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Sanāʾi’s Hadiqat al-haqiqeh: Between Narrative and Non-narrative

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Parisa Zahiremami
Parisa Zahiremami*
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
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Abstract

This paper explores the unity of the Hadiqat al-haqiqeh, a medieval mystical didactic work composed by the twelfth-century Persian poet Sanāʾi. It provides one possible reading from the text by following the link between some of the major themes discussed in its chapters. By doing so, the paper first challenges the common view of the work as a fragmentary, non-narrative text, and second it draws attention to the synthesis of political ethics and Sufi didacticism as a possible starting point in the interpretation of the work. It also highlights the possibility—and necessity—of further scholarly inquiry into the Hadiqeh, regardless of issues caused by its complex textual history.

Keywords

SanāʾiHadiqat al-haqiqeh va shariʿat at-tariqehUnityChapterThemeIntellectIdeal RulerLove
Type
Hermeneutics and Religious Texts
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 54 , Issue 3-4 , July 2021 , pp. 485 - 519
Copyright
Copyright © Association For Iranian Studies, Inc 2021

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Footnotes

The author is indebted to colleagues Dr. Arshavez Mozaffari, Dr. Shuntu Kuang, Dr. Francesco Pica, and John Theodore Good for their help. Special thanks to Dr. George Leube and also to the anonymous reviewers and the editors of Iranian Studies, Dr. Ali Gheissari and Dr. Cameron Cross, whose advice and support enriched the present study. Dr. Gheissari and Dr. Cross went above and beyond to provide me with important sources during the difficult time of COVID-19. My gratitude also goes to Dr. Shafique N. Virani, without whose support this project would not have been possible.

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