Journal of the stylistic of Persian poem and prose
volume Number 19، number In Volume 3، June 2026 ، issue Number 121

Analysis of Mystical and Esthetic functions of imagery in Resalat al-Teir of Ahmad Ghazali

Sheida Nazmdeh , Fatemeh Heidari (Author in Charge), Zahra dorri

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The present study deals with the structural and functional analysis of figurative language (simile, metaphor, allusion, and simile) in Ahmad Ghazali"s "Risalat al-Tayr" and its main goal is to explain how Ghazali used these expressive tools not as decorative devices, but as a fundamental mechanism for objectifying abstract mystical concepts and creating a unified "coded language". The figurative language in Risalat al-Tayr is the linguistic and semantic backbone of the work and transforms the text from a mere didactic expression into an aesthetic-mystical experience. Therefore, the figurative language in this work can be explained from two fundamental aspects: stylistics and semantics. Because in Risalat al-Tayr, figurative language does not merely have a narrative function or a cover for the story, but rather acts as a generator of meaning; and plays a fundamental role in shaping, organizing, and expanding the semantic world of the text.

METHODOLOGY: This research, using a descriptive-analytical method and focusing on qualitative content analysis, extracts examples of imaginary figures from the treatise of al-At-Tir and then analyzes them using the conceptual tools presented in this framework (angle of analogy, type of addition, intention, nature of the pseudo-face, symbolicity, and final function).

FINDINGS: Eloquent similes and symbolic metaphors are the most frequently used imagery in this work. The angle of similes is often artistic and bizarre, and the figurative additions play a symbolic rather than an implied role. The pseudo-aspects are mostly tangible, which indicates Ghazali"s attempt to objectify and make the mystical cynicism tangible. The imagery in this book ultimately has a positive function, leading to the creation of stable symbolic images (such as the Simorgh, the desert, the nest) and forming a unified network of mystical meanings.

CONCLUSION: The results of the research show that the imagery in the treatise Al-Tayr not only has an aesthetic function, but is also an essential tool for Ahmad Ghazali in conveying mystical concepts and creating his symbolic language; it forms the linguistic and semantic backbone of the work and transforms the text from a mere didactic expression into an aesthetic-mystical experience; in which poetic images are fully at the service of deepening the concepts.

Keyword
Ahmad Ghazali , Resalat al- Teir , Figures of Speech , Symbol , Mystical Rhetoric.