Knowledge of Divine Essence from the View point of Shāh Ni'matullāh Wali

Abstract

In Shāh Ni'matullāh Wali‘s view, the cognition of Divine Essence is impossible by perception, imagination and also by intellectual power, yet the knowledge of Divine Essence can be reached by revelation, intuition and vision. The only path to achieve the knowledge of Divine Essence is through Divine Essence itself.  It means the Essence of Divine cannot be perceived by others since there are no others whom can be Divine Gnostic.  By annihilation in Divine, Human being is emancipated from himself and becomes subsistence in God. In this situation, the union of the bounded existence and the Absolute Existence can be revealed to man. The result of this vision is the elimination of the duality between the human and the Essence. Since the human’s essence is united to Divine Essence, the knowledge of Divine Essence is possible. In fact, the Essence of Divine in human being knows the Essence of God and the man only observe this unity and become Divine Gnostic. Therefore, the existence of human remains while the knowledge of Divine Essence is possible.