Confrontation between Ascetic and Romantic Mysticisms in Tazkirat al-Awliya of Attar

Subject Areas : Islamic Mysticism

Fatemeh Bagherizade khayavi ¹ , Reaza Aghayari Zahed ² , Ali Ramezani ³

1 - PHD Student, Persian Language and Literature, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran
2 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran.
3 - Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran

Received: 2022-03-08 Accepted : 2022-03-08 Published : 2022-03-21

Keywords:

Abstract :

Tazkirat al-Awliya of Attar is one of the leading sources in the knowledge of the various mystics of the ages of the 1st. of Hijri until the time of the author (7th. century). In this book, the life of 97 elders of Sufism, each of which was related to a mystical mission, has been studied. The study of Mashayekh’s attitude is a way of understanding various mystical thoughts and can be a reliable document in the study of the mystic philosophy. In this paper, the components of ascetic mysticism and romantic mysticism are reviewed from the narratives and narrations of the Tazkirat al-Awliya. Attar has not made a specific classification of the intellectual tendencies, and has mentioned each one's respectful attitude. But the study of the contradictions of love and ascetic mysticism in their lives shows that the Awliya’s react to each other's ideas, and Shari’a, dignity, and wisdom are the main issues of the main conflict.  Adherence to the Shari'a is the principle in ascetic Awliyas where the elements of love mysticism is not seen. But in the words of the romantic Awliya, bypassing the ascetic mysticism, sometimes perform non-religious acts. Also, the compassion for the devil, the apostasy, the belief in Sama’e, the rejection of apparent dignity, has come to the mind of the romance, who is not in a state of inferiority. The common theme in the Awliya's words in the ascetic and romantic mysticisms is the anti-Semitic world in which all of them are considered. I consider Attar to be in the group of romance mysticism, and this trend has also been shown in Tazkirat.