The Study of Common Mystic and Gnostic Themes in Attar’s Poems

Abstract

As Gnosticism has an epistemological root, it resembles mysticism and Sufism. There are two general approaches to this resemblance and closeness; one that confirms the penetration of Gnostic thoughts into mysticism, especially in the sixth century, and another that rejects this issue. There are common concepts and themes in Gnosticism and mysticism, the study of which would help to approve or reject the interplay hypothesis. Attar Neyshaboori is one of the mystic poets who lived in the sixth century and it is probable that he would have been impressed by Gnostic thoughts. Hence, studying the common Gnostic and mystic concepts and themes in his works could be essential. The symbols and manifestations of these themes in Attar’s poems are noteworthy and deserve investigation. The contrast between body and soul, the descent of the soul and its enslavement by matter, the dominance of sleep over the soul, forgetting the origin of the self, bewilderment and alienation of the soul in the materialistic world, hearing hidden, intuitive calls and veils covering the path are among common themes in Gnosticism and mysticism. In mysticism, the ultimate goal of spiritual journey is to rejoin God; however, in Gnosticism the goal is to rejoin the self, as also represented in Attar’s poems. In this analytical-descriptive study, these common themes in 165 selected sonnets were examined and the aim was to explain the possibility of Gnostic thoughts influencing Attar’s sonnets and hence their integration with his other mental resources.

Keywords

• gnosticism
• mysticism and sufism
• attar
• attar sonnets
• rejoining god
• meeting super-ego