Document Type : Original Article

Author

• Zahra Khatami Kashani

Assistant Professor-Islamic Azad University- Naraq Branch- Naraq - Iran

Abstract

Bayazid Bastami is one of the brilliant features of Islamic mysticism during the second Hijri century. His mysticism is of romantic kind that has dealt with unification. One of the reasons for his reputation is his "Absurdities" that is the boasting words that are uttered in the state of selflessness and mystical intoxication and in the absence of human senses which are sometimes considered as blasphemy. “Miraj Nameh" is one of the examples among his writings which reveals about an abnormal experience far from the norms of normal life. In order to experience these states, Bayazid travels into the deep layers of the mind and subconsciousness in a mystical manner.
In this article, the interior journey is investigated through the descriptive-analytical method considering Campbell's Journey Model. In the current research, most of the stages of Campbell's Hero's Journey can be witnessed, especially in the parts of separation and the honor of revelation in Bayazid's Miraj Nameh. However, in the return section, the inevitable rush of the hero has caused the elimination and integration of some of the stages, which gives a different nature of the mystic's interior journey compared to other heroic journeys. Examining the compatibility and non-compatibility of the stages of Bayazid's Ascension with the stages of Campbell's unique hero's journey shows the flexibility and generalizability of Campbell's model on the one hand, and reveals the stages of Bayazid's interior journey and his intuitive moods on the other hand.