History of Islamic Philosophy

History of Islamic Philosophy

Investigating Spiritual Travelogues in Ancient Iranian Philosophy and Islamic Philosophy: A Case Study of the Book of Ardā Wīrāz and Avicenna's the Recital of the Bird

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mahdi Azimi 1
Mohamad Mahdi Davar 2
1 Associate Professor in Islamic Philosophy and Theology, University of Tehran
2 MA Student in Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
10.22034/hpi.2025.504261.1138
Abstract
This research is a study of two works of Ardā Wirāz nāmag (The Book of Ardā Wirāz) in the ancient Iranian tradition and Risālat al-Ṭayr (The Recital of the Bird) by Avicenna in the Islamic era, aiming to understand the similarities and differences between them. The distinctive aspect of the approach taken in Ardā wīrāz nāmag is that the author, in this spiritual journey, presents his observations of the soul’s ascent to paradise, purgatory, and hell. However, although Avicenna also composed a spiritual journey in Risālat al-Ṭayr, its content pertains to the journey of the rational soul toward perfection and true happiness. Furthermore, by reflecting on these two spiritual journeys, we realize that they can be analyzed and compared in three aspects: context, method, and foundations. The significance of examining these two works based on these three aspects lies in understanding the intellectual proximity between the ancient Iranian tradition and the Islamic intellectual tradition of Iran. Moreover, this study has revealed that despite their similarities and differences in context, method, and foundations, both works ultimately discuss the perfection of the soul. The perfection of the soul and its outcome, namely happiness, serve as the fundamental shared principle between these two treatises.
Keywords
The Book of Ardā Wīrāz
The Book of Bird
Avicenna
Paradise
Hell

Subjects

The Holy Quran.
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  • Receive Date 03 February 2025
  • Revise Date 08 June 2025
  • Accept Date 08 May 2025