Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
professor, department of curriculum studies and instruction, faculty of education and psychology, Ferdowsi university of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2
department of curriculum studies and instruction, faculty of education and psychology, Ferdowsi university of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
3
Department of Foundations of Education,, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
10.22054/msil.2026.91139.1238
Abstract
Mystical texts possess profound and extensive capacities for education, however, the systematic use of these texts in curricula requires the adoption of methodical readings and precise theoretical interpretations. The present study aims to address how different hermeneutic approaches interpret the tale of “Moses and the Shepherd” in Masnavi-Maʿnavi and what image of the “educated person” each offers for application in educational system. Using a hermeneutic text-interpretation method and an analytical approach , this paper examines three hermeneutic traditions—romantic, philosophical, and critical—in engaging with this narrative. The findings indicate that each approaches entails distinct implications for education and curriculum. Romantic hermeneutics emphasizes the reconstruction of the author’s intention and the primacy of inner purity over external religious form; philosophical hermeneutics offers a reading based on religious tolerance and individualized spirituality; and critical hermeneutics, in turn, regards the text as a project for existential transformation, a transition from judgment to empathy and ethical agency. Consequently, the integration of these three dimensions (contextual understanding, dialogical interpretation, and existential transformation) can provide an effective framework for curriculum design, spiritual education, and teacher professional development.
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