The Concept of the Unity of Existence in the Intellectual Disposition of Rumi and Leo Tolstoy

Seyedaghaie Rezaie, Seyede Mohana; Baloo, Farzad

doi:10.22051/jml.2021.35708.2190

Document Type : Scientific-research

Authors

¹ Assistant Professor of Department of Russian Language, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

² Associate Professor of Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22051/jml.2021.35708.2190

Abstract

The Unity of Existence is one of the fundamental concepts in theoretical and practical mysticism and in our Islamic-Iranian tradition prominent figures like Ibn Arabi and Rumi have worked on this concept. In his works, Rumi, the great mystic of the seventh century, presents and explicates this concept in different ways, often allegorically. Obviously, this idea is not limited to Islamic-Iranian tradition and traces of these insights could be found in the works of thinkers and writers of other nations. The famous Russian writer and thinker, Leo Tolstoy, has used Oriental wisdoms, rituals, and religions in his spiritual quests for meaning of life. In the meantime, one of the themes permeating all Tolstoy's works, like an invisible thread, is the concept of unity. He discusses unity in a good number of his works including the story of “The Cossacks", the epic novel "War and Peace", "The Death of Ivan Ilyich", his didactic anecdotes, and in the collection "The Way of Life", among others. In this study, we sought to explore the representation of the Unity of Existence in the works of Rumi and Tolstoy. The findings suggest that Tolstoy's allusions to the Unity of Existence could be re-read and examined in light of Rumi's view of the Unity of Existence through a descriptive-comparative approach. In this study, adopting American school in comparative literature approach, we aim to explicate the similarities of views held by Rumi and Tolstoy concerning the Unity of Existence.

Keywords

References

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Mystical Literature

The Concept of the Unity of Existence in the Intellectual Disposition of Rumi and Leo Tolstoy

References

References

Volume 13, Issue 25
August 2021
Pages 117-149

The Concept of the Unity of Existence in the Intellectual Disposition of Rumi and Leo Tolstoy

References

References

Volume 13, Issue 25August 2021Pages 117-149

Volume 13, Issue 25
August 2021
Pages 117-149