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Abstract

This study delves into the philosophical and mystical thought of ʿAbd al-Rahman Jami (1414–1492 CE), one of the most influential figures in Persian Sufism, with a particular focus on his conception of ʿIshq-i Ḥaqīqī (Divine or True Love). Jami’s metaphysical understanding of love serves as a bridge between Islamic ethical thought and the Persian Sufi tradition, where love is viewed not merely as an emotion but as a transformative spiritual principle that leads the human soul toward divine perfection.The research explores how Jami’s doctrines synthesize Qur’anic moral principles, Prophetic ethics, and Ibn ʿArabi’s metaphysics of Wahdat al-Wujūd (Unity of Being), constructing an integrated vision of love as both the foundation and culmination of spiritual realization. Through his works such as Lawā’iḥ, Nafahāt al-Uns, and Yūsuf o Zulaykhā, Jami portrays love as the essence of ethical virtue, knowledge, and mystical union. By comparing Jami’s mystical notion of love with the broader framework of Islamic moral philosophy, this paper examines the tension between human passion and divine attraction, self-annihilation (fanāʾ) and moral responsibility, as well as beauty and perfection in the journey toward God. The study concludes that Jami’s theory of ʿIshq-i Ḥaqīqī not only refines the ethical ideals of Islam but also elevates Persian Sufism into a universal philosophy of love and moral transformation.