| Publication |
2011.
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| Summary/Abstract |
This article explores Salaman va Absal , one of seven poems which comprise Jami's collection of long masnavis, known collectively as the Haft aurang. The work, which gained some renown outside Iran due to the English version of Edward FitzGerald, has nevertheless received little attention in modern scholarship. The few investigations of Salaman va Absal moreover, have dwelled on its narrative, which tells the story of the carnal attraction of a prince for his wet-nurse, and never situated the work in its historical context or examined its political content. In addition, the allegorical symbolism of the tale, especially its depiction of key stages of the Sufi path, such as the act of repentance, has not been discussed in terms of representing a work of mystical advice. With these concerns in mind, the present article discusses the possibility that the political elements in Salaman va Absal, complement the advice it gives on becoming a Sufi. Seen from this perspective, it would appear that Salaman va Absal correlates the notion of the just ruler to the Sufi concept of the "Perfect Man" to the extent that Jami's presents the Sufi-king as the ideal medieval Islamic ruler. By implication, the work advises its royal patron, Sultan Yaqub, to repent and embark upon the Sufi path, doing so, Jami intimates, would lead Ya'qub to realize his rank as God's "true" vicegerent.
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