The Nature of Mystical Knowledge

The Nature of Mystical Knowledge focuses on the question of what type of knowledge mystical cognition represents and what its fundamental components and elements are. This discussion is situated within the philosophy of mysticism and closely relates to metaphysics and ontology. The main impetus for exploring such topics in our academic community stems from Western theories. Therefore, this book initially addresses Western perspectives and concludes with theories derived from the works of Islamic thinkers. The structure of the book is organized based on existing theories. Western philosophers of religion and mysticism have presented several important theories in this area. Likewise, Islamic mystics, especially Ibn Arabi and his followers, as well as Islamic philosophers such as Farabi, Avicenna, Sheikh al-Ishraq, and Mulla Sadra, have engaged with this subject. These combined theories fall into seven groups, under which fifteen views are elaborated, evaluated, compared, and critically judged. Ultimately, this paves the way for proposing new theories.