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An Overview of Life and Works of Jami & His Perception of Love

Author: Leyla Hajimehditajer (Help University Malaysia)

  • An Overview of Life and Works of Jami & His Perception of Love

    Article

    An Overview of Life and Works of Jami & His Perception of Love

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Abstract

Abd al-Rahman Jami (817/1414- 898/1492) is regarded as the last grand classical poet of Persian literature and a great Sufi of his time. Towards the end of his life, he compiled his Divan in which one can trace his life pattern that he has divide into three main phases. These include: 1) the period of his childhood and early phases of education, which is reported in Fātiḥah al-Shabāb; 2) his mid-life phase as elaborated in Wāsiṭah al-‘Aqd; and, 3) the last stage of his life, discussed in Khātimah al-Ḥayāt. In the latter, Jami tends to evaluate his life span in search of elixir of salvation. This search led him to an elevated stage of self-realization where he questioned his previous actions and all that which he was praised for, i.e. a prolific writer, an imaginative poet, and a distinguished commentator of Sufi thought. This spiritual self-assessment eventually directed him to the path of ‘love’ – the transforming power that reveals the essential meaning of life, realization of the inner divine self, and that which could bring about union with God. This paper intends to trace Jami’s transformation of thought, character and worldview. It begins with a bibliographical account followed by an elaboration of the three phases of Jami’s life, his status as a poet, a melting pot of Sufism, and, finally his perception of true love and its transforming and purifying effect on the seeker of truth.

Keywords: Abd al-Rahman Jami, Persian Literature, Love, Sufism, 'Ishq

How to Cite:

Hajimehditajer, L., (2021) “An Overview of Life and Works of Jami & His Perception of Love”, Journal of Islamic and Middle Eastern Multidisciplinary Studies: Mathal 7(1), 1-18. doi: https://doi.org/10.17077/2168-538X.1122

Rights: Copyright © 2021 Leyla Hajimehditajer

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Published on
21 Jun 2021
Peer Reviewed
License
CC BY 3.0