A Comparative Study of Jalal-Ud-Din Rumi and William Blake as Mystical Poets

Abstract

The present thesis examines the concept of Mystical Union, one of the major themes of Islamic and Christian mystical poetry through juxtaposing the views of Jalal-ud-din Rumi and William Blake on it (Mystical Union). The work is primarily focused on confirming the philosophical assertion that, “at the highest level of spiritual elevation (state of mystical union), dogmatic differences either cease to exist or become insignificant.” As a central theme of Islamic and Christian mystical poetry, the study of Mystical Union may help to understand both types of mysticism. The analysis of this theme may also encompass the interpretation of most of the constituting elements of mysticism (the stages of mystical path in Islamic and Christian mysticism).The comparison of Rumi and Blake may help to determine the value of current thesis as an addition to existing body of knowledge. To develop the current thesis, the study has been divided in to two phases. In first phase the concept of mystical union has been discussed individually with reference to the poetry of Rumi and Blake through Dawson’s research technique of five Ws. In the second phase, Zepetnek’s model of comparative study of literature has been followed which provides an approach of thematic inclusion. In accordance with this model, the opinions of Rumi and Blake on Mystical Union have been juxtaposed for finding thematic affinities. The affinities between the views of Rumi and Blake on mystical union show that there has been an overwhelming agreement between Islamic and Christian mysticism, and that “at the highest level of spiritual elevation (state of mystical union), the differences based on dogmatism cease to exist or become insignificant”. The validity of this assertion has been confirmed through comparative study of Rumi and Blake on Mystical Union.