The Origin of Political Sufi Discourse in Iran and its Analysis based on Laclau and Mouffe's Discourse Theory

Abstract

The Manichaean and Mazdakites influenced the ideas succeeding them. Expressing objection to the cruel kings’ oppression and injustice in society was one of the prominent features of some Mystic and Sufi sects. In this research, by studying the Zoroastrian and Manichaean literature and Islamic era texts, the origin of oppression-resistance of some Sufi discourses was detected and analyzed critically. This study is based on Laclau and Mouffe’s (1985) discourse theory. The common supposition in Islamic era (especially in Abbasid Caliphate) was that the movements against Baghdad Caliphate had roots in the ideologies of the Manichaean and Mazdakites. This institution of power, in its process of suppressing opponents and accusing them of “heresy”, often ascribed them to two sects loathed by the Zoroastrians (i.e., the Manichaean and Mazdakites). It seems that in the written documents, the depiction and narration of the methods of suppressing and punishing mystic rioters bore a striking resemblance to those deployed for murdering the followers of Mazdak and Mani in the Sassanid era. It is clarified in this research that the nodal point of the movements against Sassanid Empire and Abbasid Caliphate was “moral corruption” and “non-adherence” to religious beliefs; however, these anti-government discourses apparently highlighted “justice” as the “empty signifier” in the society.

Keywords

• political sufism
• discourse theory
• mani
• mazdak
• islamic mysticism