Spiritual language and symbolic expression in Sufi Poetry: semantic transfiguration and the limits of linguistic representation
Manel Berrefas
Science Education and Innovations in the Context of Modern Problems October 5, 2025 DOI: 10.56334/sei/8.10.106 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Representation politics Expression computer science Semantics computer science The symbolic Subjectivity Meaning existential Linguistics Epistemology Communication |
| Key points | Argues that Sufi poetry functions as an ontological event rather than a linguistic message, with meaning unfolding through spiritual taste and unveiling rather than logical interpretation. |
Abstract
This study examines the role of spiritual language in Sufi poetry as a medium of unveiling rather than representation.It situates mystical poetics within the broader epistemological problem of expressing the ineffable, where language ceases to function merely as a communicative instrument and instead becomes an experiential, revelatory act.The research interrogates how Sufi poets-such as Ibn al-Fri, al-allj, and Jall al-Dn Rm-transcend the limitations of rational discourse through a symbolic and emotionally charged lexicon that mirrors the mystic's inner illumination.Through a hermeneutic and semiotic approach, the paper explores the rhetorical, auditory, and performative devices that enable spiritual articulation: symbolism, metaphor, polysemy, silence, musicality, and repetition.These tools convert poetry into an existential path toward divine union and gnosis.The analysis also contextualizes Sufi language within auditory rituals such as sam, emphasizing the relationship between verbal expression and spiritual hearing.The article concludes that Sufi discourse constitutes an ontological event rather than a linguistic message; its meaning unfolds through dhawq (spiritual taste) and kashf (unveiling) rather than logical interpretation.Consequently, the mystical text functions as a participatory act inviting the reader to transcend cognition through presence, emotion, and symbol.