Document Type : Original Article

Author

• fateme soltani

Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature ,Faculty of Literature and Languages, University of Arak, Arak, Iran.

Abstract

Conceptual metaphors are one of the most important cognitive tools for explaining abstract concepts in Persian mystical texts. In Najm al-Din Razi's book Mersad al-Ibad, the concept of the soul and its educational process are explained through a series of prominent structural metaphors; however, this area has so far been less systematically analyzed.This study, using a descriptive-analytical approach, explores the structure and conceptual mappings of some of the most important metaphors related to the soul (including the metaphors of the child, the seed, and the prisoner) in the Mersad al-Ibad. These metaphors not only explain the mechanism of the training and perfection of the soul, but also provide the possibility of a new interpretation of the conceptual structure of Persian mystical thought. To extract data, the entire work was examined using a text-based study method and metaphors were selected based on the criteria of repetition, prominence, and role in the process of educating the soul. According to the research findings, the goal of educating and nurturing the soul is to reach the level of perfection, analysis, and divine knowledge; in other words, the process of educating the soul should be such that it returns to the position of divine proximity and its original homeland and reaches the level of true annihilation.