Reframing Religious Experience through ‘Ālam al-Mithāl: A Philosophical and Mystical Perspective in Islamic Thought

The paper argues that the Islamic concept of ‘Ālam al-Mithāl (the Imaginal World) provides a rigorous philosophical framework for understanding religious experiences as objectively real, rather than merely subjective or psychological. It analyzes Mullā Ṣadrā’s principles of the fundamentality of existence and the union of intellect and intelligible to substantiate the objective reality of experiences within this intermediate realm. The study also examines the role of esoteric interpretation in unveiling symbolic encounters. This framework challenges reductionist modern paradigms and highlights the imaginal realm’s significance for self-realization and acquiring divine knowledge.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This paper investigates the philosophical and mystical concept of ‘Ālam al-Mithāl (The Imaginal World) in Islamic thought as analternative framework for understanding religious experience. Despite the acknowledgement of its importance, contemporary discourse has yet to undertake a systematic philosophical inquiry into how ‘Ālam al-Mithāl, as a spiritual epistemology, provides rational grounds for affirming the objective reality and transformative capacity of religious experiences, surpassing interpretations that reduce such experiences to merely subjective or psychological interpretations. This research addresses this gap by analyzing how Mullā Ṣadrā’s ontological principle of Aṣālat al-wujūd (fundamentality of existence) and epistemological principle of Ittiḥād al-‘Āqil wa al-Ma‘qūl (union of the intellect and the intelligible) substantiate the objective reality of experiences within ‘Ālam al-Mithāl. The study further examines the essential role of ta’wīl (esoteric interpretation) in unveiling the deeper meanings of symbolic encounters in this realm. By integrating these philosophical principles, the paper demonstrates how ‘Ālam al-Mithāl offers a rigorous framework for validating religious experiences as genuine perceptual events within an objective, intermediate reality. This framework challenges reductionist modern paradigms and highlights the imaginal realm’s significance in self-realization and the acquisition of divine knowledge.