Metaphor in Sufi Poetry: A Rhetorical Approach to Ibn al-Farid’s Diwan – A Stylistic and Rhetorical Study

Abstract

This study aims to explore the structure and rhetorical-semantic functions of metaphor in the Diwan of Ibn al-Fāriḍ, one of the foremost figures in Sufi poetry within the Arab-Islamic tradition. The research is grounded in the premise that metaphor, in Sufi discourse, is not merely an ornamental rhetorical device but a central expressive and cognitive tool through which spiritual experiences are conveyed in a dense, symbolic language.

Adopting a stylistic and rhetorical methodology, the study analyzes the main types of metaphor-explicit, implicit, and representative-and examines how Ibn al-Fāriḍ employed them to articulate essential Sufi concepts such as ecstasy (wajd), annihilation (fanāʾ), union (ittiḥād), intoxication, and divine unveiling. These metaphors function not on the surface level of linguistic embellishment but within a layered system of signification that invites interpretive depth.

The study also investigates the stylistic roles of metaphor through elements such as repetition, parallelism, semantic deviation, and musical resonance, all of which contribute to the symbolic architecture of the Sufi text. Findings reveal that metaphor in Ibn al-Fāriḍ’s poetry plays a foundational role in constructing mystical meaning, becoming a key interpretive mechanism for understanding the epistemological and aesthetic dimensions of Sufi thought.

Ultimately, this research opens new pathways for reading Sufi poetry through a modern rhetorical lens, one that synthesizes classical Arabic poetics with contemporary metaphor theory to better grasp the depth and complexity of symbolic spiritual language.