Sufism and Travel Literature: Soul Captivity in Ḥājj Sayyāḥ’s Knowledge-Seeking Journey in Safarnāmah-i Ḥājj Sayyāḥ bih Farang

This paper explores Sufi method of being enlightened through deep reflectionin reading a Persian travelogue written by Ḥājj Sayyāḥ entitled, Safarnāmaḥ-i Ḥājj Sayyāḥbih Farang (SHS). After introducing the author and the travelogue background, this studypresents the concepts of captivity awareness, knowledge and ignorance which becomethe basis of the journey in SHS. It then proceeds to the discussion on taming the soulthrough six ways; physical hardship, renunciation (zuhd), poverty, loneliness, illness andthe experience of near death in order to escape the idiocy imprisonment. Finally, this paperexplains the journey of freedom in SHS according to the framework of Sufi conceptsabout human conditions in an odyssey towards God. In conclusion, high level of captivityawareness enhances motivation to seek for an escape path from mind or conceptualcaptivity. Within the site of travel, the “purification” process of imprisoning the soul isenhanced and it provides a path towards the exceptional kind of liberation.