Document Type : Original Article
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Abstract
Ruzbihan Baqli Shirazi was a Persian mystic of the sixth and seventh centuries. His works abound in Quranic verses and hadith in which he communicates his thought dominated by his mystical experience of unveiling (kashf) and spiritual vision (shuhud). He believes in revelation (wahi) as the unseen inspiration that prophets receive from God, and he also views unveiling and spiritual vision of mystics as divine grace and mercy. This study adopts a descriptive-analytical method to examine the concept of revelation and spiritual vision in Ruzbihan Baqli's mysticism. Revelation and revealed knowledge are among the concepts whose perception lay beyond the realm of the senses and are not easily accessible to reason. Since not every man is capable to attain such knowledge, its obscure aspects are not easily grasped by the intellect. The results indicate that there is a contrast between revelation and mystical unveiling, because prophethood is a divine gift that is not achieved through acquisition. Although acquisition of excellence by effort makes souls prepared to receive revelation, revelation itself is a divine gift that is not attained by everyone. Humans are capable to reach the status and stages of unveiling and spiritual vision, if so, the seekers should gauge their unveiling and spiritual vision with the divine revelation and unveiling of prophets and saints, which in some cases requires interpretation, but revelation is an immediate inspiration that is clear and evident in itself and needs no interpretation. In Ruzbihan`s doctrine, revelation is viewed as synonymous with inspiration.
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