Islamic Literature and Mysticism: A Comparative Study of the Mystic Elements in the Poetry of Rumi and that of Iqbal

Abstract

The study is devised to understand and determine the profound impact of mysticism on human thoughts, personality development, approach towards life and the social norms and ethics. The study aims to explore how and to what extent philosophy of Mysticism can be helpful in exploring humanism? And what is the Islamic concept of mysticism and how Iqbal and Rumi present it in their poetry? How can mysticism of Allama Iqbal and that of Mawlânâ Rumi be helpful in molding human nature to virtuous goals? The main purpose of the study is to exhibit that there are a great number of similar ideas, images, and techniques in the poems of Rumi and Iqbal. The study demonstrates the interrelationship between man and God in the poetry of Iqbal and Rumi. The study also deals with how Rumi and Iqbal expose nature, the various aspects of the self, and the unitize images of the Divine. Such concepts as sense perception, intuition, knowledge, inner vision, love and certain states and stages of mystic quest are also dealt with in this research paper. Above all, the study demonstrates that it is the stimulating aspect of the soul or the self which creates such a remarkable similarity between Rumi and Iqbal. The analysis of the data for this study is carried out on the discoursal, sentence and word level. Sometimes, lexical and phrasal level of the data is also accessed. The study proves that Sufis can help us to know the world above our imagination and our expectations which is impossible to perceive without the knowledge of Sufism.  By practicing Sufism the Muslims can get rid of the Social and spiritual evils.