A Franciscan Analysis of "Poverty and Richness" in the Sufi Ethics and Golestan Ethics
Subject Areas : شاهنامهFarzad Baloo 1 , Mustafa Mirdar Rezaei 2
1 - Associate Professor of Persian Language and Literature, University of Mazandaran (Corresponding Author).
2 - Ph.D. in Persian Language and Literture, University of Mazandaran.
Keywords: Golestan, Richness, poverty, Sufism, Saadi, Gadamer, Francis,
Abstract :
The concept of Francis (practical wisdom) roots in Aristotelian philosophy and is closely related with the applied term in Gadamerian hermeneutics. Being inspired by Aristotel's Francis, Gadamer emphasizes the practical and pragmatic aspects of understanding. Therefore, he considers understanding and interpretation as concrete and empirical concepts, not been subjected to specific rules and procedures. In Confrontation with the moral doctrines in general and with poverty and richness in particular, Saadi attempts to gain an objective and practical uderstanding. One of these moral lessons reflected in various Sufi books from the third and fourth centuries AH, was the pereference of the patient poor over the thankful rich. This belief was dominant on the Sufi up to the the seventh century in the wat that they believed every rebellion and disobedience from it would lead to the eternal torment both in this world and the hereafter for the disbelievers. In the seventh century, however, Saadi in his ethical treatise, Golestan, takes a new approach dealing with the concept of poverty and richness. With a Franciscan interpretation, which is in line with the concrete and tangible situation of his everyday life, Saadi considers richness as the savior in the age of decline. His belief is in contrast to the dominant, transhistoric, and ruling interpretation. With his practical ethic, Saadi introduces a new life to Iran and Iranians. This paper intends to explain and analyze such claim by using a descriptive-analytic approach depending on the library studies.
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