Islamic Studies and Quranic Research in the Contemporary World

Islamic Studies and Quranic Research in the Contemporary World

A Comparative Analysis of the Concept and Origins of Dreams in Rumi’s Masnavi and Jungian Analytical Psychology

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 PhD Candidate in Religious Studies, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
3 Ph.D. in Islamic Studies Education, Baqir al-Olum University, Qom, Iran
Abstract
In Rumi’s mystical tradition and C. G. Jung’s analytical psychology, dreams are not merely physiological phenomena or meaningless experiences; rather, they are regarded as a realm for the manifestation of a truth transcending everyday consciousness—a concept that occupies a central place in both religious-mystical experience and modern psychological theorizing. Nevertheless, existing comparative studies have rarely offered a rigorous, systematic, and structural analysis of these two perspectives, often remaining confined to general remarks. The main problem of this research is to comparably examine the concept and origin of dreams according to these two thinkers and to elucidate their points of convergence and divergence. Adopting a conceptual-structural comparative approach across three steps—independent description, thematic analysis, and axis-based comparison—this study relies on a direct examination of the Mathnawi and selected volumes of Jung’s Collected Works. The findings demonstrate that both thinkers agree on the involuntary nature of dreams, their symbolic language, and their epistemological-corrective role in critiquing everyday consciousness. However, the central thesis of the research reveals that the fundamental distinction between these two views lies in the "ontological direction of truth": for Rumi, the truth of a dream descends into the human being from a transcendent, unseen source (descent), whereas Jung considers it the result of truth ascending from the depths of the collective unconscious and the self-regulating process of the psyche to the level of consciousness (ascent). This directional difference serves as the foundational pillar shaping the conceptual distinctions between these two epistemological systems, thereby offering a novel framework for interdisciplinary studies bridging Islamic mysticism and analytical psychology.
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  • Receive Date 19 August 2026
  • Revise Date 06 October 2026
  • Accept Date 20 September 2026
  • First Publish Date 20 September 2026
  • Publish Date 23 August 2026