and interpreted differently: If the world seems great and endless to you, You should know that it is nothing with His power (or with your value). Based on the first reading, this verse illustrates the infinite power of God who has ability over all things. Some mystics call it “the world of power”. On the other hand, according to the second reading the verse explains the boundless grandeur of man, which was read as “the greater world” by some mystics, and that: What exist in the world is not out of you, Ask for what you want from yourself, since you are everything. In this relation, we look at some other verses of Mathnavi, showing their intricacy and different meanings.