مجله مطالعات ایرانی (Aug 2019)
Review of prayer and praying in Nezami Ganjavi’s poetry accrding to Leyli & Majnoon
Abstract
1.Introduction Leyli and Majnoon is the name of a narrative poem in the form of Masnavi by Nezami Ganjavi, an eminent poet of the Persian Empire in the 6th century A.H. This work is the third Masnavi in his collection of Masnavis, that is known as Nezami’s khamse. Ian Ripka, in the genealogy of this story, writes that most scholars believe that the scattered theme of this story is based on the poetry and folklore legends in the Arabic language, which they have gathered and Iranianized by Nezami. Although the names of individuals and places are still Arabic in Nezami's narration, but still Iranian culture and customs cast a shadow on this story. Some, also, consider the roots of the myths of Leyli and Majnoon as ancient Babylonian civilization (Ripka, 1998, p.104). Before Nezami Ganjavi, the name of Leyli and Majnoon appeared in Persian literature of the 4th century A.H. onwards. The oldest reference to Leyli and Majnoon in Persian poetry is in Rudaki's poems (Dehbashi, 2006, p.127). Leyli and Majnoon are also mentioned in Baba Taher Hamedani's couplets (Baba Taher, 2008, p.31). Leyli and Majnoon are often referred to in poems by other poets. The oldest but short story of Leyli and Majnoon has come from Sanai's Hadigh al-Haghigha, and that story is about the release of a gazalle by Majnoon (Sanai, 1981, p.457). But, it was Nezami who wrote the love story of Leyli and Majnoon in the form of a single and independent poem in Persian for the first time in 4700 couplets, upon Sharwan king's request. The metrics of this Masnavi was new for the storytelling, and after Nezami, many poets composed the love stories in this metrics. Regardless of the numerous translations of Nezami's version of Leyli and Majnoon in non-Persian languages, dozens of poets in Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Hindi, Urdu, Armenian, Kurdish, and other languages created similar poems, finding interest in Nezami’s Leyli and Majnoon. Compared to Khosrow and Shirin, a poem of the same poet, Leyli and Majnoon helps to understand the cultural differences between Arabs and Iranians. The story characters in Nezami's narration are arbitrary and do not accept a large change in the events of the story. It is kind of possible to say that events happen in the Samiyan world, but the characters are largely Iranian in Nezami's mental world, and both of them are not very converged. The first version of Leyli and Magnoon in Arabic was very simple. Leyli and Majnoon, who were from an Arab tribe, were grazing their livestock in their childhood on deserts, where they fell deeply in love. In another narration, Majnoon sees Leyli in his adulthood, in a women's assembly, and falls in love. The basic Arabic theme of the story may reach the pre-Islamic or even the Babylonian civilization (Ripka, 1998, p.104), and symbols of Babylonian civilization, including praise of heavenly bodies appeared in this story. With his inventive genius, Nezami developed a simple love story with brilliant additions of Iranian mentality, in verses full of spiritual points, that nowadays form a significant part of world literature, especially Persian literature. 2. Methodology Prayer has always been one of the most important subjects in Persian literature from the ancient to the Middle and New era. In Persian literature, we find this subject repeatedly in epic works such as Hakim Ferdowsi's Shahnam and works of fiction such as Nezami’s poems and lyrical literature. This article has tried to analyze the position of prayer and praying in Iranian culture by using a descriptive and analytical method, based on Quran and traditions and books published on Nezami Ganjavi, especially in Leyli and Majnoon, to understand one of the most important and beautiful events of human life, i.e., prayer. It has been referred to in religion, mysticism, literature, and many other branches of human insight and knowledge. 3. Discussion 'Prayer' is a Persian word from the principle of the 'Naiation' with the structure of the verbal noun, in the meaning of prayer and praise (Moein, 2008, the following 'prayers'). The Arabic equivalent of the term, 'prayer', is an infinitive that means the need to seek, plead with God, claim blessing, supplicate, ask for God's grace for him or herself or another, and to call Him (Dehkhoda, 1998, the following 'Prayer'; Moein, 2008, the following 'prayer'). Also, 'prayer' in the term, means calling and seeking help, and in the terms of Shi'a, it means speaking with the Almighty in a way of asking Him solve the problems or mentioning His glorious attributes (Meshkini Ardebili, 1992, pp.16-17). The truth of prayer, which is the imperfect attention to the absolute for the elimination of its own imperfection and need, is a natural and inherent matter for which it is desirable to lose hope in all but God. 4. conclusion Prayer and praying have an old and fundamental place in human life. Persian literature has witnessed the presence of religious themes since the earliest ages, especially prayer and praying. In addition to prayers scattered in Persian poetical works, praise writing has been a constant tradition in the prefaces to books of Masnavi poems. Nezami Ganjavi has also helped the continuation and strengthening of this tradition. In addition to the dispersed prayers in his five Masnavies, he prepared stunning imitations at the beginning of every Masnavi, which have been a model to follow for the poets after him. One of the outstanding examples of prayer in Nezami’s works is Leyli and Majnoon poem. By reviewing this versified story, we get the following results: - Most of Nezami’s prayers are of direct prayer type, but sometimes he asks a mediator and makes indirect prayers. - Some of Nezami’s prayers are directed toward worldly matters, but they don't come from worldly attachments, but rather, Nezami asks such things from God for the liberation from dependence on the world and the masters in the world. - Other Nezami’s prayers also have the place and time of their fulfillment in the world, but they have the otherworldly results. -Nezami also offers fervent prayers of the characters language in his story, but these chants are, in fact, the words of his own heart from the language of others. -To Nezami, sometimes, prayer has a secondary effects, for example, Majnoon’s prayer for heavenly bodies, in fact, is to prove the existence of God and is like Prophet Ibrahim's saying that "I like not those that disappear".
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