AZIZUDDIN NASAFI’S VIEWS ON IRRATIONAL COGNITION

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive philosophical analysis of Azizuddin Nasafi’s views on irrational (intuitive-mystical) cognition, a prominent 13th-century Central Asian Sufi thinker. Amidst the political and spiritual crisis following the Mongol invasion, Nasafi developed an integrative epistemological model defining the boundaries of theoretical reason ('aql) and presenting intuitive-mystical cognition (kashf, shuhud, ilham, and tajalli) as the highest stage of human knowledge. Analyzing his primary treatises-Kitab al-Insan al-Kamil, Zubdat al-Haqaiq, Bayan ut-Tanzil, and Maqsad al-Aqsa-the study demonstrates that Nasafi did not reject rationality; rather, he viewed reason as a necessary preliminary tool for understanding the material world. The paper explores the ontological mechanism of heart purification (tazkiya), the hierarchy of knowledge ('Ilm al-Yaqin, 'Ayn al-Yaqin, and Haqq al-Yaqin), direct divine knowledge ('Ilm al-Ladunni), and the synthesis of Sufi metaphysics with Illuminationist philosophy. Ultimately, Nasafi’s epistemology serves as a harmonious bridge between rational logic and spiritual enlightenment, providing enduring insights into human perfection.