Horses Changing Riders: The Prehistory of Two Allegories of Mystical Union in Shihāb al-Dīn Yaḥyā Suhrawardī and Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī
Urs Gösken
International Journal of Persian Literature September 1, 2018 DOI: 10.5325/intejperslite.3.1.0091 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that mystical union is commonly treated as beyond representation and conceptualization, yet must be discussed in religious literature, and proposes allegorical speech as a way to address this tension. The article examines the meaning and history of two allegorical expressions in Islamic philosophical and mystical literature in Arabic and Persian. |
Abstract
Abstract The description of the mystical union,1 whether in Islam or other religions, has often been construed as defying expression by means of language. The reason given is that language, by its very nature, is representational and conceptual, whereas mystical union by its very nature is a human status eluding both representation and conceptualization. On the other hand, given that mystical union is considered the ultimate goal of humanity, dealing with it in religious literature also becomes inevitable, which in turn is reliant on the help of language.2 One way out of this seeming dilemma seems to be the use of allegorical speech.3 It is the meaning and the history of two allegorical expressions in Islamic philosophical and mystical literature, Arabic and Persian alike, that we will discuss in this article.