In ancient Iranian mythology, numerous kings are mentioned, each possessing distinct characteristics. Among them, Kay Khosrow stands apart; numerous traits ascribed to him have rendered him a symbol of the perfect and charismatic human being. His immortality is one of his most significant attributes and a key point of differentiation from other mythical kings of ancient Iran. Examining the various dimensions of Kay Khosrow's character in Zoroastrian religious and literary texts has long been a subject of scholarly inquiry. Employing a qualitative research method and a myth-criticism approach with an archetypal inclination, this research provides a mystical analysis of this mythological figure. It seeks to interpret the semiology of his mystical aspects based on this approach within religious and literary texts. In this semiological analysis, Kay Khosrow emerges as a charismatic king, a transcendent human, and an embodiment of the "Sh & amacr;h-M & umacr;badh" (king-priest) archetype. The myth of his baptism, his power of blessing, his possession of the prophesying cup, and his passage "through cold water" imply the archetypal concept of "death and rebirth," forming the core structural components of the Kay Khosrow myth. The findings indicate that Kay Khosrow symbolizes the "perfect man" of Iranian mythology, who, at the end of time during the "Frashgereta", will transform the mythological history of Iran into a systematic and recurring reality within the cosmic cycle of creation.
This article employs a descriptive-analytical method to examine the reality and levels of the human soul and its knowledge of God from the perspective of Meister Eckhart. Eckhart posits that knowledge of God is unattainable through philosophy, identifying mysticism - characterized by detachment from the world and love for God - as the sole path. Viewing the soul as multi-leveled, he distinguishes between the divine self (inner self) and the created self (outer self), as well as between the divine Essence (Oneness) and the triune God. From his viewpoint, humans were united with God before creation but lost this unity thereafter. Knowledge of God occurs when individuals reunite with the Divine, attaining a state of annihilation in the Godhead. Achieving this state requires the virtue of detachment from the sensory and apparent world, which Eckhart considers attainable through love - a means of transcending appearances and facilitating unity and annihilation in the One.
This paper offers a comparative analysis of Ruzbihan Baqli (1128-1209 CE), a notable The study aims to illuminate the nuanced interpretations of mystical paradoxes by both scholars and provide insights into the nature of these paradoxical expressions. We begin with a summary of Stace's theories on mystical paradoxes, followed by an analysis of the extent to which Baqli's expressions conform to these frameworks. The results suggest that Baqli's interpretation of Shatahiyat is a sophisticated exploration of mystical contradictions, employing strategies to justify these paradoxes. Many of Baqli's views align with Stace's theories - including concepts like double location, ambiguity, emotional intensity, spiritual blindness, and metaphor - but diverge on misdescription and rhetorical paradox. By questioning established beliefs, Baqli clarifies several mystical paradoxes, using rational arguments and referencing the experiences of respected figures. Both scholars agree that the metaphysical realm in mystical experiences often transcends ordinary understanding, leading to contradictions in descriptions. In contrast to Stace's view of ecstatic experiences as transient and ineffective in mystical discourse, Baqli posits a more enduring role for such states. Finally, Baqli enriches the discourse by rationalizing many paradoxes and criticizing some meaningless expressions.
This article explores Rabi`a al-`Adawiyya's doctrine of disinterested divine love as a transformative force in early Islamic spirituality and ethics. Rejecting fear of Hell and hope for Paradise as motives for worship, Rabi`a articulated a theology that centers on God as the sole end, not a means to reward. Her ascetic practices-voluntary poverty, celibacy, fasting, and refusal of patronage-functioned as an embodied critique of patriarchal norms and the political economies of piety in Abbasid society. Through a reception-critical method, the study situates Rabi`a within a network of early female ascetics and traces her evolution from historical figure to normative icon in Sufi manuals and Persian poetics. Comparative dialogues with Kierkegaard, Simone Weil, and Tolstoy illuminate a transreligious grammar of love as resistance, highlighting inwardness, consent to affliction, and non-domination. Far from privatized mysticism, Rabi`a's ethic constitutes a "politics from below," reclaiming Islam's ethical heart against instrumentalization by power. Her legacy persists as a program of sacred motive that redefines piety as radical love-an enduring challenge to transactional religiosity and a resource for contemporary debates on justice, gender, and spiritual autonomy.
Gnosis (or knowledge) is one of the most defining characteristics of Gnostic schools. Among these schools, Manichaeism places the greatest emphasis on gnosis, making it a gnosis-centered religion. Mani considers the acquisition of gnosis the primary requirement for the salvation of the human soul, while viewing the performance of superficial rituals as inadequate and ineffective for humanity's salvation. According to Manichaean belief, the human soul is a fragment of divine light ensnared in the darkness of matter. The material world is likened to a prison and an exile where the soul remains captive until it attains divine gnosis. This gnosis is intuitive and esoteric, distinct from human intellectual and mental knowledge. Mani regards self-knowledge as the source of acquiring this gnosis. Ultimately, this perspective has imbued the religion with a mystical dimension.
