A Comparative Study of the Mystical Genre in Islamic and Christian Literary Texts (Case Study of the Story "Sheikh San'an" by Attar and "father Sergi" by Tolstoy)
Document Type : .
Authors
Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Kosar University of Bojnord, Bojnord, Iran
Abstract
The mystical genre, as a systematic verbal action, represents the inner transcendence of the character/characters of the story in connection with the origin and creator of existence, and has led to the creation of brilliant works in the literature of different nations. In Iranian-Islamic literature, "Attar" with "Sheikh San'an" and in Russian-Christian literature, "Tolstoy" with "father Sergi", have made this theme the theme that their heroes have achieved salvation by understanding mystical love. Therefore, these two works can be considered as sources for a comparative study of the mystical genre in Islamic and Christian culture. Therefore, the present article, with a comparative approach, has made the structural and content characteristics of the mystical genre the story of Sheikh San'an and the Patriarchy the subject of research. The result of this research shows that in the mystical genre of the story of Sheikh San'an and the father Sergi, the hero's subject must overcome the difficult obstacles of virtual loves, namely, fame, reputation, name and shame, beautiful women, and unstable beings, in order to achieve true love. Also, in both stories, the role of sleep and dreams, prayer and invocation, and the tolerance of asceticism are observed in the actions of the characters. However, the distinguishing feature of the mystical genre of these two works is that Sheikh San'an begins his spiritual journey from the Kaaba and returns to the Kaaba, while the mystical path of father Sergi begins in the monastery and ends with the escape from all appearances of holiness.
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Volume 20, Issue 1 - Serial Number 39
June 2024Pages 215-242
- Receive Date: 08 January 2025
- Revise Date: 25 April 2025
- Accept Date: 10 June 2025
- Publish Date: 15 June 2025