Islam and the Contemporary World

Islam and the Contemporary World

Rūmī’s Mystical Epistemology through Sayyid Ḥaydar Āmulī’s Framework

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors
Rasoul RAHBARI-GHAZANI 1
Reihaneh DAVOODI-KAHAKI 2
1 Ph. D. Candidate, Department of Philosophy of Religion, Faculty of Theology, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
2 Researcher, Department of Mysticism, University of Religions and Denominations, Qom, Iran
10.22034/icwj.2025.502634.1024
Abstract
This study employs a hermeneutic and textual analysis approach to examine and categorize the mystical experience—“unveiling” (kashf)—illustrated in Rūmī’s works using Sayyid Ḥaydar Āmulī’s Sufi framework, distinguishing “revelation” (vaḥy) and “inspiration” (ilhām), and “imaginal unveiling” (al-kashf al-khayālī) and “spiritual unveiling” (al-kashf al-maʿnawī). The primary question this study addresses is this: “What forms the foundation of Rūmī’s epistemology?” And the guiding questions are as follows. How does Āmulī’s classification of unveiling contribute to the distinction between “revelation” and “inspiration” on the one hand and “imaginal unveiling” and “spiritual unveiling” on the other, as illustrated in Rūmī’s works? In what ways do Rūmī’s teachings align with and diverge from Āmulī’s framework of unveilings, and how do they complement each other? Existing studies on Rūmī’s epistemology, while abundant, often focus on specific aspects and present the authors’ findings but lack a comprehensive classification. Combining the two thinkers’ insights, this paper offers contemporary readers and scholars a theoretical lens—a direct access to the relevant texts in Rūmī’s works for independent future research—and a poetic, motivational, and transformative voice, encouraging them to embark on their own personal journeys. According to this paper’s thesis, Rūmī builds his epistemology on love as the transformative force guiding the seeker, the heart as the locus of divine manifestation and spiritual connection, and the sacred intellect as the faculty linking human understanding to the Universal Intellect and thus the divine Wisdom beyond rationality, while acknowledging rationality’s limited but valuable role.
Keywords
epistemology
mystical experience
unveiling (kashf)
love
heart
intellect
Subjects
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