Foundations of Love in Mystical Contemplation of Yunus Emre and Hafez

Yunus Emre ve Hafız'ın Mistik Düşüncelerinde Aşkın Temelleri

Abstract

This study comparatively examines the foundations of Love in the mystical contemplations of Yunus Emre and Hafez. Despite their distinct geographical and cultural settings, both poets conceptualize Love as the ontological essence of existence and the ultimate source of divine truth. The article analyzes major themes, including the eternity and preexistence of Love, its role in cosmic creation, its revelatory function in unveiling metaphysical truths, its miraculous nature, its ineffability, and its tension with reason.

For both poets, love precedes creation and permeates the universe as a primordial divine principle. Through Love, the purified lover gains access to hidden truths that transcend rational inquiry. Reason is portrayed as limited and subordinate, whereas Love is exalted as the ultimate path to spiritual perfection. Love is further depicted as a turbulent and transformative force that produces bewilderment and suffering, yet ultimately elevates the seeker toward higher spiritual realization.

The study concludes that Yunus Emre and Hafez, grounded in Qur'anic teachings and the broader Islamic mystical tradition, share profound conceptual affinities. In their poetic systems, Love functions simultaneously as an ontological foundation of being and an epistemological means of attaining divine knowledge.

Keywords: Yunus Emre, Hafez, Sufism, Divine Love, Unity of Being, Mystical Epistemology, Reason and Love