The Reflection of Islamic Spirituality and Aesthetics in Saib Tabrizi’s Poetry during Safavid Isfahan

Authors

  • Mochamad Nabil Sabitul Azmi Al Muhtari Nabil Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Gunung Djati
  • R. Myrna Nur Sakinah State Islamic University Sunan Gunung Djati Of Bandung, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18326/islah.v7i1.4473

Keywords:

Islamic Poetry Saib Tabrizi Sufism Safavid Era Persian Literature

Abstract

The Golden Age of Isfahan under the Safavid dynasty marked a flourishing period of Islamic civilization, producing outstanding achievements in art, literature, architecture, and spirituality. One of the most prominent literary figures of this era was Saib Tabrizi, a renowned poet recognized for his sabk-e Hindi (Indian style) poetry, known for its intricate metaphors and Sufi symbolism. This article aims to explore how Islamic aesthetics and spirituality are reflected in the poetry of Saib Tabrizi using a qualitative approach based on textual analysis. Selected poems are analyzed through the lens of Islamic artistic principles and spiritual metaphors. The findings reveal that Tabrizi’s poetry not only embodies artistic elegance but also serves as a medium for conveying the spiritual values of Islam during the Isfahan era as a cultural and religious center.

References

Amiri-Firuzkuhi, Seyyed Karim. (Ed.). (1954–1960). Divan-i Sa'ib Tabrizi (Kumpulan Puisi Saib Tabrizi dengan Pengantar Studi Kritis). Tehran: Intisharat-i Zhawwar.

Arberry, A. J. (1950). Sufism: An account of the mystics of Islam. George Allen & Unwin.

Babaie, Sussan. (2008). Isfahan and its Palaces: Statecraft, Shi'ism and the Architecture of Pleasure in Early Modern Iran. Edinburgh University Press.

Baldick, J. (2012). Literature of the Islamic world. Penguin Classics.

Blake, Stephen P. (2013). Time in Early Modern Islam: Calendar, Astrology, and Chronosophy in the Mughal, Safavid, and Ottoman Empires. Cambridge University Press.

Eslami-Nodoushan, Mohammad-Ali. (1995). "The Philosophical Underpinnings of Sabk-e Hindi". Iran Nameh, 13(3)

Farzaad, Abdolreza. (2012). "The Representation of Visual Arts and Architecture in Persian Indian-Style Poetry". Journal of Persianate Studies, 5(2)

Ghanbari, Mohammad Reza. (2010). Hikmat wa 'Irfan dar Shi'r-i Sa'ib Tabrizi (Hikmah dan Gnosis/Sufisme dalam Puisi Saib Tabrizi). Tehran: Intisharat-i Zawar.

Losensky, Paul E. (1998). Welcoming Fuzuli: The Poetics of Imitation and Originality in Safavid Persian Literature. Brill.

Losensky, Paul E. (2003). "Ṣāʾeb Tabrizi". Encyclopædia Iranica, Vol. XI, Fasc. 6

Lewisohn, Leonard (Ed.). (1999). The Heritage of Sufism, Vol. 3: Late Classical Persianate Sufism (1501-1750). Oneworld Publications.

Lewisohn, L. (Ed.). (2010). Hafiz and the religion of love in classical Persian poetry. I.B. Tauris.

Nasr, S. H. (1987). Islamic art and spirituality. State University of New York Press.

Nasr, S. H. (2006). The garden of truth: The vision and promise of Sufism, Islam’s mystical tradition. HarperOne.

Newman, Andrew J. (2006). Safavid Iran: Rebirth of a Persian Empire. I.B. Tauris

Papan-Matin, Firoozeh. (2010). Beyond Dogma: Rumi's Teachings on Friendship with God and Early Sufi Theories. Brill.

Rahmati, Fatemeh. (2008). Ghazaliyat-i Sa'ib Tabrizi: Tahlil-i Astetiq-i wa Irfani (Ghazal Saib Tabrizi: Analisis Estetika dan Mistik). Isfahan: University of Isfahan Press.

Ritter, H. (2003). The ocean of the soul: Man, the world, and God in the stories of Farid al-Din Attar. Brill.

Rizvi, Sajjad H. (2007). Mulla Sadra and Metaphysics: Modulation of Being. Routledge.

Thackston, Wheeler M. (1989). A Century of Princes: Poetry and Painting in Fifteenth-Century Persia. Freer Gallery of Art.

Saib Tabrizi. (n.d.). Selected poems. (Multiple translations available). Retrieved from https://ganjoor.net/saeb/ (for Persian originals)

Schimmel, A. (1975). Mystical dimensions of Islam. University of North Carolina Press.

Sharma, Sunil. (2017). Mughal Architecture and Persian Poetry in Early Modern India and Iran. Indian Institute of Advanced Study.

Shafīʿī Kadkanī, Mohammad-Reza. (1987). Muflis-i Kimiyā-furūsh: Sayrī dar Shāʿirī-i Ṣāʾib Tabrīzī (Penjelajahan terhadap Puisi Saib Tabrizi). Tehran: Intisharat-i Agah.

Yarshater, Ehsan. (1986). "The Indian Style: Progress or Decline?". Dalam Yarshater, E. (Ed.), Persian Literature, pp. 249–288. State University of New York Press

Yarshater, E. (Ed.). (1988). The Cambridge history of Iran, Volume 6: The Timurid and Safavid periods. Cambridge University Press.

Downloads

Published

2026-08-29