The concept of madness and its political and social function in the book “Uqala al Majanin”

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Gonbad Kavous University, Gonbad Kavous, Iran

10.22091/npa.2025.11973.1025

Abstract

Mad sages, or seemingly insane wise men, despite their strange behaviors, have amazing personalities and geniuses that reflect their profound attitude towards humans and the world. The book "The Madmen" by Muhammad ibn Habib Neyshaburi has collected the stories of seemingly insane but intelligent people. In this study, which was written using a descriptive-analytical method, an attempt has been made to analyze the content of the stories in the book "The Madmen" to examine the social and political functions of madness in this book. Studies show that political functions such as protesting against the behavior of the caliph, avoiding oppression and injustice by those in power, warning rulers about the consequences of affairs, being biased towards a particular group or religion, and social functions such as active presence in society and face-to-face conversations with different people, trying to reform people's morals, fighting against common misconceptions, and even untying knots for people by praying for drought are among the topics that these seemingly insane sages and mystics sought to achieve behind the mask of madness. The stories in this book show that feigning madness was a way for the wise to achieve a level of freedom that facilitated political and social activism in the stifling atmosphere of that era

Keywords

Article Title [العربیة]

مفهوم الجنون ووظائفه السیاسیة والاجتماعیة فی کتاب "عقلاء المجانین"

Abstract [العربیة]

"عقلاء المجانین" أو الحکماء الذین یتظاهرون بالجنون، رغم سلوکیاتهم الغریبة، یمتلکون شخصیة وفطنة مدهشة تعبر عن عمق رؤیتهم للإنسان والعالم. یجمع کتاب "عقلاء المجانین"، الذی ألفه محمد بن حبیب النیشابوری (؟-406 هـ)، أحوال الأشخاص الذین یبدو علیهم الجنون، ولکنهم فی الواقع حکماء. تسعى هذه الدراسة، التی کُتبت بأسلوب وصفی وتحلیلی، إلى تحلیل محتوى الحکایات الواردة فی هذا الکتاب والترکیز على الوظائف الاجتماعیة والسیاسیة التی یتناولها. تشیر نتائج الدراسة إلى أن الوظائف السیاسیة، مثل الاعتراض على تصرفات الخلیفة، وتحذیر أصحاب السلطة من الظلم والجور، وتنبیه الحکام إلى عواقب أفعالهم، والتعصب لمجموعة أو مذهب معین، إضافة إلى الوظائف الاجتماعیة مثل المشارکة النشطة فی المجتمع، وإجراء حوارات مُباشرة مع أفراد متنوعین، والسعی لإصلاح أخلاق الناس، ومواجهة العقائد الخاطئة السائدة، وحتى تقدیم العون للناس من خلال الدعاء فی أوقات الجفاف، هی من المواضیع التی سعى الحکماء والمتصوفون الذین یتظاهرون بالجنون لتحقیقها. تظهر الحکایات فی هذا الکتاب أن التظاهر بالجنون قد منح الحکماء نوعًا من الحریة، مما أتاح لهم ممارسة الأنشطة السیاسیة والاجتماعیة فی أجواء القمع التی سادت فی تلک العصور.

Keywords [العربیة]

  • الجنون
  • المجانین الحکماء
  • الوظیفة السیاسیة
  • الوظیفة الاجتماعیة

References

  • References

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History

  • Receive Date: 25 December 2024
  • Revise Date: 27 April 2025
  • Accept Date: 28 May 2025
  • First Publish Date: 28 May 2025
  • Publish Date: 10 June 2025

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