The Psychological Gnosticism of Mystic Experience: A Critical Appraisal of Al-Qushayri, Al-Hujwiri, James and Iqbal
Muhammad Iqbal Shah, Ali Raza Tahir, Mahrukh Mahrukh
Al-Qamar September 30, 2024 DOI: 10.53762/5yb8ft84 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that mysticism, understood as a way of meditation and esoteric experience aimed at knowledge of "nuoma" or "Divine Reality" beyond ordinary knowing, is broad and wide-ranging and occupies an important place in epistemology. The paper develops this through the views of two ancient mystics together with a psychologist and a philosopher, addressing questions about the nature, characteristics, psychological states, attainability, religious status, and communicability of mystical experience. |
Abstract
Being a part of this spatio-temporal “phenomena” and desiring the knowledge of the “nuoma” or “Divine Reality” which is above from our commonly known capabilities and conventional manners of acquiring knowledge through a particular way of meditation and absorbing esoteric experience is the main feature of mysticism. Thus due to this manifold nature of mysticism, these questions appear: What is the nature of this experience? What are its basic characteristics? What would be the psychological states that a mystic would be subjsct to the experience? How this can be experienced? Is it either a result of personal endeavoures or is it just a agranted blessing? Wheater it is religious or not?Is it to be arriticulated to other beings? And so on. They are the question which will be answered in this research. Thus, the present article presents the views of two ancient Mystics along-with the views of a psychologist and a philosopher. This will be revealed that how much importance occupied by mysticism in epistemology and how much vast and wide-ranging it is.