Narrative and Literary Imagery in Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Ṣafadī’s Pilgrimage Discourse

Abstract

This study examines Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Ṣafadī‘s (d. 764 AH / 1363 AD) pilgrimage discourse as presented in his book Ḥaqīqat al-Majāz ilā al-Ḥijāz. This journey is viewed as a travel text with a complex literary structure where travel narrative intertwines with rhetorical and poetic formation. It transforms geographical experience into a story endowed with aesthetic and spiritual dimensions.

This study is significant for highlighting the narrative and artistic value of al-Ṣafadī’s journey through uncovering the mechanisms by which travel discourse was shaped in the 8^th century AH, particularly within pilgrimage written discourse.

The originality of this analysis stems from its in-depth applied exploration of al-Ṣafadī’s journey, despite the author’s prominent scholarly and literary stature, since this work has not previously received an independent study relating to its narrative structure or the interplay between prose and poetry.

The study focuses on how al-Ṣafadī fashioned his pilgrimage experience through narrative and literary imagery. It also centered on the role of poetry in intensifying meaning and transforming physical suffering into a spiritual and aesthetic experience. This raises the questions connected to the structure of the journey, the construction of space, the presence of the self, and the function of generic interpenetration.

The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach based on the analysis of narrative and literary imagery. The result of the study concludes that al-Ṣafadī’s journey constitutes a hybrid discourse that combines factual report with poetic expression, which grants travel literature an aesthetic dimension that transcends documentation and moves toward creative artistry.