Classical Persian Literature

Classical Persian Literature

The Concept of " Nuqṭa " in the Thought of Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī and his Innovations

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Niloufar Bahramzadeh 1
Salman Saket 2
1 M.A. in Persian language and literature, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
2 Associate Professor, Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.
10.30465/cpl.2026.10855
Abstract
" Nuqṭa " is one of the key mystical terms in the intellectual system of Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī, to which he ascribes multiple meanings and addresses throughout his works. In this study, we aim not only to classify the various meanings of nuqṭa within the intellectual system of Ayn al-Quḍāt, but also to identify and analyze his innovative compound usages of the term. Given the conceptual intricacy and semantic density of these expressions, our goal is to approach a deeper and more accurate understanding of this terminology and uncover the hidden dimensions of Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī’s profound thought. The findings of this study demonstrate that Ayn al-Quḍāt employed the mystical term nuqṭa in five distinct senses: 1. As a designation for external referents such as God, the prophets, Iblīs, and the human being. Within this category, he uses the expression nuqṭa-yi nubuwwat and coins the term nuqṭa-yi Ṭāhā. 2. As the center, culmination, or essential core of a matter. Under this meaning, he refers to expressions such as nuqṭa-yi dard, nuqṭa-yi taslīm, nuqṭa-yi samāʿ, and nuqṭa-yi lā, and introduces the term nuqṭa-yi kibriyāʾ Allāh. 3. As the eternal knowledge (ʿilm-i azalī) of God. 4. As effacement (maḥw) and annihilation (fanāʾ) in the divine essence. Rare and newly coined expressions such as nuqṭa-yi bāʾ-i bism Allāh and nuqṭa-yi ʿubūdiyyat fall within this category. 5. As a reference to an existent yet obscure and ineffable reality, exemplified by the coinages nuqṭa-yi mīm-i bism Allāh and nuqṭa-yi huwa. Thus, in addition to the multiple meanings Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī ascribes to the term nuqṭa, he also employs mystical expressions and innovative compounds such as nuqṭa-yi kibriyāʾ Allāh, nuqṭa-yi huwa, nuqṭa-yi Ṭāhā, and nuqṭa-yi ʿubūdiyyat.
Keywords: Nuqṭa, mystical lexicon, Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī, nuqṭa-yi huwa, nuqṭa-yi Ṭāhā, nuqṭa-yi lā.
Introduction
Among the Sufis, the term nuqṭa signifies the true unity and the axis around which all multiplicity and determinations revolve. It appears that Ḥallāj was the first mystic to engage with the concept of nuqṭa, offering a mystical interpretation of it. Following him, Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī explored the term extensively and in depth, coining novel compounds that are absent from the works of earlier mystics expressions that seemingly stem from his intellectual brilliance and profound thought.
This study seeks to address the following questions:
1. What is the meaning of the mystical term nuqṭa in the thought of Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī?
2. How is the concept of nuqṭa categorized within his intellectual system?
3. What are Ayn al-Quḍāt’s innovations regarding the mystical usage of nuqṭa?
To answer these questions with precision, the authors have closely examined all of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s extant works Tamhīdāt, Letters, Zubdat al-ḥaqāʾiq, and Shakwā al-gharīb in order to clarify his understanding of nuqṭa and to offer a comprehensive classification of its various meanings throughout his writings.
Materials & Methods
The research method of this article is library-based and follows an analytical-descriptive approach. The authors have carefully examined the mystical works preceding Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī, analyzing the usage of the term nuqṭa within them. They then conducted a detailed study of Ayn al-Quḍāt’s own writings to identify and classify the meanings of nuqṭa from his perspective and to highlight his innovations in this regard.
Discussion & Resalt
When we closely examine Ayn al-Quḍāt’s views on the concept of nuqṭa, we find that, like other Sufis and mystics, he too, in certain parts of his works, understands nuqṭa as the true unity and the center of the Divine Essence. At times, however, Ayn al-Quḍāt assigns a different meaning to the term nuqṭa. In his thought, nuqṭa is occasionally applied to external referents that is, he sometimes uses it to denote God, the prophets, Iblīs, and the human being. The expression nuqṭat Ṭāhā is one of his innovations in this regard. This particular nuqṭa refers to the ḥaqīqat of the Prophet. At times, Ayn al-Quḍāt uses the term nuqṭa to signify the culmination or apex of a given matter. For example, his use of nuqṭa-yi dard seems to denote the utmost degree of pain and suffering. Expressions such as nuqṭa-yi lā and nuqṭa-yi kibriyāʾ Allāh are among the terms he employs in this context. At times, Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī understands the mystical term nuqṭa as referring to the eternal knowledge (ʿilm-i azalī) of God. Elsewhere, it signifies annihilation (maḥw) and dissolution (fanāʾ) in the Divine Being. In truth, Ayn al-Quḍāt’s ontology and his vision of the cosmos are grounded in the notion that all created beings are effaced in the Divine Essence. To articulate more clearly his conception of annihilation in God and the attainment of true subsistence (baqāʾ-i ḥaqīqī), he draws upon the metaphor of the nuqṭa. In other words, for the human being to reach their ultimate end, they must become like a point, effaced in the Divine Presence, so that true unity may be unveiled. In this context, Ayn al-Quḍāt employs the expression nuqṭa-yi bāʾ-i Bismillāh. At times, however, his use of nuqṭa gestures toward an ineffable and indeterminate meaning a truth that cannot be conveyed in words. For example, the Divine Essence (dhāt-i aḥadiyyat) and the difficult concepts associated with it are elusive and lie beyond the bounds of interpretation and explanation. Within this category, we may include two of his coined mystical expressions: nuqṭa-yi mīm-i Bismillāh and nuqṭa-yi huwa, both of which form part of Ayn al-Quḍāt’s distinctive mystical lexicon.
Conclusion
The term " Nuqṭa " occupies a prominent place among key mystical concepts, frequently employed by Sufi thinkers to denote true unity and the central axis around which all multiplicities revolve. Research findings indicate that Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī attributed multiple meanings to the notion of the point and, through the innovation of novel and relatively uncommon mystical expressions involving it, significantly expanded both its semantic scope and its range of application. A close examination of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s views on the point reveals that, in certain parts of his works, he like many other Sufis and mystics—interpreted the point as a symbol of absolute unity and the center of the Divine Essence. However, in other contexts, he assigned alternative and more nuanced meanings to the term. Broadly speaking, the concept of the point in Ayn al-Quḍāt’s thought can be classified into five distinct categories: 1. As an external referent, including God, Iblīs, the prophets, and the human being.2. As the center or ultimate limit of a thing, or the essence and truth of a matter in this regard, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt coined expressions such as Nuqṭat-i Kibriyāʾ Allāh and Nuqṭat-i Lā. 3. As the knowledge of pre-eternity (ʿilm al-azal). 4. As annihilation (maḥw) and extinction (fanāʾ) in the Divine Being this interpretation of the point in ʿAyn al-Quḍāt’s thought appears to be significantly influenced by the metaphysical framework of Ḥallāj. In this context, he employs the term Nuqṭat-i Bāʾ-i Bismillāh and introduces the expression Nuqṭat-i ʿUbūdiyyat to articulate the notion of mystical effacement and self-annihilation. 5. As a reference to an existent yet obscure and ineffable reality in this domain, ʿAyn al-Quḍāt introduces new mystical expressions such as Nuqṭat-i Mīm-i Bismillāh and nuqṭa-yi huwa.
Keywords
Nuqṭa
mystical lexicon
Ayn al-Quḍāt Hamadānī
nuqṭa-yi huwa
nuqṭa-yi Ṭāhā
nuqṭa-yi lā
Subjects
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Classical Persian Literature
Volume 17, Issue 1 - Serial Number 42
Spring & Summer
August 2026

  • Receive Date 18 April 2025
  • Revise Date 30 December 2025
  • Accept Date 15 February 2026
  • Publish Date 23 July 2026