Page 82 - Pure Life 39

The Truth and Scope of al-ʿIlm al-Ḥuḍūrī … A. Hussain & M. Karimi (57
the heavens and the earth were not
created in vain, he introduces the
ultimate goal of creation to reach the
state of servitude, which is God's
closeness. Therefore, while searching
for the truth, the Quran warns man to
step on the path of self-knowledge.
ʿAllāma believes that self-knowledge
has an impressive role in the education
and morals of souls (Amini et al., 2023).
• Human Knowledge By Presence of
His Soul’s Actions (Psychological
States, Feelings, and Emotions)
• Human Knowledge By Presence
Regarding The Powers and Tools of
His Soul (Perceptive Powers and
Stimulating Forces)
• Human’s Knowledge By Presence
About His Mental Images and Concepts.
Literature Review
For the first time in history, Neo-
Platonists, particularly Plotinus,
introduced the concept of ‘knowledge by
presence,’ alongside other key ideas
such as ‘illumination,’ which were
subsequently elaborated upon by
Proclus. The phrase ‘knowledge by
presence’ is missing from the works of
many philosophers, including those
from the Milesian School, Pythagoreans,
Eleatics, Atomists, Sophists, Socrates,
Plato, Aristotle, and Hellenistic thinkers.
In the New Era, John Locke explores a
type of inner knowledge similar to
th
knowledge by presence. The 18 century,
known as the Enlightenment, emphasized
rationalism and scientific inquiry.
Influential philosophers like Hume
and Kant did not explore the idea of
knowledge by presence during this
period. Critiques of revealed theology
and support for rational theology
intensified discussions in the context of
liberal theologians like Schleiermacher.
Their emphasis on religious experience
and mystical revelations attracted
Western intellectuals to the idea of
knowledge by presence.
In Islamic philosophy, Avicenna was
the pioneer in addressing the concepts
of knowledge by presence and
knowledge by acquisition, particularly
concerning an object's self-awareness
(Avicenna, 1981, pp. 117-119).
Such discussions are notably absent
in the writings of Al-Kindy and Al-
Farabi. Furthermore, Shihāb ad-Dīn
Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardī, known
as Shaikh al-ʿIshraq (Master of
Illumination) provided an extensive
examination of the nature of knowledge
by presence, introducing additional
levels of understanding related to this
concept (Motahari, 1998, p. 307).
He stands out as the first Muslim
philosopher to significantly contribute
to the development and elaboration of
knowledge by presence.
The Muslim mystics, particularly Ibn
‘Arabi, dedicated an entire chapter to the
concept of intuition and its various levels,
employing the notion of knowledge by
presence (Qaysari, 1996, pp. 85-94).
Ṣadr al-Muti'allihīn al-Shīrāzī