An Analysis of Mystical Themes in Mahwi’s Poetry

Abstract

Mahwi is one of the most prominent mystical poets in Kurdish literature who, by drawing upon the teachings of Islamic mysticism, succeeded in expressing his mystical worldview through symbolic and artistic forms. Using a descriptive-analytical method, the present study aimed to examine ten fundamental mystical themes in Mahwi’s poetry: divine manifestation and self-disclosure, bewilderment, estrangement and return to the origin, love as the essence of existence, spiritual poverty and annihilation, rindī and the Malāmatī tradition, the Perfect Human, unity within multiplicity, the mystical moment, and the language of spiritual states and silence. The research data were collected and analyzed through a close reading of Mahwi’s Dīvān and relevant sources on mysticism and Sufi literature. The findings indicate that Mahwi employed mystical symbols and concepts to articulate each of these themes in an artistically sophisticated manner. Although influenced by Islamic mysticism and major literary and mystical figures such as Ibn ʿArabi, Hafez, and Rumi, he successfully developed a distinctive poetic style by integrating mystical elements with Kurdish language and culture. The extensive use of symbolic language, innovative imagery, and binary oppositions constitutes some of the most significant characteristics of Mahwi’s mystical poetry. Overall, Mahwi’s poetry reflects his lived mystical experience and represents a manifestation of the profound interrelationship among literature, mysticism, and Kurdish culture.