The Persian Poetics of Creation (From Medieval to Modern Times)

In the medieval times, the Islamic philosophy and narrative of creation gained frequency in Persian literary and historical works . The nature of this new philosophy, however, remained in engagement with as well as under the influence of pre-Islamic Iranian narratives of creation. What distinguished this new narrative was its interaction with the ancient translated Greek philosophies.

This paper will examine how pre-Islamic narratives of creation, philosophical perspectives and world views impacted the Islamic narratives of creation in medieval Persian literature, by giving examples from Persian literary figures such as ‘Attar, Nezami, Sana’i, among others. Consequently, the presentation will give examples of how this worldview continued into the modern times, transforming itself under various names such as mysticism, illuminationist philosophy, Sufism, or other terms.

This presentation will thus trace the development of Iranian pre-Islamic ideas into the Islamic era and question how they impacted the Islamic narratives of creation and philosophy.