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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

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

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