Examining the Love of the World in the Philosophical Thought of Nasir Khusraw and Qutb al-Din Shirazi

Love is an element that, when associated with any phenomenon, creates favorable psychological and spiritual conditions in human beings. However, at times, excessive attachment to one's interests may overpower the individual and deprive them of spiritual joy. This study aims to examine the concept of ḥubb al-dunyā (love of the world) from the perspectives of Nasir Khusraw and Qutb al-Din Shirazi. Employing a descriptive-analytical method and relying on library sources, the research seeks to explain and extract thematic similarities concerning the love of the world in the thought of these two philosophers. Nasir Khusraw, through reliance on reason and rational argumentation, and Qutb al-Din Shirazi, through the lens of Sufi spiritual journeying, regard ḥubb al-dunyā as a consequence of the carnal self (nafs) and as an obstacle to attaining moral virtues. Both thinkers consider the human being to possess two dimensions of life—worldly and otherworldly—and they hold that access to the blessings of the hereafter depends on the performance of righteous deeds and the renunciation of worldly pleasures. The findings indicate that through self-purification (tahdhīb al-nafs) and faith, the human being can distance themselves from attachment to the transient world and pursue the ideal of ultimate perfection.