Sufisim in Doris Lessing's The Four Gated City
Ansam Riyadh Abdulla Almaaroof
Tikrit University- College of Education for Women- English Department
Marwa Ahmed Mahdi
Tikrit University- College of Education for Women- English Department
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25130/Lang.8.11.12
Keywords: Sufism, Doris Lessing, The Four-Gated City, Mysticism, Spiritual Development, Unity, Postmodernism, Critique Of Modernity
Abstract
This paper studies Sufism and its relevance in “The Four-Gated City” written by Doris Lessing. Sufism is an esoteric movement and regarded as the backbone of all religious systems. The study examines how Sufi thought permeates the thematic structure in spiritual and philosophical aspects in the novel. It seeks to examine how Sufi elements are imbedded in the novel, especially in terms of the characters psychology and their spiritual progression, and how Sufism provides a fine contrast to the narratives, alluding to the Western themes of rationality, individuality, and materialist perspectives, making this comparative in nature as well. And what is the function of mysticism within the context of Lessing's progression of her critique of modernity and her portrayal of the nature of being human?. To answer these questions, the research examines the nature of the incorporation of Sufi ideas like the wahdat al-wujud and the journey of the soul in the novel. It studies the characters journeyed in their experiences and how do the songs reflect the Sufi stages of spiritual development. Using Sufism to Critique Western Rationalism and Materialism. The methodology is a close reading of the novel, finding Sufi themes, symbols, and metaphors. A Sufi perspective with special focus on the representation of spiritual progress and awakening is the theoretical framework of the study. Finally, the comparative method employed in this study draws parallels not just between the visualization of the spiritual ascent in the Shikasta, but also in the Sufi classics of Rumi and Ibn Arabi. This research rests on the theoretical foundations of Sufi mysticism and comparative lit-examples drawn from the works of Idries Shah and others who presented Sufi-themed scholars to the West. Using postmodern literary theory, the book considers how Lessing subverts linear narratives through mystical beginnings, which is contrary to Western conceptions of progress and individuality. These are examples from the study’s results which suggest that the principles of the Sufi doctrine function as the fictional and philosophical basis placed at the centre of the novel’s exploration of human potential as a means for social change. Through Sufism, Lessing provides a glimpse of mute-bodied existence, spiritual enlightenment, and unity consciousness beyond the confines of a self-referencing mind. In the mystical experiences of its protagonists, there is a critique of the alienation in the modern world, an idea that true progress is in finding the inner self spiritually, not materially.
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