Mohammad Javad Etemadi

Mohammad Javad Etemadi is an Iranian researcher and lecturer in mysticism, Rumi studies, philosophy of religion, and theology. A major part of his teaching and research is devoted to interpreting and analyzing Rumi’s thought, especially in the Masnavi and the Divan-e Shams.

In lecture series such as “Rumi and the Theology of Love,” he has sought, through stories from the Masnavi and Rumi’s references in the Divan-e Shams, to offer a clear account of divine love and its place in Rumi’s worldview. In this approach, love is not merely a personal emotion but a theological, mystical, and epistemic concept that transforms the human relation to God, the world, and the self.

Etemadi has also addressed the relation between Rumi and philosophical and mystical insight in his lectures and writings. Themes such as human cognitive errors and limitations in Rumi’s account, the theology of love in relation to Suhrawardi and Rumi, and the possibility of understanding religious experience through literary and mystical language are among the central concerns of his work.

Works associated with him include the book “In the Phrase of the Sun: A Search in the Life, Experiences, and Teachings of Rumi,” as well as audio lectures and courses on Rumi and the theology of love. In Persian intellectual circles, he is best understood as a contemporary interpreter of Rumi and a researcher working at the intersection of mysticism, literature, and philosophy of religion.