Journal of Razavi Culture

Abstract Eulogies for the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUH), particularly in praise of Imam Reza (PBUH), have a long tradition in Persian literature, with prominent poets like Sanai Ghaznavi, Khaqani Shirvani, and Jami having produced notable works in this genre. One of the most renowned eulogies dedicated to Imam Reza (PBUH) is an ode composed by Khaled Naqshbandi Shahrzuri, a celebrated figure of 12th-century literature and mysticism, during his pilgrimage to Mashhad. This ode gained widespread acceptance from the time of its creation. This study first presents a brief overview of the poet’s life and works. Then, using a descriptive-analytical method based on the criteria of layered stylistics, the ode is analyzed across five layers: phonetic, lexical, syntactic, rhetorical, and ideological. By identifying prominent and frequent features, the study explains the stylistic distinctiveness and the connections between the text’s form and content. The findings suggest that the following elements play the most significant role in the ode’s stylistic prominence: the prosodic meter in the phonetic layer; religious lexicon and combinations in the lexical layer; the passive voice in the syntactic layer; rhetorical questions in the rhetorical layer; and content based on fundamental religious concepts in the ideological layer.

Abstract Imam Riḍā (as) and his virtues have been a famous topic for many Shiite religious poems from the past until now; thus, the poems Khalajātun fi Safar al-Qalb (Rummages in travel of  the heart) by Abbas Yasin and Gūshwāreh Arsh (Earring of the Heaven) by Mousavi Garmaroudi have been studied in a descriptive-analytical method based on the American school of comparative literature to recognize stylistic and emotional features that two  poets have in common in depicting character and life of the Imam in a literary way for his followers. One of the achievements of this research is to pay attention to the fact that the generosity and commitment to principles of justice of the eight Imam have had of great importance for both among other virtues of him. This point can indicate that both literary representatives, influenced by the spiritual, social, political and cultural conditions of the time, consider themselves more than ever-in need to the help of Imam (as). The Persian poet, to achieve his goal, have employed imagination, figures of speech, and also in advancing innovative images, in a more efficiently compare to Arab poet; at the same time, applying scientific facts in a poetic composition did not make it difficult to understand his poetry, but by understanding these facts, the audience's pleasure has doubled. On the other hand, Abbas Yasin's poetry is also reflecting his emotional attitudes, to the extent that one could scarcely find figures of speeches and imagination in his poems. But, afterwards, both poets, more than anything else, draw the audience to the spiritual aspects of the personality of Imam Riḍā (as) and his generosity and fairness which highlight the important topic of twassul (appeal), which is one of the important issues of Shiite religion.