Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Guilan
2
PhD student in Mystical Literature, University of Guilan
10.22111/jrm.2026.53743.1342
Abstract
Silence is one of the deepest concepts in mystical traditions, which manifests itself in educational, epistemological, and ontological layers. This study, using a comparative approach, attempts to examine the position and function of silence in two classical texts, namely Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching and Attar Neyshaburi's Tazkirat al-Awliya. The research method is based on qualitative analysis and interpretation of the texts. According to the research findings, silence in both traditions has three main aspects: first, moral silence, which is related to the education of the seeker and liberation from the plagues of language; second, epistemological silence, which indicates the inability of language to convey intuitive experiences and encounter the transcendent truth; and third, ontological silence, which indicates the annihilation and disappearance of the seeker in the infinite truth of existence. In the Tao Te Ching, silence is in harmony with nature and reflects harmony with the natural flow of the Tao, while in the Tazkirat al-Awliya, silence is linked to concepts such as the astonishment of the mystic, secrecy, and presence before divine truth. The results of the study show that in both traditions, silence is not simply a refusal to speak, but a level of consciousness that leaves language behind and opens the way for direct intuition of truth. At the same time, the linguistic and cultural differences between the two texts are also striking: in the Eastern tradition, silence is manifested as harmony with nature, and in Islamic mysticism as austerity and politeness of moral conduct. Finally, this study takes a new step in comparative studies of mysticism and theology by highlighting the semantic commonalities of silence in Islamic and Eastern mysticism.
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