Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Professor of Persian language and literature، university of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran (Corresponding Author).
2
M.A. Graduate in Persian Language and Literature, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.
10.22034/jmzf.2026.582235.1270
Abstract
1. Introduction
One of the mystical figures who paid particular attention to the ontological status and rank, as well as the prophethood and Guardianship of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH), was Shahab al-Din Abo alQasim Aḥmad ebn Manṣur Samʿani (born in 487 AH), one of the eloquent scholars and learned figures of the Samʿani family. The valuable work Rūḥ al-Arwāḥ fī Sharḥ Asmāʾ Malak al-Fattāḥ by Aḥmad Samani is a book on the explanation and interpretation of the Divine Names, approached from a mystical perspective. An important point that draws our attention in Rūḥ al-Arwāḥ is that, while explaining the Names and Attributes of God, the author mentions the Seal of Prophethood and Messengership, the Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family), more than 130 times. With the perspective and beliefs he held regarding the Prophet MOhammad (PBUH), Samʿani sought, in writing Rūḥ al-Arwāḥ and in explaining the Divine Names, to elucidate and expound the spiritual and mystical character, ontological rank and status, and the wilāya and prophethood of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in comparison with other prophets, and he frequently adorned his statements by drawing upon religious sources, as well as rational and transmitted ḥadīths and reports. The present study, through an examination of the textual evidence in Aḥmad Samʿani’s Rūḥ al-Arwāḥ, has attempted to answer the following questions:
1- How are the Guardianship and supremacy of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) over the preceding prophets explained in Rūḥ al-Arwāḥ?
2- What arguments and proofs does Samʿani present to establish the Guardianship of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) over the other divine messengers?
3- In Aḥmad Samʿani’s Rūḥ al-Arwāḥ, how is the ontological, visionary, celestial, spiritual, and religious rank and status of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) expressed in comparison with the preceding prophets?
2. Methodology
Considering the position of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in Islamic mysticism and in literary and religious texts, the present study, adopting an analytical-descriptive approach, first examined the textual evidence in Rūḥ al-Arwāḥ and then analyzed those passages by drawing upon authoritative religious sources. The arguments for the Guardianship and supremacy of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) over the preceding prophets were explained and analyzed on the basis of textual, transmitted, and rational evidence.
3. Discussion
By referring to the glad tidings given by the preceding prophets and to the Holy Qurʾan, Samʿani introduces the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) as the final link in the chain of prophethood and the foremost of all prophets. He believes that the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) possesses superiority, sovereignty, and wilāya over the entire created universe and that, in terms of the manner of his creation and his ontological rank and status, as well as his celestial rank and his rank of vision, unveiling, and mystical witnessing, he possesses Guardianship and supremacy over all the preceding prophets. Samʿani maintains that the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) encompasses all the virtues of the preceding prophets and completes their mission, and that, in terms of the rank of miraculous ability, he possesses supremacy and Guardianship over all prophets. In order to establish the Guardianship and supremacy of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Samʿani compares each of the aforementioned aspects among the divine prophets and, through transmitted and rational proofs and arguments, and at times through the language of allegory, analyzes and explains these instances with remarkable beauty and a distinctive sweetness of expression.
4. Conclusion
The present study concludes that the work Rūḥ al-Arwaḥ fī Sharḥ Asmaʾ al-Malek al-Fattaḥ by Shahab al-Din Aḥmad Samʿani, in addition to its content devoted to explaining and interpreting the Beautiful Names of God, beautifully articulates the prophethood, Guardianship, and supremacy of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) over the preceding prophets, drawing upon verses of the Qurʾan and transmitted reports. The co-occurrence of the name of God with the name of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in this work constitutes evidence of the Prophet’s distinctive rank and status within the order of existence. The high frequency with which the author refers to the Noble Prophet, in addition to reflecting the author’s particular devotion to him, indicates his supremacy and special position among the divine prophets.
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