A Comparative Study of Mystical Hermeneutics and the Correspondence of the Threefold Realms in the Thought of Sayyid Haydar Amuli and Ruhollah Khomeini

Abstract

Mystical hermeneutics (taʾwīl) constitutes the principal path and foundational bridge that enables one to move beyond the outward shell of religious ordinances (Sharīʿa) and attain the inner essence and profound reality of the Qur’an. This issue occupies a highly central and vital position in the history of Islamic thought, particularly within the tradition of Shiʿi mysticism. Employing a descriptive-analytical method with a comparative approach, the present study seeks to examine the foundations and methodology of hermeneutics within the intellectual systems of two prominent figures of Shiʿi mysticism, namely Sayyid Haydar Amuli and Ruhollah Khomeini. The principal issue of the research is that, despite the shared ontological foundations of both thinkers in the school of Ibn Arabi—such as the unity of being, the hierarchical nature of divine speech, and the necessity of unveiling esoteric truths—their practical approaches to hermeneutics and the manner in which they establish the correspondence among the threefold realms reveal subtle yet fundamental differences. The findings of the study demonstrate that Sayyid Haydar Amuli, in interpreting Qur’anic verses, relies upon a tripartite systematic structure—ontological, anthropological, and textual—and tends toward flowing hermeneutics (taʾwīl-i jārī) and the detailed correspondence of verses with the cosmic and inward levels of existence (the macrocosm and the microcosm). He regards hermeneutics as equivalent to the systematic correspondence among these realms. In contrast, although Ruhollah Khomeini is rooted in the same mystical tradition, in the domain of mystical linguistics he is profoundly influenced by the Transcendent Philosophy of Mulla Sadra. By accepting and expanding the theory of the designation of words for the spirits of meanings, he establishes the axis of hermeneutics upon vertical interpretation and inward spiritual journeying. Within this perspective, the principal condition for attaining the hidden truths of the text is the expansion of the seeker’s existential capacity, transcendence of epistemological veils—such as scholarly self-conceit and dogmatic rigidity—and the inseparable connection between Sharīʿa and Truth (Ḥaqīqa). The novelty of the present study lies in explicating this methodological transformation. The results indicate that although Sayyid Haydar Amuli connects hermeneutics with traversing the seven inner subtleties (a mode of correspondential spiritual wayfaring), the innovation of the school of Ruhollah Khomeini consists in integrating theoretical mysticism with the foundations of Transcendent Philosophy—particularly the principle of the designation of words for the spirits of meanings—thereby elevating this process from a mere discovery of correspondence among realms into a profoundly spiritual-therapeutic and pathological process, as well as an instrument for removing epistemic veils.