A Comparative Study of the Element \"Light\" in Mathnavi

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Abstract

The present article intends to examine the various epistemological and ontological aspects of the element \"Light\" in Mathnavi and compare them with the function of \"Light\" in the other important mystic works of Persian literature. According to the findings of the article, Mathnavi is mostly concerned with these epistemological aspects of \"Light\" which deal with The Law and The Quran, and its interpretation of \"Light\" and the related concepts differ from both ontological and epistemological interpretation of the mystics such as Ali-ebn Othmān Hojviri Hamedāni and Ahmad Ghazzāli, and the systematic and coherent understanding of Ibn-Arabi and his followers. Molavi, although exploring the multiple features and values of \"Light\", never goes beyond the epistemology of Holy Quran and Tradition.

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