محمود حیدری

The romantics in the West are paying close attention to Eastern mystical literature and poets such as Hafiz, Rumi, and Sa’adi. The intellectual similarities of Goethe, the great German poet in the 19th century, with Ibn-al-‘Arabī, an Islamic mystic and philosopher, and the common characteristics of the beloved in Goethe’s West-Eastern Divan and Ibn ‘Arabī’s Tarjoman Al-Ashwaq, have made some call them “spiritual brothers”. The purpose of this study is to explain the role of earthly love in human spiritual transcendence in the lyric poems of two great Arab and German poets. This research, using content analysis method and the approach of the American school of comparative literature, examines the characteristics of the two beloveds in Ibn-al-‘Arabī’s and Goethe’s work, namely, Nizam and Marianne (Zulikha), and how this earthly love has become the basis for transcendental love for the two poets. The results of this comparison show that although there is no mention of Goethe’s acquaintance with Ibn ‘Arabi in the former’s biography, there are similarities in issues such as unity of existence, transcendental love, and the union of the lover and beloved. For the two poets, love is the ladder for their spiritual excellence. In the eyes of the two poets, love turns any plurality into unity and reveals the beloved in different shapes and forms.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the short form of the Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale (1989), consisting of 18 items, within the population of Afghan families across four provinces in Afghanistan. Methods: The present research was descriptive and correlational in nature. A total of 320 families, including fathers, mothers, and one child from each family (960 participants in total), participated in this study using convenience sampling. Data were analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach with the statistical packages SmartPLS 4 and SPSS 27. Findings: After obtaining feedback from Afghan university professors and participants, the face validity of the scale was confirmed. The reliability of the scale was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability (CR). The reliability coefficients were calculated as 0.79 for fathers, 0.78 for mothers, and 0.78 for children, with CR values at satisfactory levels. Convergent validity was evaluated using the average variance extracted (AVE), and discriminant validity was assessed and confirmed using the Heterotrait-Monotrait (HTMT) ratio. To improve the model and enhance discriminant validity, two items related to the dimensions of Environmental Mastery and Personal Growth were removed. The findings demonstrated that the reliability and validity evaluations of the scales used in this study were statistically sound and reliable. Conclusion: The study concluded that the 18-item version of the Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale is a valid and reliable instrument for use within the Afghan family population. Therapists in Iran working with Afghan migrants, as well as Afghan therapists residing in Afghanistan, can utilize this tool in their clinical and research settings.