The Background of Sufi Thoughts in Azerbaijan until the Emergence of Khāqāni

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, Kashan University, Kashan, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, Kashan University, Kashan, Iran.

Abstract

This research employs a historical-analytical method to investigate the evolution of Sufism in Azerbaijan from the early Islamic centuries to the end of the 6th century AH, aiming to reconstruct the concrete contexts for the emergence of Sufi ideas in the poetry of Khāqāni Shirvāni. The findings indicate that Azerbaijan's unique geographical position as a frontier land created a suitable setting for the confluence and synthesis of pre-Islamic spiritual traditions, Christian monasticism, and Islamic teachings. This interaction transformed the region's Sufism into an original current, distinct from the dominant paradigms of Baghdad and Khorasan. Azerbaijani Sufism developed a unique identity characterised by its close connection with fotuwat (chivalry) and guilds, an emphasis on personal experience, and active social engagement. An analysis of hagiographies and historical sources reveals that this movement gradually gained a stable and influential structure through the establishment of khāneqāhs and circles of Sufi masters (mashāyekh), reaching its intellectual and social peak in the 6th century. The paper concludes that Khāqāni emerged not as an isolated poet, but as one of the most prominent representatives of this rich, multi-layered regional tradition, with his Sufism rooted in the spiritual and social Lebenswelt of Azerbaijan.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Religions and Mysticism

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 25 February 2026

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