Philosophical terms of “periodic theory” in the works by the 14th century Azerbaijani poet Nasimi
Abstract
The problem of cyclical cosmology in Imadaddin Nasimi’s poetry has not yet been examined in sufficient detail in modern Nasimi studies, particularly with regard to the lexical differentiation between the cosmic circulation of the heavens and the inner return of the human soul. A clearer description of this distinction may contribute to a more accurate reading of Sufi poetic language in medieval Azerbaijani Turkish literature. The purpose of this article was to identify, classify, and interpret the lexical units through which Nasimi conveyed the exoteric and esoteric dimensions of cyclical cosmology. To achieve this aim, the study applied close reading, semantic and etymological analysis, and descriptive, comparative, and classificatory methods, with selected references to classical Sufi thought. The analysis indicated that the exoteric dimension is represented by a relatively stable group of cosmological terms connected with celestial movement, the layered structure of the heavens, and planetary order. Lexical units such as “dawr”, “dawrān”, “falak”, “dawr-i falak”, and “charkh-i aflāk” appear in Nasimi’s poetry not simply as astronomical designations, but as components of a poetic model of universal order. The esoteric dimension, in turn, is expressed through a distinct lexical sequence associated with descent into material existence and ascent toward the divine source. Terms such as “maʿdan”, “nabāt”, “tuʿma-yi ḥaywān”, “ins u jān”, “marjaʿ”, “ṣuʿūd”, “ʿurūj”, and “rujūʿ” form a semantic pattern that can be understood as describing ontological and spiritual progression rather than reincarnation in its doctrinal sense. The results may be used in Nasimi studies, historical lexicology, the interpretation of Sufi poetic discourse, and university courses on medieval Turkic literature
How to Cite
References
- Ashkar, M. (2000). The issue of reincarnation (transmigration of souls) and an evaluation of Sufi perspectives on this subject. Sufism: Journal of Scientific and Academic Research, 1(3), 85-100.
- Atesh, S. (1975). The theory of evolution according to the Holy Quran. Ankara University Faculty of Theology Journal, 20(1-4), 127-146.
- Aytach, P. (2011). The fundamental terms in the texts of devriye. The Journal of Alevi Studies, 2, 1-40.
- Babayev, Y. (2007). Sect Literature: Sufism, Hurufism (textbook). Baku: Science and education.
- Cemâl, M.A. (n.d.). Risāle-i Devriyye. Ankara: National Library of Turkey.
- Darwin, C. (1859). On the origin of species. London: John Murray.
- Erzurûmî, İ.H. (n.d.). Marifetname 1-2 CIltli. Istanbul: Kapi Publishing.
- Esterabadi, F. (2012). Cavidan-Name. Istanbul: Kabalcı Publications.
- Fuzuli, M. (1958). The word of faith and the Arabic odes. Baku: Printing House of Azerbaijan Soviet Academy of Sciences.
- Fuzuli, M. (2005). Works. (Vol. 5). Baku: East-West.
- Gedik, N. (2016). Verse cycles in Turkish literature. (Unpublished PhD dissertation, Marmara University, Institute of Turkic Studies, Istanbul, Turkey).
- Gedik, N., & Kılıç, M. (2021). A devriye sample from the Persian literature: Urûciyye of Sheikh Âzerî. Akademiar, 13(2), 810-844. doi: 10.26791/sarkiat.852376.
- Golpinarli, A. (1992). Malamatiyya and Melamis. Istanbul: Inkilap Bookstore.
- Gulluje, V. (2024). Evaluation of the evolutionist view of creation in the light of the Quran. Retrieved from https://sorularlaislamiyet.com.
- Guzel, A. (1983). Niyazi Misri’s overlooked work (Risale-i Devriyye). Turkish Culture Research Journal, 1-2, 121-139.
- Heydarova, Kh. (2024). The mystical-oppositional symbolism of “face” and “hair” in Nasimi’s literary heritage. Scientific News of Western Caspian University (Series of Humanities), 3, 71-77. doi: 10.54414/JYGO3328.
- Ikhwan, A.S. (1957). Rasāʾil Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ wa Khullān al-Wafāʾ. Beirut: Dar Sadir.
- Karakaya-Stump, A. (2025). Alevis and Alawites: A comparative study of history, theology, and politics. Religions, 16(8), article number 1009. doi: 10.3390/rel16081009.
- Kuehn, S. (2024). Chapter 1: The literal and the hidden. In F.G. Marei & Y. Shanneik (Eds.), Shiʿi materiality beyond Karbala (pp. 45-75). Leiden: Brill.
- Madono, K. (2022). The circular model of existence reflected on writings of the Akbarian Sufis in the Ottoman Empire. Mediterranean Review, 15(1), 25-46. doi: 10.18218/mr.2022.15.1.002.
- Mir-Kasimov, O. (2015). Words of power: Ḥurūfī teachings between Shiʿism and Sufism in Medieval Islam. The original doctrine of Faḍl Allāh Astarābādī. London: I.B. Tauris, in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies.
- Miskawayh, I. (1985). Tahdhīb al-Akhlāq wa Taṭhīr al-Aʿrāq. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyya.
- Mısrî, N. (n.d.). Risāle-i Devriyye [manuscript]. Istanbul: Süleymaniye Yazma Eser Kütüphanesi.
- Nasimi, I. (1973). Works: Compilation of the scientific-critical text and introduction: J. Gahramanov (Vol. 1). Baku: Elm Publishing House.
- Nasimi, I. (2004). Selected Works. (Vol. 2). Baku: Lider Publishing House.
- Oktay-Uslu, Z. (2020). Alevi-Bektashi literature as a discursive tradition: Interpretive strategies, orality, charismaloyalty. Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association, 7(2), 33-53. doi: 10.2979/jottturstuass.7.2.04.
- Pala, I. (1989). Encyclopedic Divan poetry dictionary. Ankara: Ministry of Culture Publications.
- Quran. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pdfquran.com.
- Remzi, H. (2018). Lügat-i Remzî. Istanbul: Bilnet Printing and Publishing.
- Rosen, S. (1997). The reincarnation controversy: Uncovering the truth in the world religions. Los Angeles: Torchlight Publishing.
- Saluk, R.G. (2014). Theory of dawr and a devriyye treatise in Turkish Tasawwuf literature. Journal of AlevismBektashism Studies, 4(7), 215-233.
- Sengul, S. (2024). Intersection points of Hurufism and Alevi-Bektashi belief system within the context of GodUniverse-Human conception. Journal of Alevism-Bektashism Studies (29), 122-158. doi: 10.24082/2024.abked.453.
- Tatji, M. (1997). Niyazi-i Misri’s devriyyes and the understanding of dawr. In From literature: Essays on religious and mystical Turkish literature (pp. 234-271). Ankara: Akçağ Publishing House.
- Terzioglu, D. (2022). Confessional ambiguity in the age of confession-building: Philo-Alidism, Sufism and Sunni Islam in the Ottoman Empire, 1400-1700. In T. Krstic & D. Terzioglu (Eds.), Entangled Confessionalizations? Dialogic perspectives on the politics of piety and community-building in the Ottoman Empire, 15th-18th centuries (pp. 563-624). Piscataway: Gorgias Press. doi: 10.31826/9781463243586-021.
- Tufekcizade, S.B. (2015). Divan – Rabita-i Nakshi-Hayali. Istanbul: Litera Yayincilik.
- Uludağ, S. (1994). Devir. In Turkish religious affairs foundation encyclopedia of Islam (Vol. 9; pp. 230-232). Istanbul: TDV Yayınları.
- Usluer, F. (2009). Hurufism: From its birth with first-hand sources. Istanbul: Kabalcı Publications.
- Uzun, M.I. (1994). Devriyye. Religious affairs encyclopedia of Islam. In TDV Islamic Encyclopedia (Vol. 9; pp. 251253). Istanbul: Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation.