Rationality, Intuition, and Revelation: The Mystical Epistemological Structure of Mulla Ṣadrā in al-Asfār al-Arbaʿah

Abstract

The epistemological framework of al-Ḥikmah al-Mutaʿāliyah has generally been examined from the perspective of ontology and metaphysics, while its epistemic architecture as an integrated system of knowledge remains comparatively underexplored. This article investigates how Mulla Ṣadrā constructs a mystical epistemology through the dynamic integration of rationality (ʿaql), intuitive unveiling (kashf), and revelation (sharʿ) in al-Asfār al-Arbaʿah. Employing a qualitative library-based approach, the study applies philosophical hermeneutics to reconstruct the internal logic of Ṣadrā's epistemological system and to examine its implications for the formation of the spiritual subject. The analysis demonstrates that knowledge, in Ṣadrā's philosophy, is neither exclusively rational nor solely intuitive, but emerges from the dialectical integration of demonstrative reasoning, spiritual intuition, and revealed truth. This epistemological synthesis culminates in ʿilm ḥuḍūrī (presential knowledge), understood as the highest mode of cognition in which the knower and the known attain existential unity. Furthermore, the framework of the four spiritual journeys (al-asfār al-arbaʿah) reveals that epistemic development is inseparable from ontological transformation, whereby intellectual perfection simultaneously entails ethical refinement and spiritual realization. This study argues that Mulla Ṣadrā's epistemology transcends the conventional dichotomy between philosophy and Sufism by offering a holistic theory of knowledge that integrates metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical dimensions. The findings contribute to contemporary discussions on Islamic philosophy by demonstrating the continuing relevance of Ṣadrā's epistemological paradigm for understanding the relationship between reason, spirituality, and religious knowledge in the modern intellectual context.