معرفت ادیان (Ma`rifat Adyan)

Man’s innate need for perfection and consciousness has led all religions to devise the way this position is attained; but it is natural that the religion whose teachings are fully defined by the Creator can choose the most convenient route. Divine existents are present and help the believers throughout. The present article, applying the Holy Spirit to Christianity and Simurgh to Islamic mysticism, has attempted to answer the important question as to what differences exist in their fundamentals and what fundamental similarities exist between the spiritual functions of the two for the sake of achieving believers’ spiritual sublimity. Two differences are noticed between them: the first is the Christians’ non-monotheistic vision of the essence of God, which has made the Holy Spirit, unlike Simurgh, be the source and possessor of knowledge and perfection, while Simurgh is the only divine ambassador; the second difference is related to the essence of these two existents—Simurgh is essentially a symbol that represents the world; but the Holy Spirit is a spiritual being, and sometimes, it is thought to have more than one symbol. The similarities between them are in the process of attaining perfection; both Simurgh and the Holy Spirit have provided the servants of God with every possible means to achieve perfection. But it is only those who have the capacity to achieve perfection that have this God-given gift. The ultimate perfection in both cases is to unite with that being; in the Holy Spirit, the exemplary behavior is to be totally devoted to the Holy Spirit; and in Simurgh, the end of the path is to be completely annihilated in the light.