The perception of soul and spirit in sufi poetry in the context of the Qur'an: The example of Niyâzî-i Mısrî's Divan

Words and concepts are the glasses through which we look at life. Just as the color of the glasses shows the world in its own color, the meanings attributed to words and concepts also affect people's view absolutely. The concept of soul and spirit is one of the concepts that people use most in daily life. The aim of this study is to determine the general and specific perception of these concepts in Sufi poetry in general and Niyâzî-i Mısrî in particular, and to try to understand the current projection of this perception, from the perspective of the Qur'an, due to an interdisciplinary working logic and the close connection between Sufi poetry and the Qur'an. Thus, a clarity about the essence of the concepts will emerge and the distorted imaginations will be able to be corrected. For this purpose, in this study, first of all, how the Qur'an approaches the concepts of soul and spirit is mentioned. Then, a picture of how these two concepts are perceived is drawn with examples from the poems of poets such as Mevlânâ Celâleddin-i Rumi, Yûnus Emre, Ahmet Yesevî, Hacı Bektâş-ı Velî, Nesîmî, Usûlî, Sun'ullâh-ı Gaybî, Hayretî, who are important representatives of Sufi poetry. Finally, by narrowing the boundaries of the subject, Niyâzî Mısrî's perception of soul and spirit was tried to be revealed in detail through his poems. As a result, the concept of soul in the Qur'an stands out as an electrochemical energy that keeps the human body alive and moves, and the concept of spirit stands out with the meaning of divine knowledge that adds meaning and purpose to human life. In Sufi poetry, the concept of spirit is divided into several categories, including the concept of soul. The divine knowledge meaning of the spirit was almost forgotten, and with the influence of different cultures and civilizations, the spirit was transformed into understandings such as a transparent and subtle body with a physical existence or a spiritual substance, and a shift of imagination was experienced. This understanding continued in Niyâzî-i Mısrî; however, although traces of the meaning suitable for the perspective of the Qur'an are found in some of his couplets, it is seen that this shift of imagination from the past to the present continues today. Keywords: Qur'an, Niyâzî-i Mısrî, soul, spirit, perception.