The Metaphysics of Sufism and Concomitant Philosophies: A Study of Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet

Abstract

Sufism as a religious and socio-cultural movement in India and the Middle-East has contributed a whole body of literature for posterity to unravel its mystic and devotional significance. It has also opened up vibrant debates on the quality and true essence of worship to God. While Sufism has been explored in this paper with references to some seminal works of various Sufi saints and poets; the major thrust area of this study deals with an interpretation of <em>The Prophet</em>, a sustained and highly artistic work of devotional literature by the Lebanese American poet and writer, Khalil Gibran. Gibran's work merits discussion not only because of its inherent philosophy but also due to its combination of a varied aesthetic perception of life, combined with a purely ethical stance; the most important aspect of the work being, how the writer manages to discuss thoughts of the divine through a purely secular framework of the text. This study attempts to explain and analyze the text of <em>The Prophet</em> keeping in mind such predilections and resonances.

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