Quantum-Relational ʿIrfān A Contemporary Reinterpretation of Islamic Mystical Metaphysics through Relational Ontology and Probabilistic Models

A new theoretical framework called Quantum-Relational ʿIrfān (QRI) reinterprets Islamic mystical metaphysics by blending classical doctrines of unity with contemporary relational ontology. Classical thinkers like Ibn ʿArabī and Mullā Ṣadrā articulated sophisticated views of unity and multiplicity but relied on hierarchical, essentialist structures. Drawing on post-Heideggerian relational ontology, process metaphysics, phenomenology, and quantum-inspired models of indeterminacy, QRI reconceives the Real as a relational-probabilistic field, mystical experience as the actualization of relational potentials, and mystical knowledge (maʿrifa) as co-emergent. The framework offers a philosophically robust platform for Islamic mystical thought to engage modern discourse without reducing spirituality to physics.

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Abstract

This article advances a comprehensive reinterpretation of Islamic mystical metaphysics through the development of Quantum-Relational ʿIrfān (QRI), a theoretical framework that bridges classical doctrines of unity and contemporary relational ontology. While Ibn ʿArabī’s ontology of waḥdat al-wujūd and Mullā Ṣadrā’s graded existentialism constitute the most sophisticated pre-modern articulations of unity, multiplicity, and divine self-disclosure, both remain grounded in hierarchical and essentialist metaphysical architectures. Drawing on developments in postHeideggerian relational ontology, process metaphysics, phenomenology, and quantum-inspired models of indeterminacy, this article argues that classical mystical metaphysics can be reformulated without compromising its spiritual integrity. Employing textual analysis, comparative ontology, and conceptual hermeneutics, QRI reconceptualizes (1) the Real as a relational-probabilistic field, (2) mystical experience as the actualization of relational potentials, and (3) maʿrifa as co-emergent knowledge. The findings suggest that QRI offers a philosophically robust, methodologically transparent, and hermeneutically grounded platform through which Islamic mystical thought can participate in contemporary philosophical discourse. The proposed framework neither collapses spirituality into physics nor imposes scientific literalism on mystical concepts; rather, it demonstrates how relational and indeterminacy-based models illuminate longstanding mystical intuitions. The article concludes by outlining the implications of QRI for metaphysics, epistemology, Qur’anic hermeneutics, and comparative mysticism. Key word : Islamic mysticism, Quantum-Relational ʿIrfān (QRI), waḥdat al-wujūd, graded existence, relational ontology, process metaphysics, quantum indeterminacy, mystical experience, co-emergent knowledge, conceptual hermeneutics, Ibn ʿArabī, Mullā Ṣadrā, comparative philosophy, Qur’anic hermeneutics.