THE CONCEPT OF DETERMINISM AND FREE WILL IN RUMI’S VIEW WITH A GLANCE TOWARDS PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY

Abstract

Determinism and free will and its effect on human’s destiny have been always one of the challenging issues in history. Scholars and scientists from different types of human sciences have presented different theories and hypotheses regarding this subject. Persian Literature has many works done in the related scope in its repertoire. One of the major works throughout which this subject has been discussed is Rumi’s Masnavi. When he looks at personal-social life of man, he cannot admit the possibility of man’s perfection and his personality without the existence of free will, on the other hand he considers determinism indicative of causal laws completely false and idiotic. But according to the verse (he is with you wherever you are) he accepts the deterministic relationship between the creator and the creature (companionship) as a grandeur determinism. In psychology as well, the admittance or refusal of determinism is quite effective in human’s fate. Psychology has given a variety of theories regarding this subject in its different schools such as humanism in which the self-realization and the burgeoning of innate talents and potentialities of man are known as self-actualization and is the focal point of the school and man is known as a being with a free will. Rumi’s mystical approach regarding man’ determinism and free will is an integration of God’s and man’s will. Determinism in his view is the sheer meaning of God’s companionship and merging the follower’s will in the will of God And his fact mentioned by Rumi is what today psychologists call self-actualization or the full realization of real self that undoubtedly will be feasible only by having a free will. This article is adapted from the author's research report titled semantics studies of Masnavi’s educational concepts with a look at the philosophy, mysticism and psychology which is compiled based on library research method, making interviews and co-operation with university professors and its aim is describing the issue of determinism and free will from Rumi’s point of view and drawing a brief comparison between his approach and the perspective adopted by western and Muslim psychology schools; the other objectives of the paper to be mentioned are as follows: today generation’s familiarity with the rich national and religious culture in literature, reaching self-belief relying on our ancestors’ achievements and thoughts, reinforcement of utilization of such a huge cultural heritage and freedom from moral and ethical digression.