Kiseliova-El Marassy, Ina. Tarp tarikos ir estetikos: Tyrumo (ṣafā) ir Grožio (ǧamāl) simboliai sufizme, Estetikos ir meno filosofijos tyrinėjimai VIII, sudaryt. A. Andrijauskas, Vilnius: LKTI, 2022, p. 482–498, ISBN 978-609-8231-45-8, ISSN 1822-3192.

SUMMARY

BETWEEN TARIQA AND AESTHETICS: SYMBOLS OF PURITY (ṢAFĀ) AND BEAUTY (ǦAMĀL) IN SUFISM

While the laity admire and praise Sufi art and literature for its subtle aesthetic sensibility, intimate experience of the beauty of nature, and immediate contemplation of God as the Beloved, the academic world is in a constant dispute concerning the existence of Sufi aesthetics as such. Both the name and the concept of Sufism are not authentic in the West, which has been influenced by Orientalism and Western “omniscient” attitudes. Keeping in consideration the problematic nature of the Islamic conception of art, this article will argue that Sufi aesthetics is a norm of life and an integral part of the tariqa (spiritual path). Its aesthetic basis derives from two fundamental Sufi principles: 1) the purification of the heart, whereby the soul of the mystic, after having been purified of earthly desires, is opened up to the absolute perception of God, Beauty, and Truth; and 2) the contemplation of God as the Universal, Perfect Beauty. The paper analyses the expression of beauty and purity concepts in the secret language of Sufi symbols, their relation to the name of Sufism (taṣawwuf) and the stages of the tariqa they represent. Specific examples of their use in the fine arts and literature are given to show that these symbols are an integral part of spiritual practices and the spiritual path. The aim of the author is to show on the basis of an analysis of the fundamental principles of Sufism, that that beauty and purity in Sufism are primarily spiritual categories which, through the Sufi essence and deep inner feeling, are also transformed into the highest aesthetic forms.

Keywords: Sufism, aesthetics of Arab-Islamic world, Sufi poetry, symbol, purity, beauty.