An Analysis of the Compositional System in the Paintings of Sultan Muhammad and Its Mystical Implications Based on Ibn Arabi's Theory of the Wahdat al-Wujūd (Unity of Being)

Abstract

Persian miniature painting is one of the most significant artistic domains in which mystical concepts are manifested within Islamic art. In this tradition, visual structures function not merely as decorative elements but also as carriers of profound semantic and philosophical meanings. Among Persian miniature painters, Sultan Muhammad, the eminent master of the Tabriz School during the Safavid period, occupies a distinguished position in the history of Iranian art due to the complexity of his compositions, structural coherence, and rich symbolic content. Although numerous studies have examined the aesthetic, historical, and literary aspects of his works, the relationship between the compositional system of his paintings and mystical concepts has rarely been investigated within a coherent theoretical framework. Accordingly, the present study aims to analyze the compositional system in Sultan Muhammad’s paintings and to elucidate its mystical implications based on Ibn Arabi’s doctrine of the Unity of Being (Wahdat al-Wujūd). Ibn Arabi’s theory of the Unity of Being is founded on the principle that true existence is singular and belongs exclusively to the Divine Essence. At the same time, the multiplicity of the world represents manifestations and epiphanies of that single reality. Within this perspective, the universe is regarded as the arena in which the Divine Names and Attributes are revealed, and the relationship between unity and multiplicity constitutes one of the most fundamental concepts of Islamic mysticism. Based on this theoretical framework, the present research seeks to demonstrate how the relationships among visual elements, the spatial organization of the image, the arrangement of figures, and compositional patterns in Sultan Muhammad’s paintings may reflect the mystical concepts of unity, manifestation, multiplicity, and the return to unity. In terms of purpose, this study is fundamental research, and in terms of methodology, it adopts a descriptive-analytical approach. The data were collected through library and documentary sources. The research sample comprises selected major paintings by Sultan Muhammad, chosen through purposive sampling, and analyzed in terms of compositional components and the theoretical principles of Ibn Arabi’s mysticism. The novelty of this study lies in its focus on the structural relationship between compositional organization and the mystical concepts of the Unity of Being, in contrast to previous studies that have primarily concentrated on the historical, stylistic, or iconographic aspects of Sultan Muhammad’s works. Furthermore, the study attempts to explain the visual mechanisms of meaning production within the context of Islamic mysticism. The findings indicate that the compositional system in Sultan Muhammad’s paintings facilitates the representation of mystical concepts through the creation of unity among diverse elements, the hierarchical organization of space, the centralization of semantic focal points, and the interconnection of dispersed visual components. Moreover, many of the visual structures in these works can be interpreted through the framework of the relationship between unity and multiplicity in Ibn Arabi’s thought. Consequently, composition in Sultan Muhammad’s paintings should not be regarded merely as an aesthetic device; rather, it functions as a meaningful system through which the fundamental concepts of Islamic mysticism are articulated and manifested in visual form.