Classification in Mystical Texts (The Case Study: Attarof Nishapur’s Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr and Khwaja Abdullah Ansari’s Manāzel al-Sāerīn)

One of the topics discussed in Sufi books is the dividing into stages and classification of spiritual journey (suluk). The history of dividing into stages of suluk is in line with the history of Islam, but among the Sufis, the prevalence of this dividing and classification has been clear since the second century AH. From the very beginning of the spread of mysticism, differences between mystics about the classifications were seen, and even in the various writings of a mystic, these differences were visible. In this research, an attempt has been made to show the effective factors in the method of dividing into stages of suluk and to explain the reasons for these classifications. For this purpose, among the famous works of mystics, two important works -  Manṭiq-uṭ-Ṭayr by Attar of Nishapur and Manāzel al-Sāerīn by Khwaja Abdullah Ansari - have been selected and the method of classification of suluk have been compared in them by using the descriptive-analytical method. The results show that different mystical experiences, methods of suluk, types of Fiqhi (Islamic law) attitude and socio-political conditions have caused differences in dividing and classification of spiritual journey (suluk); and thus, differences in the method of naming, the order and number of spiritual stations, etc. have been formed.