The Image of Woman in Persian Mystical Verse Literature (Up to the 15th Century CE)

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to examine the image of women in Persian mystical verse literature up to the 15th century CE. The research method is descriptive-analytical and is based on library sources. The findings indicate that throughout a woman's life, she embodies symbols of delicacy and beauty. In girlhood, she represents purity, emotion, and sentiment. Upon marriage, she becomes a symbol of affection, love, and compassion; and when she becomes a mother, she turns into an icon of sacrifice, selflessness, and devotion. Referring to mystical literature, beauty in women is sometimes depicted as external and at other times as internal. Woman is a symbol of light. From the perspective of the Sufis and mystics, the woman is at times introduced as a symbol of human attributes and even characterized by divine-like qualities, while at other times she is assigned a demonic position or status. Sometimes she embodies virtuous traits, and sometimes she is marked by reprehensible and undesirable attributes. Women in mystical narrative poems occupy the highest ranks. After these mystical works, women in Bustan by Saadi are portrayed in a way that only acknowledges the guardianship and unquestioned dominance of men.