Reflection of the Sufi-Hurufi Worldview in the Works of Nasimi

Abstract

The works of Seyid Imadeddin Nasimi occupy an extremely important place in medieval Azerbaijani literature. The era in which the poet lived and worked was one of the difficult periods in the life of the people. Nasimi's worldview was formed in severe conditions of the anti-feudal, anti-Mongol yoke movement, and under the influence of the founder of the doctrine of Hurufism, Fazlullah Naimi. That time Hurufi ideas answered the sentiments of the masses. However, before the introduction of the Hurufi doctrine in the East, the doctrine of Sufism had been widely spread, which had a significant impact on the ealry works of Nasimi. Both these trends are inseparable from the history of the East. Nasimi was familiar with the Sufi views of al-Ghazali and Mansur Hallaj (executed for stating «Ana-al-Haqq», i.e. «I am God»), and the Sufism of Mansur Hallaj irresistibly attracted the poet.

In Sufism Allah and man are dual. It was Sufi philosophy that brought Nasimi into the arena of the struggle for spiritual and moral independence. Hurufism also attracted attention of Nasimi with its involvement in the socio-political life of society and its attitude to the mind. The formula «Man is Allah» was quite complete in Hurufism. While in Sufism love is the core identity of man and Allah, in Hurufism reason is dominant. That is why it should be considered that Nasimi's works were formed precisely under the influence of two religious and philosophical trends. All works of Nasimi are permeated with the thought of the Truth; it dominates virtually in all of his works. For Nasimi truth is above all. According to his views, the Man is almighty. He has a creative element and virtually all the attributes of divinity. Comparing man with Allah, Nasimi doesn't seek to raise the man to the heaven, but rather lower Allah to the earth. Therefore, the Man symbolises the one Allah.The poet compares the man's face with the light of Allah, considers the man to be the God's Truth. For Nasimi, human power and knowledge are endless. Verity and Truth are his life companions. They are the measures of his dignity, for self-knowledge exalts the man, which ultimately leads to the perceiving of God in man.

As a religious and philosophically -minded artist, Nasimi raised the word to a new height with his works. Based on the interpretation of the Qur'an, the poet was guided by the formula «Allah - word - man». In his interpretation, the word has six faces, each having a chronotope. In his understanding Allah and the word have the same analogy and point. The Creator is actually the manifestation of the essence in a letter, a word and an expression. Based on the religious and philosophical views of the poet, we sought to descride the features of the works by Imadeddin Nasimi, who marked a place for himself in the history of Azerbaijani poetry of the XIV-XV centuries. Exploring this problem, we have come to the conclusion that a consistent study of the entire heritage of Nasimi will contribute to a deep understanding of his themes, ideas, images and the artistic world.