The following is a translation of Shaykh Ḥaydar Ḥubbullāh’s epistemic analysis of mysticism.[1] We found this piece particularly important to translate, especially given that religious discourse in the Shī’ah world on the pulpits today often tends to glamorize ‘irfānī experience. “From one standpoint,  the religious consciousness in general and the Islamic one in particular manifests … Read more

Between March 20th – April 18th 2020 (lesson 118 – 131) in the advanced lessons on legal theory, Shaykh Haider Hobollah addressed the subject of obedience vs. intellection in religion. These lessons were some of the final few classes delivered during the topic of Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah and the complete detail of this subject can be … Read more

While reading through Ṣadrā’s commentary on Uṣūl al-Kāfī, I came across this beautiful explanation of the methods different groups use to attain spiritual realisation. The extract is inspired by al-Ghazālī’s Iḥyāʾ and while Ṣadrā doesn’t recommend the path of the Ṣūfīs be followed exclusively, there are many points of the process that needs to be … Read more

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم By Shaykh Zoheir Esmail Mystics have devoted much attention on God’s first creation as within the conception of the first creation lies the answer to the paradox of how sheer unity gives rise to a world of multiplicity. God is without limits and this is why His perfection cannot be fathomed. … Read more

Preface Islamic mysticism is an esoteric approach to the Qur’an and the sunna of the Prophet. However, this statement does not mean that mysticism is separate from its apparent meaning in the Qur’an and the sunna. Rather, the relationship between the two meanings is hierarchic with one encompassing the other. In other words, one verse … Read more

Abstract The Noetic Realm is one of the realms mentioned in Islamic philosophy and mysticism. This realm is the highest and most powerful of the realms. The researcher felt that there was a gap about this topic so he conducted the study. The main questions posed in this study are as follows: What is the … Read more

This is an English transcription of three introductory talks given by Shaykh Haider Hobbollah at Jami’at al-Zahra – one of the largest women’s seminaries in the city of Qom. Introduction Though I was asked to speak about al-wilāyah al-ʿirfānīyyah (mystical vicegerency) from the perspective of Imam Khumaynī, and though there may be some areas where … Read more

Translator’s Intro When I first got to the hawzah, I remember jumping around from teacher to teacher, looking for advice regarding the best strategy and plan on how to tackle my future studies.  I’m certain that most other hawzah students did the same when they first arrived and incoming students are still desperately seeking guidance … Read more

By Sayyid Waḥῑd ‘Alawῑ The discussion of The Fixed Entities, A’yān ath Thābita, is one of the most important topics in mysticism. This study is an effort to delve into this topic and get introduced to one of the most important topics within mysticism. The writer of this article has comprehensively studied this topic, and … Read more

Written for the module: Islamic Philosophy, taken at The Islamic College for a MA in Islamic Studies with professor Latimah Parvin Peerwani. Originally submitted on 1st October, 2017. Every day humans encounter innumerable entities via the five senses.   How these entities are perceived by the human mind is a discussion both empiricists and metaphysicians have had, and while … Read more