Document Type : Research article
Authors
1 Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Semnan University Semnan, Iran.
2 Ph.D Condition, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities, Semnan University Semnan,, Iran.
Abstract
Highlights
About a Verse by sage of Ganja
(An Exploration of the Concept of " The Lord of Lords " in the Nizami’s Thought System)
Introduction
NizamiGanjavi is one of the few poets of Persian literature who has been nicknamed "Hakim", and this rare attribution is, of course, the natural result of the philosophizing that can be seen throughout his works. Hakim Ganjeh can be considered as a full-fledged representative of Iranian poetic rationality in his time. His intellectual flourishing coincided with a period when the Mu'tazili theology was declining . However, on the other hand, Ash'ari's theology had begun a new phase in its life.Ismaili theology and philosophy had reached its zenith, and in the field of philosophy, the Peripatetic school had become perfect, even surpassing schools such as Hermetic and Neo-Pythagoreanism. Nizami prided himself in such an atmosphere. Some historians have considered him to have the virtue of prioritizing the discipline of the issues of wisdom and philosophy, but it seems that he was more interested in Sufism. What unveils Nezami's Sufi thoughts is the attention to two basic points: first, the epistemological keywords that are abundant in his works, and second, the attention to the dominant discourse in the atmosphere of Sufism and mysticism during the poet's lifetime.
Literature Review and Methodology
Most scholars have insisted on Nizami's wisdom, but they have refrained from genealogy of his theological and theological approaches. For example, these verses of the poem of Khosrow and Shirin have often been ignored by commentators:
In the name of the one who found the name of the universe / The sky of movement, the earth found peace from him
The Almighty God is one and the same/who Called by the Lord of Lords
The central issue of this article is that by explaining these verses, while genealogizing Nizami's thoughts, he can propose the "Hermetic worldview" as an epistemological and ontological model for an accurate understanding of the depth of the thoughts of this sage. He seeks to interpret the phrase "lords of God" in Nizami's theology based on the Hermetic epistemological system and to generalize it to the entire theological system of Hakim Ganjavi. There have been researches on Nizami's thoughts and theology, such as AbdolhosseinZarrinkoub in his book Pir Ganja in Search of Nowhere, which discusses the philosophical foundations of Nizami's thoughts, and has even been influenced by Hermetic writings. Mansur Sarvat, in his book "The Treasure of Wisdom in Nezami's Works", has tried to represent the system of philosophical thought of Nezami; however, hehas not dealt with the role of Hermesism in the works of this poet. SeyyedHossein Nasr, in his article "The Worldview and Philosophical Perspective of Hakim NezamiGanjavi" in his book The Islamic Rational Tradition in Iran, has made a brief reference to the Neoplatonic and Hermetic thoughts of Nizami. Kevin van Bladel, in his book Hermes of Arabia, From the Infidel Sage of Kish to the Prophet of Knowledge, has mentioned some verses about Nizami's knowledge of Hermes and Hermetic thoughts. HosseinKalbasiAshtari, in a book titled Hermes and the Hermetic Tradition, devotes a short chapter to the study of "Hermes in Persian Literature" and suffices with mentioning only verses from Nizami in which the name of Hermes is mentioned.
Discussion
After Alexander's conquests, the Hermetic school was founded in Alexandria by combining the philosophical teachings of Iran, Greece, and Egypt, and it quickly expanded and became one of the most important scientific and philosophical schools in that city in the first century AD. Important works called Hermes appeared, which contain the basic teachings of this school. Hermesianism entered Iran from the second century AH onwards through the Harran school, and after the advent of Islam, it was also revived during the translation movement, and it has appeared in various forms, including Greekism and Neoplatonism, in the works of Iranian-Islamic philosophers and mystics.Some believe that the theory of grace and the intellect of Ashra is one of the most important manifestations of the influence of the philosophy of Farabi and Ibn Sina on the philosophy of the Harrani religion. In Suhrawardi's philosophy, the influence of Hermesianism is more visible than others. In his works, he himself does not shy away from acknowledging the influence of Hermes. Therefore, it can be said that during the period of Nizami's life, issues related to Hermetic religion were famous among the sages, and therefore the influence of this poet on Hermetic thoughts is not unexpected. What is useful from the Hermetic worldview in this article is theological dualism. Hermetic theology is distinguished by the acceptance of two gods, one at the command of the other: first, the Supreme God, who is indescribable, incomprehensible, and free from any analogy with any other object. He does not deal with the universe, and the universe and its interior are not within the scope of His knowledge, because the universe and its interior are surrounded by imperfections, and this God is free from the relationship with what is imperfect. Therefore, it is not possible to know him by contemplating the universe and its system, i.e., through the intellect and the senses, because existence does not imply him. Second, God the Maker, who created the world, is manifested in it and is perceived by contemplating the universe, and therefore it is said that He is everywhere and man will find Him everywhere he looks, and everything is a sign of His existence. In the combination of "Lord of Lords" in the aforementioned verse, the word "Lord" is interpreted .However the common word "Lord" is used for both God the Almighty and the servants of God Almighty, in the same combination, which contradicts the essence of the Qur'anic teachings and reduces the relationship between God and servitude to the superiority in a relationshipbetween two being of the same gender. This homosexuality of God the Almighty and a group other than Him in the Nizami’s mentality is the legacy of one or more pre-Islamic theological systems that were not formed on the basis of the oneness of God the Almighty.
Conclusion
From a set of extra-textual arguments based on the history of theological thoughts in Iran and Islam, as well as intra-textual citations, it can be concluded that the interpretation of "God's Lords" must have a basis other than the monotheistic teachings of Islam. According to the prevailing theological discourses contemporaneous with the era of military life, the most probable system is the Hermetic teachings, which have an influence on Islamic-Iranian culture and thought far beyond what is thought, because in this system of thought, there is a God the Almighty at the top and even beyond the pyramid of existence, who has created the God of the Maker and the Creator with the help of his agents and ministers, in charge of the affairs of the world. Therefore, it can be claimed that Nizami was influenced by Hermetic teachings.
Keywords: NizamiGanjavi, Hermetic theology, Sabaeans of Harran, Suhrawardi, The Lord of Lords.
Keywords
Main Subjects
)