Mahdokht Poorkhalegi-Chatrudi
Dr. Mahdokht Poorkhaleghi Chatroodi received MA in 1985 and her PhD in 1997, from the faculty of Letters, Mashhad University of Ferdowsi in Iran, where she has been teaching since 1994. She has published two books: The narrative hints in the Masnavi, and the symbol of the tree and its significance in the Persian poetry.
In our approach to the tree, we begin with the contention that one of the most important issues that the world is faced with and should naturally be included in the agenda of the dialog between civilizations is the environment and the importance of safekeeping it against pollution. In this great universal drama in which hostility is replaced by friendly dialogs, the participants should share the belief in God, in peaceful coexistence, in love for mankind and in unity of word and action. The present writer is of the opinion that the tree, the most sublime element of the environment, and the cultural values associated with it are shared by all cultures and that in the human civilization it has been a symbol of divine power, monotheism, peace and love for mankind. Thus the tree, a silent story-teller, can be the most eloquent speaker in this glorious feast of the dialog between civilizations, and a green response to the theory of the clashes of civilizations. This is specially because, as documented in the myths of many nations, the origin of man and the human civilization is mehrgiyah, the tree of compassion. Based on the Qur'an, the voice of the tree is the voice of a civilization which knows no east nor west: lā sharghiyaton va lā gharbiyaton The dialog of civilizations is in fact a mystic dance which finally attains unity through a link with lā elāh ellal-lāh, the goodly saying described in the Qur'an as the Pure Tree (shajariy-e taayyebeh). The tree, in its recurring movement from spring to spring and its ascending movement towards light, lays the foundation of a civilization in which man is freed from the dominion of contrasts and diversity, and provides man with peace, unity and love for mankind, which are the shared dimensions of all civilizations.