Journal of the stylistic of Persian poem and prose
volume Number 19، number In Volume 2، May 2026 ، issue Number 120

A Symbolist Reading of the Concepts of Vigilance, Contentment, Servitude, and Devotion in al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya

Maryam Kazempour , Sohila Mousavi Sirjani (Author in Charge), Mandana Mangeli

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Risāla‑e Qashiri is one of the most fundamental texts of Islamic mysticism, in which the stations and conditions of the way‑farers are presented through symbolic and allegorical layers. This study adopts a symbolic‑interpretive approach to uncover the link between the cryptic language of mysticism and the epistemological system of the Sufi path, focusing on four core concepts: care (muḥāfaẓah), contentment (riḍā), devotion (ʿubūdiyyah), and loyalty (irādah).

METHODOLOGY: A descriptive‑analytical study was conducted. Data were drawn from reliable manuscripts of Risāla‑e Qashiri and from classical mystical sources, then examined with symbolic‑analysis tools. Each concept was interpreted as an internal symbol in order to illuminate its meaning within the trajectory of annihilation (fana) and subsistence (baqa) in the Divine.

FINDINGS: Qashiri treats each of the four concepts not merely as ethical stages but as symbols of existential transformation:

- Care functions as a sign of awareness,

- Contentment serves as the code of lover‑like surrender,

- Devotion manifests divine humility, and

- Loyalty reflects the bond between the lover and the Divine beloved.

These symbols construct a distinctive epistemic structure that conveys the transcendent experiences of the Sufi path through a coded language.

CONCLUSION: The symbolic layers of Risāla‑e Qashiri constitute a coherent meaning‑making system that, by employing internal symbols, describes the spiritual evolution of the way‑farer—from care to loyalty—as a process of annihilation and subsistence. The study demonstrates that a symbolic‑interpretive analysis can be an effective tool for achieving a deeper understanding of mystical texts and their relationship to the experience of Sufi spiritual practice.

Keyword
Symbolism , al-Risāla al- Qushayriyya , Vigilance , Contentment , Servitude , Devotion.