An examination of mystical experience from the perspectives of Rumi and Eckhart regarding attraction, effort, and reliance

This study examines the mystical experience from the perspectives of Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī and Meister Eckhart, focusing on the three key concepts of jadhbah (divine attraction), juhd (spiritual striving), and tawakkul (trust in God). Employing a qualitative content analysis of primary texts—including Rūmī’s Mathnawī and Dīwān-e Shams and Eckhart’s Sermons and Treatises—the research elucidates the structure of the mystical experience within Islamic and Christian mystical traditions. The study’s originality lies in interpreting juhd as the mediating link between divine attraction and trust in divine will—a dimension largely overlooked in comparative mystical studies. Findings indicate that while both mystics regard jadhbah as the initiating moment of mystical experience, they diverge significantly in their understanding of juhd and tawakkul: Rūmī conceives jadhbah as an expression of divine mercy, juhd as active love, and tawakkul as hopeful reliance on the path to proximity with God; whereas Eckhart views jadhbah as union with the Divine Essence, juhd as the complete abandonment of the self-will, and tawakkul as annihilation into the absolute “Nothingness.” This comparison not only reveals fundamental similarities in the origin of mystical experience but also highlights profound differences in the existential structure of the spiritual path, offering a comparative framework for understanding mystical experience within theistic traditions of East and West.