Document Type : Original Article
Author
Department of Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Love is one of the central concepts in Hindu and Islamic mystical works. In the
teachings of Bhagavad Gita, as the highest source of Hindu mystical inspiration,
Bhakti means a loving relationship and is emphasized on devotion and sincerity
with God as the easiest path of salvation. In Mathnavi of Rumi, as a prominent
mystical works of Islam , love is one of the highest states and the most important
principles of Sufism. The concept of love is also closely related to the concept of
knowledge. This paper compares this concept in the mystical tradition of Islam
and Hinduism. A conception of God and his knowledge, the relationship between His love and knowledge, the ultimate end of the path of Bhakti or the lovely states and the effects of love on the lover personality , have been studied in the Bhagavad Gita and Mathnavi of Rumi. The results of the research indicate that in Hindu mysticism, divine knowledge is the product of love, and in Islamic mysticism, it is its origin. The goal of both of these is salvation (the union or nearness of the lover and the beloved) and its existential effect is the moral transformation of the lover.
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