Linking the poetical text and the doctrines of Sufi brotherhoods: Sufi poetry of A. Lahuti

Abstract

The article deals with the poetical heritage of Abulqasim Lahuti, more precisely his poetical works of an early period, which constitute a special section in his collection of poems, the Divan. It was published in Teheran as early as in 1979 by 'Ali Bashiri under the title As'ar-e mazhabi va 'erfani («Religious and Sufi verses»). The revolutionary, patriotic and lyrical poetical works by A. Lahuti published since 1909 are well-known. However, his early poetry, which reflects the time when he was in contact with various Sufi brotherhoods remains almost a terra incognita for most scholars who have been studying his poetry ever since. Moreover, the existence of such poetry of his was hardly even accounted for, at least by the Soviet scholars who made attempts to reconstruct Lahuti’s biography as a poet. Usually, it is difficult to link an author of a poetical piece (ghazal) with a certain Sufi brotherhood or school unless there is a direct indication left by his biographers that he was taught by certain sheiks. One of the least researched questions in the text studies remains, whether an ideology of a given brotherhood can be traced in the poetic features of a given ghazai. The section from the Divan by A. Lahuti contains traditional “genres”, such as the tawhid (the Unicity of the Almighty); na't (praise to the Prophet Muhammad, praise to 'Ali and Hussain); lamentation on the events in Karbala; praise to Sheikh Hayran Kurdistani and some other works. The second part of the section comprises 107 ghazals. As A. Lahuti mentions in his autobiography, he became a member of a Sufi brotherhood. The article explores the connection between the early poetry by A. Lahuti and the doctrine of Sufi brotherhoods as reflected in the poetics of his ghazais. His work of this period reveals his awareness of the doctrines of ne'matallahi and ahl-i haqq (or 'Aii- ilahi) Sufi orders. The poet had three mentors, each of whom represented the following types of the Sufi Path: ecstatic and visionary one; a militant one; and a humble one praising holy behaviour and being content with little. The early ghazais by A. Lahuti respectively reflects these types of the Sufi Path.