A Mystic with Two Faces

Mahmoud Shabestari, the renowned mystic of the eighth century, besides the Masnavi Golshan-e-Raz, which is well-known among scholars of wisdom and mysticism, has another Masnavi called Sa’adat Nameh that is less recognized. The present writing is an analytical report on aspects of the views and beliefs of this mystic from the perspective of these two Masnavis, presented in two separate sections. The aim of this brief study is on the one hand to examine the content of Sa’adat Nameh and on the other hand to highlight Shabestari’s success in combining Ibn Arabi’s philosophy of the unity of existence with traditional Iranian mysticism. Mahmoud Shabestari’s works are the focus here. The book consists of two parts. In the first part, the author analyzes Shabestari’s ideas and beliefs in Sa’adat Nameh, demonstrating how Shabestari appears as an Ash’ari theologian and a Sharia-observant Sufi in this Masnavi. In the second part, the author examines Shabestari by delving into Golshan-e-Raz, a Masnavi in which Shabestari unites Attar’s poetry with the teachings of Ibn Arabi. Samad Mohahed, like his brother Professor Mohammad Ali Mohahed, due to his deep knowledge of classical Persian works, possesses great ability in analyzing and reviewing these texts.