The Analysis and Exploration of the Hadith " One who Knows his Self will Know the God" in Mystical Texts

In each moment that human has tête-a-tête with the Self and tries to know its hidden and mysterious aspects, he finds it very complicated and deep to the extent that its various aspects are still unknown and unraveled despite different studies on it in variegated fields. The necessity of this kind of knowledge which has been emphasized by the prophets and saints, and has a close relationship with the worldview of the human and knowledge of the existence and God, urges man to explore the deep dimensions of his existence by contemplating on unknown layers of existence, and consider this kind of knowledge prior to other kinds of knowledge. This kind of knowledge is so important that, in the view of some great philosophers and mystics, anyone who understands the true meaning of the hadith “one who knows his Self will know the God” can understand all philosophical, theological and mystical issues and truths.
Since most mystical works and writings have been written on the basis of knowledge of God and the worldview of the human, the abovementioned hadith has been frequently referred to and interpreted and commented upon as a valuable reference to the extent that it has been regarded amongst the most necessary issues in such works. In most cases, the use of allegories and tales have made this such an issue more tangible and concrete, and facilitated the understanding of its difficulties. While investigating the evidence and exploring the constituents of this hadith with mystical approach, this paper aims to offer an analysis of the relative concepts such as the interrelationship of the knowledge of the Self and God, possibility and impossibility of such knowledge and the type of this knowledge (acquired or by-heart) and, then, by presenting some examples from mystical texts, it tries to discuss the concepts related to this kind of knowledge like definition, premises and results of the knowledge of the Self and God, and classify them on the basis of their similarities and differences.