The Undergraduate Research Journal
Abstract
Illumination, or knowledge through divine light, is a type of mystical cognition that Abu Hamid Ghazali regarded to be the cause of his rescue from his famous skeptical crisis. According to him, this type of divine knowledge is the apex of knowledge, to which all other sciences are subordinate. The receptive organ of this knowledge is the heart, a divine and cognitive subtlety that is distinct though related to the physical heart. Such is done by removing the veils that obstruct divine light from reaching it by means of the science of unveiling. The disclosure of knowledge that occurs once veils are removed is transmitted in states (ahwal) and are cognized through taste (dhawq), which means that the knowledge is non-discursive and non-communicable. This research explores the possibility of such mystical cognition and investigates its nature.
Document Type
Research Article
Department
Arab & Islamic Civilizations Department
Recommended Citation
Marzouk, Maisara Maasoum
(2022)
"Knowledge through Divine Light: Ghazali’s Notions of Mystical Cognition,"
The Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 8, Article 5.
Available at:
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/urje/vol8/iss1/5
Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval
Not necessary for this item
Included in
Arabic Studies Commons, Epistemology Commons, History of Religions of Eastern Origins Commons, Islamic Studies Commons, Metaphysics Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons