Document Type : Research Paper

Author

• Tohid Shalchian Nazer

Ph.D. f Persian Language and Literature, Allameh Tabatabaʼi University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Asceticism and contentment are important concepts in Islamic mysticism. The common denominator of these two concepts is a kind of austerity and depriving oneself of a specific object; In such a way that holy traveller, in the hope of obtaining another gift, abandons the use of the desired object that he has in his possession. A similar situation can be seen in Lacan's concept of symbolic castration. In this research, we have first examined the concept of asceticism and contentment based on the propositions of Islamic mystics and explained the concept of Lacanian symbolic castration. Then, using the qualitative analysis method and emphasizing Lacan's concept of symbolic castration, we have examined and evaluated the sign of asceticism and contentment in Sana'i's Hadiqa-ul-Haqiq and Hafez's sonnets. The results of the research show that asceticism has been identified in the view of Sana'i as a symbol that underlines the holy traveller's true desire in the subconscious field and suppresses his desire and instead fulfills The Other’s desire. The concept of contentment in the view of Sana'i is often the same as asceticism, and of course he tried to sublimate this signifier in several places. In the view of Hafez, asceticism is a sign that covers The Other’s lack, and debauchee tries to reveal the lack of this signifer. In the contentment signifier, instead of facing the suppression of desire, debauchee is faced with the desire to suppress, and after that, he experiences jouissance.

Keywords

• asceticism
• contentment
• Sana'i
• Hafez
• Jacques Lacan