Life of Gnosis: A Mystical Study of Imam Ali's ('a) Life

A seminal work on the nature of the mystical tradition is Islam – referred to as gnosticism here – the book in hand vividly illustrates the limitations of rational methods in apprehending reality as such. By exposing the vulnerability of all mediate forms of knowledge to error, the author underlines the supremacy of the immediate methods of direct vision and spiritual enlightenment. He then examines the life of Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (‘a), the spiritual authority par excellence after Prophet Muhammad (s), and shows how it was thoroughly imbued with gnosis – both in perspective as well as in practice.