Epistemology

In particular mystical states, mystics and those who attain a high degree of knowledge and certainty may experience time in different ways, and may undergo experiences that transcend time and are difficult to describe. Knowledge itself occupies a station beyond the timeless.

Our understanding of and ability to benefit from other worlds depends on the breadth of our knowledge, our capacity for wisdom, and how well we put that wisdom into practice. As with a computer, how much a person can process and understand about the universe depends on the capabilities of their system. People also differ in their awareness and understanding of other worlds; as the spirit is elevated and the light of the unseen grows brighter, their understanding and ability to benefit increase. Merely imagining something does not mean we are present there, and false certainty can lead us astray.

Wisdom is the key to attaining a transcendent, creative mind. Until the celestial intellect awakens, heavenly creativity cannot take flight. Certainty is the force that brings genius to fruition. The proposed remedy is a wise outlook and a path grounded in certainty—one that awakens inner intelligence and allows its effects to emerge in thought and action.

To benefit from the divine treasuries and unseen knowledge, we must sustain purity of body and soul; practise God-centered spiritual disciplines; hold sincerely to the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Household; fully cultivate the intellect and its forces; and make use of more direct paths such as certainty, wisdom, seeking God’s pleasure, and strengthening faith and God-consciousness. Supplications such as the twentieth supplication of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya and the Duʿāʾ al-Simāt can also help guide the way.