Representing Archetypes from Secular to Divine:Semiotic Analysis of Allegories of Divine Authority (Walāyah) in Najm al-Dīn Dāyah al-Rāzī’s (d. 654/1256) Persian Prose Works

This study investigates the allegories of divine authority (walāyah) inthe Persian writings of Kubrawī Sufi master Najm al-Dīn al-Rāzī. In achain of allegories, he asserts that divine authority only belongs toGod, but Sufi masters and disciples can bestow it. This research seeksto better grasp this concept by studying the allegories in al-Rāzī’sPersian prose works. The key allegories include the bird (containingthe bird, egg, flight, Simurgh), the tree (containing seed, sprout, tree,fruit, date), the child (containing infant, nourishment from the motheror wet nurse of sainthood), the plant (containing sugarcane, raw sugar,refined sugar), stars (containing night, dawn, stars of walāyah) fire,arrow, and wine. Therefore, this study takes a semiotic approach toanalyzing these allegories, attempting to clarify the significance ofdivine authority in al-Rāzī’s mystical discourse. Throwing light onSufism’s intricate symbolic language and providing a greaterawareness of mystical terms make this study essential. Theinvestigation discovered that these allegories have two levels: a lower(asfal) degree and a supreme (aʿlā) degree. Al-Rāzī depicts in anallegorical flow how everything such as animals, minerals, and plantscan achieve its supreme form, which is the archetype of its kind. Thissupreme form is represented by the palm tree among plants, the camelamong animals, gold among stones, and divine authority amonghumans, which corresponds to the perfect men (insan-i kāmil).

Representing Archetypes from Secular to Divine:Semiotic Analysis of Allegories of Divine Authority (Walāyah) in Najm al-Dīn Dāyah al-Rāzī’s (d. 654/1256) Persian Prose Works Keywords:

Divine Authority , Walāyah , Persian Prose Works , Persian Sufism , Kubrawīyya Sufi Order , Najm al-Dīn al-Rāzī.