Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Arabic Language and Literature, Faculty of Theology, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Department of Arabic Language and Literature, Hakim Sabzevari University
Abstract
This study explores the component of “resistance to enculturation” in the characters of two prominent Islamic mystics, Suhrawardi and Ibn Arabi, as represented in two novels written in Persian and Arabic. The research is grounded in Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, one of the most influential theories of personality within humanistic psychology. According to Maslow, once basic physiological and safety needs are fulfilled, individuals advance toward the stage of self-actualization, characterized by qualities such as independence, authenticity, and resistance to cultural conformity. Methodologically, the study employs a descriptive–analytical approach combined with partial induction. Within this framework, two novels—Qalandar and the Castle, which portrays Suhrawardi’s philosophical and mystical life, and The Little Death (al-Mawt al-Saghir), which narrates the experiences of Ibn Arabi—are analyzed comparatively. The findings reveal that in both works, the protagonists begin their developmental journeys from the lower levels of Maslow’s hierarchy and ultimately reach the stage of self-actualization. At this point, they exhibit a profound resistance to enculturation through their critique of prevailing intellectual traditions, their defiance of political and religious authority, and their disregard for restrictive social norms.In conclusion, the research demonstrates that resistance to enculturation constitutes a central and defining feature of the self-actualized personality, transcending temporal and cultural boundaries, as exemplified in the lives and thoughts of Suhrawardi and Ibn Arabi
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