Creative Imagination in the Ghazals of Bidel Dehlavi
Keywords:
Creative imagination, Ibn Arabi, Bidl Dehlavi, Ghazal, Indian styleAbstract
This study aims to examine and analyze the role of “creative imagination” in the ghazals of Bidel Dehlavi, based on mystical and philosophical foundations, particularly the central ideas of Ibn Arabi. The present research is theoretical in nature and employs a comparative–analytical approach. At the outset, the study explicates and analyzes the status and function of the concept of imagination in the thoughts of sages, philosophers, and mystics. It then focuses on Ibn Arabi’s intellectual foundations and categorizes the key related concepts. Through this framework, the study investigates and analyzes the position of creativity and poetic imagination in Bidel Dehlavi’s ghazals by presenting and conceptually interpreting selected poetic examples. Data collection was conducted through library research, and data analysis was carried out qualitatively. The analysis of Bidel’s ghazals reveals that Bidel employs “creative imagination” not merely as an aesthetic tool but as an ontological and epistemological faculty for the manifestation of truth. Core mystical concepts such as “manifestation,” “being and the descent of being,” “creation,” “the Perfect Man,” and “the mirror” constitute the central nucleus of his poetry within the framework of Ibn Arabi’s theory of creative imagination. These concepts assist the poet in expressing the deepest mystical truths. Based on Ibn Arabi’s perspective, Bidel regards the human being as the center of creation and his poetry as a medium for portraying the station of the “Perfect Man.” The intricate imagery and rich metaphors in his ghazals are not mere literary ornaments but the eloquent language of mystical truths that can only be comprehended through creative imagination.
Downloads
References
1. Henzell-Thomas J. Spiritual Imagination. 2024.
2. Voss KC. Imagination in Mysticism & Esotericism: Marsillio Ficino, Ignatius de Loyola and Alchemy. Studies in Spirituality. 2014(6).
3. Braga C. Imagination, imaginaire, imaginal. Three concepts for defining creative fantasy. Journal for The Study of Religions and Ideologies. 2010.
4. Bistara R. Wahdah al-wujud ibn arabi dalam imajinasi kreatif henry corbin. Academic Journal of Islamic Principles and Philosophy. 2020;1(1):1-14.
5. Moosa E. Ghazali and the Poetics of Imagination: The University of North Carolina Press; 2005.
6. Morris JW. Imaging Islam: Intellect and Imagination in Islamic Philosophy, Poetry, and Painting. Religion and The Arts. 2008;12:294-318.
7. Fuad K, Satriawan LA, Mashuri M, Ma'arif S, Harapandi H. Ibn arabi's creative imagination in odhy poetry of sufism figures in his anthology rahasia sang guru sufi. Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura. 2023;23(2):360-79.
8. Kugle S. Pilgrim Clouds: The Polymorphous Sacred in Indo-Muslim Imagination. Alif: Journal of comparative poetics. 2003(23):155-90.
9. Andrews W. A Critical-interpretive Approach to The Ottoman Turkish Ġazel. International Journal of Middle East Studies. 1973;4(1):97-110.
10. Pollock S. Forms of Knowledge in Early Modern Asia: Explorations in the Intellectual History of India and Tibet, 1500-1800: Duke University Press; 2011.
11. Nabi H. 'Abd al-Qadir Bedil: Life, critique, and selected works. Translated by T. Hasbahani ed: Nazar Qaza Publishing; 1997.
12. Shafiei Kadkani MR. The poet of mirrors: A study on the Indian style and Bidel's poetry. Tehran: Agah Publishing; 1987.
13. Fatemi H. Illustration in Rumi's Ghazals. Tehran: Amir Kabir Publishing; 2016.
14. Mohammadali Z, Ghanipour Malekshah A, Mohseni M, Rouhani M. Creative imagination in Divan-e Shams Tabrizi. Journal of Islamic Mysticism Studies. 2021;17(66):9-27.
15. Gotlieb RJM, Hyde E, Immordino‐Yang MH, Kaufman S. Imagination Is the Seed of Creativity. In: nd e, editor. The Cambridge Handbook of Creativity: Cambridge University Press; 2019. p. 709-31.
16. Sherov MB. Evolution of philosophical views on creative thinking. Theoretical & Applied Science. 2020;10(90):53-5.
17. Bidel AQ. Kulliyat-e Bidel. Kabul, Afghanistan: First Edition; 1965.
18. Bidel AQ. Diwan of Ghazals of Bidel Dehlavi. Tehran, Iran: Elm Publications; 2007.
19. Mahmoudi N. The Existential Identity of Creativity in Islamic Philosophy: Intercultural Analysis of the Perfection of the Human Soul. Dinamika Ilmu. 2023;23(2):249-59.
20. Qureshi HA, Mushtaq S. The Divine Spark of Creativity: Exploring the Human Trait of Creativity through Islamic Lens. Academy of Education and Social Sciences Review. 2023;3(2):85-94.
21. Kashani AM. Miftāḥ al-kifāyah wa miṣbāḥ al-hidāyah [The key of sufficiency and the lamp of guidance]. Tehran: Sana'i Publishing; 1991.
22. Chittick W. Elements of imagination. Translated by Q. Kakaei ed. Tehran: Hermes Publications; 2013.
23. Hekmat N. Wisdom and art in the mysticism of Ibn Arabi. Tehran: Academy of Art Press; 2005.
24. Avicenna. Tis' rasā'il fī al-ḥikmah wa al-ṭabī'iyyāt [Nine treatises on philosophy and natural sciences]. Cairo: Dār al-'Arab Publishing; 1947.
25. Shahrazvari Sa-DM. Rasā'il al-shajarah al-ilāhiyyah fī 'ulūm al-ḥaqā'iq al-rabbāniyyah. Tehran: Institute for Research in Philosophy and Wisdom of Iran; 2004.
26. Corbin H. Creative imagination in the Sufism of Ibn 'Arabi. Translated by M. Rahmati ed: -e Jām Publishing; 2011.
27. Zalipour A. Phenomenological studies of imagination in poetry: An introduction. 2010.
28. Jayasimha P, Phil M. A cognitive approach to poetic imagination: a comparative analysis of select poetry of pope, southey and christina rossetti. Journal of elt and poetry. 2013;1(1):40-8.
29. Zalipour A. From Poetic Imagination to Imaging: Contemporary Notions of Poetic Imagination in Poetry. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities. 2011;3(4):481-94.
30. Hughes A. Imagining the divine: Ghazali on imagination, dreams, and dreaming. Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 2002;70(1):33-53.
31. Golgonooza N. Creative Imagination and Mystical Experience in the Sufism of Ibn. 2021.
32. Arasteh R. Birth in love and creativity: A psychological approach. Tehran: Fararavan Publishing; 1993.
33. Sajadi J. Dictionary of philosophical and theological sciences. Tehran: Amir Kabir Publications; 1996.
34. Javani H, Khademi S. The origin of creation and the status of human beings in the poetry of Bidel Dehlavi. Quarterly Journal of South Asian Studies, University of Sistan and Baluchestan. 2014;6(18):7-28.
35. Abdulghani B. Ahwal va Asar-e Mirza Abdulqader Bidel [Life and Works of Mirza Abdul Qader Bidel]. Translated by M. M. Asif Ansari ed. Kabul, Afghanistan: Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences; 1972.
36. Saljuqi SD. Naqd-e Bidel [Critique of Bidel]. Tehran, Iran: Erfan Publications; 2001.
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohammad Mir
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
