Investigation and analysis of the common motifs of Gnosticism and Hafez Shirazi's sonnets

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 MSc Graduate, Department of Comparative Religions and Mysticism, , Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Comparative Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The fundamental characteristic of Gnosticism is its anti-cosmic attitude and strong duality between God and the material world. This thought requires un-deification of cosmic forces and consideration of the evil and antagonistic actors who control the world, body and psyche of man who are irrelevant to absolutely supreme God, who is beyond this system. In Gnostic thought, these cosmic powers are mainly the rulers of the heavenly planets (archons). In order to achieve salvation, man must be freed from the rule of these archons, and this salvation is not possible without the intervention of God's roar from outside of the cosmic system. At the same time, similar ideas have found their way in the religious texts of Zoroastrianism orthodoxy as well as in Islamic philosophy and mysticism without any contradictions with their basic principles. These anti-cosmic thoughts have found a special and unique resonance in Hafez's poetry through the role of astral spirits in the process of cosmogenesis and the events of the beginning of creation and the existential position of man in relation to these events which has connected Hafez's soteriology with the idea of "splitting the roof of the sky". By comparing Gnostic texts, myths and fundamental ideas with the ideas, themes and symbolism found in Hafez's poetry, this research shows the Gnostic themes of Hafez's poetry and their relationship with his worldview and ontology.

Keywords

References

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Comparative Study of Religions and Mysticism
Volume 9, Issue 2
September 2025
Pages 69-100

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History

  • Receive Date: 08 June 2024
  • Revise Date: 06 September 2024
  • Accept Date: 26 February 2025

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