Ibn Taymiyya argued that Islamic theology (kalam) and mysticism (tasawuf) both aim to guide people toward understanding God and doing good, but they differ in method: theology is theoretical and leads to logical belief, while mysticism is practical and actualizes that belief. He rejected the mystical goal of union with God as contrary to shari'a, holding instead that the highest purpose is worship and service of God. Theology can correct mystical theories that deviate from the Qur'an and Hadith, and mysticism gives theology its full meaning. Ibn Taymiyya concluded that knowledge of God cannot be attained solely by rational methods or by mystical union.
In Islamic mysticism, religion is an integrated truth with three manifestations: exoteric (outer), esoteric (inner), and ultra-esoteric. The esoteric core is individual unity, the gem of religion, while exoteric forms are diluted shadows of this eternal truth. Religiosity is a layered truth whose essence is the absolutely certain intuition of mystic monotheism. Religion and religiosity are coextensive in essence.
Mystics undergo stages and spiritual stations on their journey to Allah that are difficult for non-mystics to understand. Reflective people often rely on intellectual and theoretical principles to explain mystical experiences and ecstasy, but the success of such explanations depends on the power of those principles. Fanā (annihilation) is one mystical stage that is especially hard for non-mystics to grasp, leading to various theories. The article argues that the only successful explanation of fanā is one based on transcendental theosophy and theoretical mysticism, rather than on scientific or philosophical achievements alone.