Peer-reviewed articles, essays, and research papers published by Dr Seyed Salman Safavi through the London Academy of Iranian Studies (LAIS) — covering Quranic Tafsir, Islamic Philosophy, Mysticism, and Islamic Psychology.
Latest peer-reviewed research — newest first.
This article investigates the spiritual and gnostic (‘irfani) status of Imam Husayn (as) and the epic of Karbala within the foundational works of Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi, specifically the Masnavi-ye Ma'navi and the Kulliyat-e Shams-e Tabrizi. Operating within a structuralist-gnostic framework, the study examines how the sacrifice of the Lord of Martyrs is conceptualised by Rumi not merely as a historical tragedy, but as the supreme existential manifestation of Monotheism (Tawhid), loving wayfaring (seir-e mohebbi), and absolute annihilation in the Divine Will (fana fi tawhid al-fi‘li).
Although Surah Al-Qadr was revealed within the historical context of Mecca and immersed in a mystical atmosphere, the methodology of the semantic structure of Qur'anic surahs demonstrates that it offers a living geometry for human guidance across all eras. Contemporary humans, trapped within the cogs of modernity, hyper-speed, consumerism, and existential anxiety, stand in greater need of the inward (anfusi) and life-giving messages of this Surah than ever before.
In Rumi’s mystical psychology, the nafs (carnal self/soul) is the centre of spiritual maladies, while the heart (dil/qalb) is the locus of healing, spiritual intuition, and the manifestation of Truth. The tale of the King and the Maiden in the first book of the Mathnawi offers a comprehensive model for the diagnosis, aetiology, treatment, and reconstruction of the human personality. Employing the methods of mystical hermeneutics and semiotic analysis – based on the views of Umberto Eco, Greimas, and Safavi’s mystical interpretation ( The Semantic Structure of the Mathnawi, 2005) – this article demonstrates that: (1) Hobb al-donyā (love of the temporal world) is the fundamental root of psycho-spiritual disorders; (2) the malady of the heart is humanity’s most significant illness; (3) love can be both the origin of the nafs’s fall and the ladder for the soul’s ascension; (4) true healing is impossible without the spiritual guide (Sheikh Kamil); (5) Rumi presents a dynamic theory of the ‘transformation of metaphorical love into True love’. The research findings are explained in the form of fifteen principles of mystical psychotherapy, and their application to contemporary crises such as identity anxiety, depression, media addiction, and spiritual collapse is examined.
This article examines the general framework of spiritual psychology embedded within the Supplication of ‘Arafah of Imam Hussain (AS). The Supplication of ‘Arafah is introduced as a foundational mystical and educational text which not only helps prevent mental illness but also offers comprehensive solutions for individual and psychological challenges and for building a ‘healthy life’.
This article provides a comprehensive academic overview of Islamic Spiritual Psychology, a discipline that integrates the spiritual and religious dimensions of the human experience with mental health and well-being. Contrasting the reductionist, materialistic paradigms of secular Western psychology—which often marginalize the metaphysical—Islamic psychology proposes a holistic model of the human being as athree entity of Ruh, Body and Soul.
This article examines the character of Prophet Yūsuf (peace be upon him) from the perspective of Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī in his work Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam (The Bezels of Wisdom), specifically the chapter on Luminous Wisdom in the Word of Yūsuf.
The Quranic presentation of Ramadhan reveals a sophisticated structure aimed at the holistic development of the human being. Through the practice of Sawm, the individual transitions from external compliance to an internalisation of Taqwa (piety) and Muraqabah (vigilance).
This article explores the spiritual practices and liturgical rituals of Ramadan and their profound psychological impacts through the lens of Islamic Psychology and Mysticism (Irfan). Drawing upon the Theory of the Interpretive Semantic Structure of the Quran (Safavi, 2025).
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