Attributes of God from the Point of View of Rumi and Comparing It with the Opinions of Islamic Theologians

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Qom, Qom, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Jalal al-Din Rumi is the greatest Iranian poet and mystic of the 7th century AH, whose thoughts have always been the focus of attention. In the present article, the approaches to God's attributes from Rumi's point of view have been examined, analyzed and compared with the opinions of Islamic theologians. The mentioned topic is one of the most central issues in the field of theology, for which the history of human thought is full of affirmative and negative positions. This research, using the descriptive and analytical method, with the aim of explaining Rumi's approach to the mentioned subject, and by following and analyzing the six chapters of Masnawi, Rumi's most important work, explains his words about tashbih (anthropomorphism) and tanzih (transcendence) of God and compares them with the views of famous theological sects. The present paper shows that in the matter of knowing God, while believing in God's transcendence to be understood, described, seen, likened, etc., Rumi also accepts anthropomorphism and explains the combination of these two features in different ways in Masnawi. Regarding the narrative attributes and the verses implying anthropomorphism, Rumi's opinions are sometimes in line with Maturidiyyah's thoughts, and sometimes they originate from his independent opinion on this issue.

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The Holy Qurān
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