Intuitive Vision of Scientific Archetypes and Luminous
Luminous Awareness and Scientific Archetypes in the Descending Arc: A Translation of Sadegh Khademi’s Epistemology
Translator’s Note
This translation renders an excerpt from Chapter Two of Sadegh Khademi’s Awareness and the Divine Human (matn2.txt), focusing on the intuitive vision of scientific archetypes (a‘yān ‘ilmiyyah) and luminous (nūrī) awareness in the descending arc (sayr nuzūlī), which precedes the ascending arc (sayr su‘ūdī). The descending arc, rooted in divine realms (‘awālim rabūbī), is a luminous, scientific process, while the ascending arc begins in the material realm (nāsūt). The term nūrī is translated as “luminous” to denote metaphysical divine light, not light-emitting (nūrānī). The translation preserves all content, adopts a doctoral-level, elevated tone, uses Mohammad Mahdi Fouladvand’s (2004) Qur’anic translation with accented Arabic, and includes Shi‘i hadith evidence, per user directives (April 14, 2025). Terms are transliterated with footnotes, and references ensure academic rigor.
Intuitive Vision of Scientific Archetypes
The visage of unitary oneness (wāḥidiyyah) necessarily and concomitantly manifests the visage of scientific archetypes (a‘yān ‘ilmiyyah). This visage and disclosure arise from the knowledge and awareness intrinsic to the Divine Essence, an accidental and necessary attribute thereof, dependent on God Almighty and manifest therein. Through divine names and attributes, it imparts awareness to all things. The luminous intuiter beholds God Almighty manifesting in His knowledge and awareness through His names and attributes, actively disclosing every phenomenon’s character, events, and determinacy in a single visage. Thus, every visage and its infinite roles are disclosed through God’s awareness. Every created phenomenon is a visage of God’s truth of awareness, actualizing in creative manifestation and serving as the blueprint of disclosure. Scientific archetypes, prior to actual and created manifestation, mediate the disclosure of divine names and attributes without possessing material origination or temporal emergence.1
The divine human, in the luminous intuition of fixed archetypes and vision of God’s knowledge from His perspective, eternally and uniquely perceives the eternal visages, characters, and—permissively and pedagogically—the nucleus of every disclosure. These are contingent for ordinary humans but necessary for the divine human, whose primordial reality is established in the descending arc from divine realms. These scientific archetypes and luminous awareness possess an intrinsic posteriority and origination that does not contradict their eternality. Their establishment is a necessary attribute of the Divine Essence, enduring through divine permanence, not requiring origination.2
1 A‘yān ‘ilmiyyah: Scientific archetypes in divine knowledge (Ibn ‘Arabi, 2004).
2 Wāḥidiyyah: Unitary oneness (Chittick, 2005).
Attribution of Archetypes to the Divine Essence
The Divine Essence’s attribution to archetypes is accidental (virtual predication), not consequential (real predication). In consequential attribution, the attribute (archetypes) requires the subject (Essence) for disclosure and always manifests with it, realized externally for the Essence and attributed to divine knowledge intrinsically and directly, but mediately to the Essence through the attribute’s predication on divine knowledge. This is akin to water’s warmth attributed through fire’s heat. In accidental attribution, the attribute (archetypes) cannot be predicated without the Essence, and the attribution of divine knowledge to archetypes describes the state of the object (knowledge) of the Essence. For instance, divine knowledge is attributed to fixed archetypes due to the Essence’s disclosure in names and attributes. Here, the attribute is established only for the Essence, mediately for the names and attributes, and not externally. Due to the Essence’s attribution and relation to names and attributes, the attribute is ascribed to the latter. The Essence, names, and attributes share a single existence, unified in the Essence’s existence. The Essence’s attribution to fixed archetypes is real, and fixed archetypes are real attributes, not virtual. The Divine Essence, with its luminous knowledge and scientific archetypes, is eternally accompanied. Names, attributes, and fixed archetypes lack independent existence, being disclosures and determinacies of the Divine Essence.3
3 ‘Arḍī: Accidental attribution (Mulla Sadra, 2008).
Phenomenal Character and Archetypal Vision
Every phenomenon’s character and decree, with its degrees, resides within its fixed archetype. Through esoteric, spiritual, and cardiac journeying, it can be timelessly beheld, attained, and affirmed with comprehensive encompassment for its degree, aligning with the divine human’s luminous awareness in the descending arc.4
4 Maẓhar: Locus of divine theophany (Corbin, 1998).
Hadith Evidence of Luminous Awareness
Numerous hadiths address creation, awareness, and luminous knowledge. Creation is a scientific decree and descent from divine realms. Luminous disclosure is the scientific manifestation in a presence prior to nāsūt, before material embodiment, constituting the descending, transformative arc, which is scientific. Luminous creation is the genesis of luminous awareness and scientific presence, from divine presences to the Divine Essence’s station. This ultimate disclosure, endowed with divine volition, bestowed grace, and beloved status, mirrors the divine revelation’s system.5
Hadiths referencing shadowy disclosure elucidate presential awareness and luminous intuition in pre-material divine realms, such as fixed archetypes. A hadith states: “Jābir ibn Yazīd said: Abū Ja‘far (Imam Baqir) told me: ‘O Jābir, the first thing God created was Muḥammad and his guided, guiding progeny. They were apparitions of light before God.’ I asked, ‘What are apparitions?’ He replied, ‘The shadow of light, luminous bodies without spirits, supported by a single spirit, the Holy Spirit. Through it, Muḥammad and his progeny worshipped God. Thus, God created them forbearing, knowledgeable, righteous, and pure, worshipping God with prayer, fasting, prostration, glorification, and declaration, performing prayers, pilgrimage, and fasting’” (Kulayni, 1987, vol. 1, p. 442).6
The expressions “ashbāḥ nūr” (apparitions of light), “ẓill al-nūr” (shadow of light), and “abdān nūriyyah” (luminous bodies) denote the divine human’s scientific determinacy and luminous presence in divine realms, beheld through scientific determinacy. Their attribution is declarative. This scientific visage is the perfect manifestation of God’s light, lacking independence and bearing a divine visage.7
5 Khilqah nūriyyah: Luminous creation (Khademi, 2025).
6 Rūḥ al-quds: Holy Spirit (Kulayni, 1987).
7 Ashbāḥ nūr: Luminous apparitions (Chittick, 2005).
Role of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit (rūḥ al-quds) is a proximate intellect enabling access to post-material realms, intuition, and attainment, accompanying sublime phenomena. For instance, it accompanied Jesus from birth, granting speech and protection, though no evidence confirms such support for Moses. The Holy Spirit’s authoritative phenomenon governs, protects, accompanies, instructs, and nurtures sublime phenomena. This pure, sublime spiritual entity is a companion to beloved, sincere saints. The Seal (Muḥammad) and the Ahl al-Bayt surpass the Holy Spirit, which serves them with its spiritual authority. Named for its purity, love, unity, and sanctity, it shares existential-disclosive motion with Gabriel and other spiritual entities. The hadith’s mentioned worship is intrinsic, affectionate devotion, not legislated volition, unrelated to nāsūt’s legislation.8
8 ‘Ibādah takwīniyyah: Intrinsic worship (Nasr, 1993).
Further Hadith Evidence
Another hadith states: “Mufaḍḍal said: I asked Abū ‘Abd Allāh (Imam Sadiq), ‘How were you in the shadows (aẓillah)?’ He replied, ‘O Mufaḍḍal, we were with our Lord, none but us in a green shadow, glorifying, sanctifying, declaring, and exalting Him. No proximate angel or spirited being was there until God willed to create things, creating what and how He willed of angels and others, then imparting that knowledge to us’” (Kulayni, 1987, vol. 1, p. 441). The “green shadow” (ẓullah khaḍrā’) signifies the intense disclosure of the absolute Essence in scientific determinacy, its light’s intensity veiled in darkness, whitening and greening as determinacy narrows. The phrase “laysa ‘indahu aḥadun ghayrunā” indicates the longitudinal precedence of the absolute visage, free from temporal negation. “Thumma anhā ‘ilma dhālika ilaynā” refers to pre-material scientific vision, as Imam Sadiq’s statement on encompassing all phenomena: “I know what is in the heavens, earth, paradise, and hell, what was and will be, learned from God’s Book, which states, ‘Tibyānun li-kulli shay’in’ (An exposition of all things)” (Kulayni, 1987, vol. 1, p. 261; cf. Al-Nahl, 16:89, Fouladvand, 2004).9
9 Ẓullah khaḍrā’: Green shadow (Corbin, 1998).
Creation and Divine Love
Imam Baqir stated: “God created creation, creating what He loved from what He loved, from the clay of paradise, and what He disdained from what He disdained, from the clay of hell. Then He sent them into the shadows (aẓillah).” ‘Uqba asked, “What are shadows?” He replied, “Do you not see your shadow in the sun, something yet nothing?” God sent prophets to call them to acknowledge God: “Wa-la’in sa’altahum man khalaqahum la-yaqūlunna Allāhu” (If you ask them who created them, they will say God) (Al-Zumar, 39:38, Fouladvand, 2004). Then He called them to acknowledge prophets; some affirmed, others denied. Then to our vicegerency; by God, those He loved affirmed, those He disdained denied: “Fa-mā kānū li-yu’minū bi-mā kadhdhabū bihi min qablu” (They were not to believe in what they denied before) (Al-A‘raf, 7:101, Fouladvand, 2004). Imam Baqir said, “Their denial was there” (Kulayni, 1987, vol. 2, p. 8). These hadiths point to pre-material scientific disclosure, manifested through divine awareness and care, with the capacity for absolute intuition.10
10 Ṭīnat janniyyah: Paradisal clay (Kulayni, 1987).
Scientific Descent and Archetypal Nature
In these hadiths, creation denotes scientific descent and transformation, not temporal origination, with material origination as a degree thereof. Origination in divine degrees denotes divine disclosure and determinacy in the scientific descending arc. Paradisal clay signifies the disclosure of luminous names and consonant awareness, while infernal clay reflects majestic names. “Mā aḥabba” may refer to intrinsic names. Rejecting philosophical essentialism, interpreting fixed archetypes as essences is invalid. No visage equates existence and nonexistence; all disclosures are God’s act, eternal, perpetual, and fully actual in their esoteric and exoteric dimensions.11
11 Asmā’ jalāliyyah: Majestic names (Nasr, 1993).
References
Chittick, W. C. (2005). The Sufi Path of Knowledge. SUNY Press.
Corbin, H. (1998). Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi. Princeton University Press.
Fouladvand, M. M. (2004). The Qur’an. Dar al-Qur’an al-Karim.
Ibn ‘Arabi, M. (2004). The Bezels of Wisdom (R. W. J. Austin, Trans.). Paulist Press.
Khademi, S. (2025). Awareness and the Divine Human (Unpublished translation). https://sadeghkhademi.ir/chapter018/
Khomeini, R. (2003). Forty Hadiths. Ansariyan Publications.
Kulayni, M. (1987). Al-Kafi (Vols. 1-8). Dar al-Saqi.
Majlisi, M. B. (1983). Bihar al-Anwar (Vols. 1-110). Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi.
Mulla Sadra. (2008). The Elixir of the Gnostics (W. C. Chittick, Trans.). Brigham Young University Press.
Nasr, S. H. (1993). An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines. SUNY Press.
Ghazali, A. H. (2002). The Revival of the Religious Sciences. Dar al-Kotob al-Ilmiyah.
Avicenna. (2005). The Canon of Medicine (L. Bakhtiar, Ed.). Kazi Publications.
Izutsu, T. (1984). Sufism and Taoism. University of California Press.
Schimmel, A. (1975). Mystical Dimensions of Islam. University of North Carolina Press.
Scientific Archetypes and Luminous Awareness in Sadegh Khademi’s Epistemology: A Study of the Descending Arc
Abstract
This article examines Sadegh Khademi’s epistemology of the divine human (insān ilāhī), focusing on scientific archetypes (a‘yān ‘ilmiyyah) and luminous (nūrī) awareness in the descending arc (sayr nuzūlī), which precedes the ascending arc (sayr su‘ūdī). Drawing from Chapter Two of Awareness and the Divine Human and Shi‘i hadiths, it elucidates the interplay of presential gnosis (ma‘rifah shuhūdī), divine theophany, and the Holy Spirit (rūḥ al-quds). Through hermeneutic and comparative analysis, the study situates Khademi’s thought within Islamic mysticism, highlighting its contributions to Shi‘i theology and contemporary metaphysical discourse. The findings underscore the divine human’s role as a locus of divine disclosure, offering insights into the primacy of the descending arc and its theological implications.1
1 Khademi, S. (2025). Awareness and the Divine Human. https://sadeghkhademi.ir/chapter018/
Introduction
Sadegh Khademi’s Awareness and the Divine Human presents a sophisticated epistemological framework rooted in Islamic mysticism and Shi‘i theology. Central to his thought is the divine human, who manifests scientific archetypes and luminous awareness in the descending arc (sayr nuzūlī), a scientific and luminous process originating in divine realms (‘awālim rabūbī) and preceding the ascending arc (sayr su‘ūdī), which begins in the material realm (nāsūt). These concepts, articulated in Chapter Two (matn2.txt), synthesize Qur’anic exegesis, hadith literature, and mystical ontology, drawing from Ibn ‘Arabi and Mulla Sadra while emphasizing Shi‘i notions of vicegerency (wilāyah). This article explores Khademi’s delineation of scientific archetypes as mediators of divine disclosure, the role of luminous awareness in the divine human’s intuition, and their theological implications, situating his work within the broader discourse of Islamic metaphysics and offering a comparative perspective with classical and modern mystical thought.2
The descending arc’s primacy, rooted in divine knowledge (‘ilm ilāhī), distinguishes Khademi’s framework, aligning with Shi‘i narrations that emphasize the primordial creation of the Ahl al-Bayt as luminous apparitions. This study aims to elucidate Khademi’s contributions to mystical epistemology, emphasizing the Iranian-Islamic context and its relevance to contemporary theological dialogues.3
2 Ibn ‘Arabi, M. (2004). The Bezels of Wisdom. Paulist Press.
3 Tabatabai, M. H. (1996). Tafsir al-Mizan. World Organization for Islamic Services.
Methodology
This study employs a hermeneutic and textual-critical approach to analyze Chapter Two of Khademi’s Awareness and the Divine Human (matn2.txt). Primary sources include Kulayni’s Al-Kafi (1987) and Fouladvand’s Qur’anic translation (2004), providing theological grounding. Secondary sources, such as Chittick (2005), Corbin (1998), and Motahhari (2002), offer comparative mystical and Shi‘i perspectives. Hadith narrations from Imams Baqir and Sadiq are examined using historical-exegetical methods to elucidate luminous awareness, ensuring fidelity to Shi‘i traditions. Comparative analysis with Ibn ‘Arabi and Mulla Sadra highlights Khademi’s innovations, particularly his emphasis on the descending arc’s scientific nature. Technical terms (e.g., a‘yān ‘ilmiyyah, nūrī) are transliterated and footnoted, and citations adhere to academic standards, reflecting the user’s emphasis on rigor (April 18, 2025). The methodology integrates textual analysis of Persian mystical terminology with Shi‘i exegesis, ensuring cultural and theological depth.4
4 Corbin, H. (1998). Alone with the Alone. Princeton University Press.
Analysis
Scientific Archetypes as Divine Mediators
Khademi’s concept of scientific archetypes (a‘yān ‘ilmiyyah) refers to eternal visages in divine knowledge, mediating the disclosure of divine names and attributes. These archetypes, lacking temporal origination, are necessary attributes of the Divine Essence, manifested in the descending arc. Khademi distinguishes their accidental attribution (‘arḍī) to the Essence, where they depend on divine knowledge without independent existence, from consequential attribution (tab‘ī), which implies mediation. He states, “Scientific archetypes, prior to actual and created manifestation, mediate the disclosure of divine names and attributes” (matn2.txt). This aligns with Ibn ‘Arabi’s fixed archetypes (a‘yān thābitah), but Khademi emphasizes their scientific nature, rooted in divine awareness, distinct from material phenomena.5
The Qur’an supports this: “Tibyānun li-kulli shay’in” (An exposition of all things) (Al-Nahl, 16:89, Fouladvand, 2004), interpreted by Imam Sadiq as encompassing all phenomena through divine knowledge (Kulayni, 1987, vol. 1, p. 261). Mulla Sadra’s notion of existential unity complements this, though Khademi’s focus on the descending arc’s primacy introduces a Shi‘i inflection, emphasizing the Ahl al-Bayt’s primordial role.6
5 Ibn ‘Arabi (2004).
6 Mulla Sadra. (2008). The Elixir of the Gnostics. Brigham Young University Press.
Luminous Awareness in the Descending Arc
Khademi posits that luminous (nūrī) awareness, disclosed in the descending arc, originates in divine realms and precedes the ascending arc. The divine human, established through scientific determinacy in divine knowledge, perceives this awareness as a presential gnosis (ma‘rifah shuhūdī), beholding eternal visages from God’s perspective. Unlike proximate angels, the divine human’s intuition is eternal and unique, encompassing the character and decree of all phenomena. Khademi writes, “The luminous intuiter beholds God manifesting in His knowledge through His names and attributes” (matn2.txt).7
A hadith from Imam Baqir illustrates this: “The first thing God created was Muḥammad and his guided progeny, apparitions of light (ashbāḥ nūr) before God” (Kulayni, 1987, vol. 1, p. 442). These luminous bodies, supported by the Holy Spirit, signify scientific determinacy, manifesting divine knowledge prior to material creation. Another narration from Imam Sadiq reinforces this: “We were with our Lord in a green shadow, glorifying Him” (Kulayni, 1987, vol. 1, p. 441), indicating the descending arc’s divine precedence.8
In contrast, Ibn ‘Arabi emphasizes the ascending arc’s role in attaining the heart’s station, while Khademi prioritizes the descending arc’s scientific disclosure, aligning with Shi‘i notions of the Ahl al-Bayt’s primordial light.9
7 Nūrī: Metaphysical divine light (Khademi, 2025).
8 Kulayni, M. (1987). Al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 441.
9 Chittick, W. C. (2005). The Sufi Path of Knowledge. SUNY Press.
The Holy Spirit as Spiritual Authority
The Holy Spirit (rūḥ al-quds) in Khademi’s framework is a proximate intellect facilitating intuition in post-material realms, accompanying sublime phenomena like the divine human. Khademi notes, “The Holy Spirit, with its spiritual authority, serves the divine human” (matn2.txt). This is evidenced by Imam Baqir’s hadith: “They were luminous bodies without spirits, supported by the Holy Spirit” (Kulayni, 1987, vol. 1, p. 442). The Holy Spirit’s role as protector and nurturer is unique to the Ahl al-Bayt, surpassing even angelic entities.10
Rumi’s mystical poetry complements this, describing the Holy Spirit as a guide to divine love (Rumi, 2006). In Shi‘i tradition, the Holy Spirit is tied to vicegerency, as seen in Imam Khomeini’s exegesis of prophetic purity (Khomeini, 2003). Unlike Ibn ‘Arabi’s focus on the connected imagination, Khademi integrates the Holy Spirit with the descending arc’s luminous awareness, emphasizing its Shi‘i inflection.11
10 Khomeini, R. (2003). Forty Hadiths. Ansariyan Publications.
11 Rumi, J. (2006). The Masnavi. Oxford University Press.
Theological and Philosophical Implications
Khademi’s framework positions the divine human as a locus of theophany (maẓhar), embodying divine names through love and unity. The all-encompassing intuition (jam‘ al-jam‘) apprehends the Divine Essence in absolute unity, transcending multiplicity. The Qur’anic verse “Wa saqāhum rabbuhum sharāban ṭahūran” (And their Lord gives them a pure drink) (Al-Insan, 76:21, Fouladvand, 2004) underscores this purification, as Imam Sadiq interprets: “God purifies them from all but Himself” (Kulayni, 1987, vol. 8, p. 123).12
Khademi’s rejection of philosophical essentialism, denying archetypes as essences, aligns with Mulla Sadra’s existential unity but emphasizes Shi‘i vicegerency. The divine human’s scientific vision, as in Imam Sadiq’s hadith, encompasses all phenomena: “I know what is in the heavens and earth” (Kulayni, 1987, vol. 1, p. 261). This resonates with Tabatabai’s exegesis of divine knowledge as all-encompassing (Tabatabai, 1996).13
Comparatively, Khademi’s focus on the descending arc contrasts with modern mystical thinkers like Soroush, who prioritize experiential religion (Soroush, 2009). This positions Khademi’s epistemology as a bridge between classical mysticism and contemporary philosophy, offering a Shi‘i perspective on metaphysical awareness.14
12 Jam‘ al-jam‘: All-encompassing intuition (Nasr, 1993).
13 Tabarsi, F. (1993). Majma‘ al-Bayan. Dar al-Ma‘rifah.
14 Soroush, A. (2009). The Expansion of Prophetic Experience. Brill.
Conclusion
Khademi’s epistemology of scientific archetypes and luminous awareness illuminates the descending arc’s primacy, offering a nuanced contribution to Islamic mysticism. By integrating Shi‘i hadiths, Qur’anic exegesis, and comparative insights, his framework underscores the divine human’s role as a mediator of divine truth. The emphasis on the descending arc and the Holy Spirit distinguishes Khademi from Ibn ‘Arabi and Mulla Sadra, while his Iranian-Islamic perspective enriches global mystical discourse. Future research could explore comparisons with modern philosophers like Soroush or Western mystics, affirming the relevance of Khademi’s thought in addressing metaphysical questions of awareness and unity.15
15 Motahhari, M. (2002). Divine Justice. Sadra Publications.
References
Avicenna. (2005). The Canon of Medicine (L. Bakhtiar, Ed.). Kazi Publications.
Chittick, W. C. (2005). The Sufi Path of Knowledge. SUNY Press.
Corbin, H. (1998). Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn ‘Arabi. Princeton University Press.
Fouladvand, M. M. (2004). The Qur’an. Dar al-Qur’an al-Karim.
Ghazali, A. H. (2002). The Revival of the Religious Sciences. Dar al-Kotob al-Ilmiyah.
Ibn ‘Arabi, M. (2004). The Bezels of Wisdom (R. W. J. Austin, Trans.). Paulist Press.
Izutsu, T. (1984). Sufism and Taoism. University of California Press.
Khademi, S. (2025). Awareness and the Divine Human (Unpublished translation). https://sadeghkhademi.ir/chapter018/
Khomeini, R. (2003). Forty Hadiths. Ansariyan Publications.
Kulayni, M. (1987). Al-Kafi (Vols. 1-8). Dar al-Saqi.
Majlisi, M. B. (1983). Bihar al-Anwar (Vols. 1-110). Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi.
Motahhari, M. (2002). Divine Justice. Sadra Publications.
Mulla Sadra. (2008). The Elixir of the Gnostics (W. C. Chittick, Trans.). Brigham Young University Press.
Nasr, S. H. (1993). An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines. SUNY Press.
Rumi, J. (2006). The Masnavi. Oxford University Press.
Schimmel, A. (1975). Mystical Dimensions of Islam. University of North Carolina Press.
Soroush, A. (2009). The Expansion of Prophetic Experience. Brill.
Tabatabai, M. H. (1996). Tafsir al-Mizan. World Organization for Islamic Services.
Tabarsi, F. (1993). Majma‘ al-Bayan. Dar al-Ma‘rifah.
