Special Narrative Patterns for Narrating Samāʿ Stories in Sufi's Comprehensive Manual Books and Tezkire Books from Fourth to Sixth Century A.H

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 M. A. in Persian language & literature, Faculty of letters and humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Persian Language & Literature, Faculty of Letters and humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract

Narratives serve as important tools of pedagogy within Sufi literature. Among the most profound and distinctive teachings highlighted throughout their texts is that of Samāʿ. A careful examination of pivotal Sufi works penned between the 4th to 6th centuries reveals that these narratives may be classified into thirteen distinct patterns. Each pattern has been assigned a title in this article. These stories are didactical in comprehensive manual books, while In Tezkire books, they are narrated to justify Samāʿ and legitimate it as one of the Sufi's customs. An analysis of the prevalence of these recurring patterns within comprehensive manual books and Tezkire books shows that authors of Tezkire books not only drew upon established patterns of comprehensive manual books in their works but also embraced the patterns "alternative perceptions arising from inner experiences" and "extraordinary actions" to reflect the unique insights and abilities of the sheikhs. Moreover, Attār among authors of Tezkire books is recognized as an innovator in narrating some common Samāʿ stories. A closer look at the stories of Samāʿ reveals that Sufis have used specific narrative patterns for narrating stories about some of their celebrated sheikhs, namely Junayd, Shibli, and Abu Sa'id Abu al-Khayr. The narrative patterns illustrate distinct preferences by Sufis for narrating stories about them.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Abu Noʾaym al-Isfahāni, Hāfez (n.d.). Hilyat al-Awliyā ' wa Tabaqāt al-Asfiyā'. vols 1, 2, 4, 6 – 10, Beirut: Dār al-fekr. [In Arabic].
al-Qazāli, Abu Hāmed (1994). Ehyaʾ-e ʾolum al-din. tr.Moʾyyed al-din Mohammad Xārazmi. ed. Hossein Xadivjam, vol. 2. 2nd ed. Tehran: Elmi va Farhangi. [in Persian].
al-Hojviri,ʾAbu al-Hasan ʾAli ibn ʾOsmān (2017). Kašf al-Mahjub. ed. Mahmud Ābedi. 10th ed. Tehran: Soruš. [in Persian].
al-Qušeyri, ʾAbd al-Karim ibn Havāzin Abu al-Qāsem (1995). Al-Risālat al-Qušayriyya. ed. Abdolhalim Mahmud and Mahmud ibn Šarif. Qom: Bidār. [in Arabic].
al-Qušayri,ʾAbd al-Karim ibn Havāzin Abu al-Qāsem (1995). Al-Risāla al-Qušayriyya. translated by Abu Ali Ahmad ibn Hasan ʾOsmāni. ed. Badiʾ al-zamān Foruzānfar. 4th ed. Tehran: Elmi va Farhangi. [in Persian]
Ansāri, Xāje abdollāh (1983), Tabaqāt al-sufiyyah. ed. Mohammad Sarvar Mowlāyi. Tehran: Tus. [in Persian].
Attār, Farid al-din (2018). Tazkerat al-Awliyāʾ. ed. Mohammad Reza Šafiʾi Kadkani. Tehran: Soxan. [in Persian].
Bāmeški, Samirā (2011). Revāyat-šenāsi-ye dāstān-hāye Masnavi (Narratology of the Narratives of Mathnavi). Tehran: Hermes. [In Persian].
Qadiriyān, Andiše (2008). “Vižegi-hāye sāxtāri va revāyatiye hekāyat-hāye mašāyex dar masnavi-hāye Attār (Structural and narrative features of the šeix's tales in Attār's Mathnavis)”. Majalleye Dāneškadeye adabiyāt va olum ensāni-ye Mašhad (The publication of the faculty of letters and humanities of Ferdowsi university of Mašhad). Spring. no. 160. p 115 – 136. [in Persian].
Jalālipur, Bahrām (2012). Rixt-šenāsiye qessehāye asātiri va pahlavāni (Morphology of mythological tales). Tehran: Afrāz. [In Persian].
Xadiš, Pegāh (2008). Rixt-šenāsiye afsāne-hāye jāduyi (Morphology of magical legends). Tehran: Šerkat-e entešārāt-e Elmi va Farhangi. [In Persian].
Xarguši, ʾabd al-malek ibn ʾabi ʾOsmān (2010). Tahzib al-ʾasrār fi ādāb-e al-Tasavof. ed. Mohammad Ahmad abd al-Halim. Cairo: Al-Thaqāfat al-Diniyyah. [in Arabic].
Purjavādi, Nasrollāh (1988). “Do asar-e kohan dar samāʾ (two old texts abut samāʾ)”. Maʾāref. no. 3. p 3 – 78. [In persian].
Purjavādi, Nasrollāh (2002). Do Mojadded (two Renewers of Faith: studies on Gazzāli and faxruddin-e Rāzi). Tehran: Tehran university press. [In persian]
Purjavādi, Nasrollāh (2008). “Adabiyāt-e Tasavvof (literature of Tasavvof)”. Dāyeratolmāʾāref-e eslāmi (The Great Islamic Encyclopedia). ed. Kāzem Musavi Bojnurdi. vol. 15. Tehran: Center of The Great Islamic Encyclopedia. [In persian].
Purjavādi, Nasrollāh (2017). “Samāʿ” Dānešnāme-ye Jahān-e Eslām) Encyclopedia of the World of Islam). vol. 24. Tehran: Center of The Great Islamic Encyclopedia. [In persian].
Propp, Vladimir Yakovlevich (2018). Rixt-šenāsiye qesse-hāye pariyān (Morphology of the folktale). tr. Fereydun Badreʾi. Tehran: Tus. [In persian].
Purnāmdāriyān, Taqi (2015). Didār bā Simurq (The vision of simurq). Tehran: Institute of Humanities and Cultural Studies. [In Persian].
Sarrāj Tusi, Abu Nasr abadollāh ibn Ali (1914). Al-Lomaʾ fi al-Tasawuf. ed. Reynold Alleyne Nicholson. Tehran: Jahān. [offset] [in Arabic].
Solami, Abu Abd al-Rahmān (1960). Tabaqāt al-sufiyyah. ed.  Johannes Pedersen. Leiden: Brill. [in Arabic].
https://noorlib.ir
Persian Language and Literature
Volume 78, Issue 251
July 2025
Pages 1-27

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 22 October 2024
  • Revise Date: 11 December 2024
  • Accept Date: 04 December 2024
  • Publish Date: 22 July 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics