Metaphorical expression of Guest House in the writings of Mewlana Rumi and Said Nursi

• Main Authors: Thomas, Nur Sakinah, Mohd Kasim, Zalina, Md Rosli, Ahmad Nabil, Ibrahim, Nur Jehaada
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press, 2021
• Subjects: BF Psychology; BP Islam. Bahaism. Theosophy, etc; PL Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/93167/1/PROCEEDINGS-OF-THE-11TH-MALAYSIA-INTERNATIONAL-CONFERENCE-IN-LANGUAGES-LITERATURES-AND-CULTURES-MICOLLAC-2020.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/93167/; http://micollac.upm.edu.my/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/PROCEEDINGS-OF-THE-11TH-MALAYSIA-INTERNATIONAL-CONFERENCE-IN-LANGUAGES-LITERATURES-AND-CULTURES-MICOLLAC-2020.pdf

This paper analyses the metaphorical expression of ‘guest house’ in the writings of Jalal-ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207-1273), a well-known Persian poet and Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1877- 1960), a prominent Turkish scholar. There are many studies on these scholars, but studies on their conceptualization of ‘guest house’ are limited. Thus, this study aims to reveal the spiritual effects of this metaphorical expression. This interdisciplinary qualitative research analyses the metaphorical expression of ‘guest house’ through an explanatory case study based on the selected writings of Rumi and Nursi. Rumi’s poem on The Guest House and Nursi’s selected writings in his Risale i Nur are analysed to reveal the spiritual effects. The findings reveal how these scholars used the concept of ‘guest house’ to convey their implied message. Rumi views the human body in terms of a ‘guest house’ through his conceptual metaphor, THE BODY IS A GUEST HOUSE while Nursi views this world in terms of a ‘guest house’ through his conceptual metaphor THE WORLD IS A GUEST HOUSE. These two conceptual metaphors are interrelated as they reveal the concepts of transitory life in this temporary world and eternal life in the hereafter which is everlasting. Eventually, the findings reveal the spiritual effects of these conceptual metaphors on the journey of a human’s life. This study contributes to the field of language, psychology and religious discourse by revealing the effectiveness of metaphorical expression for psycho-spiritual wellbeing.