Investigating the Different Meanings of Extrovertive Journey and its Achievements in Perspective of Muslim Mystics

According to the verse «We will show our signs to them in the horizons of the external world and within themselves, until it becomes clear to them that it's the truth», journey in Islamic mysticism is divided into extrovertive and introvertive journey. Extrovertive journey is a journey in which the traveler and the seeker explore the external world far beyond human soul. The opposite of the outward journey is inner journey in which the seeker explores his own soul. Since all stages of the travel are realized in the soul of the seeker, not out of it, this travel is interpreted as introvertive travel. For some mystics, extrovertive journey takes precedence over introvertive journey because of pre-existence of the world and also due to the detailed advent of the Holy Quran in the world level. Although at first glance, the concept extrovertive journey in mystical texts means travelling in different cities and areas, it seems that closer and deeper meanings can be offered for it. In this paper, we point out to the common sense of extrovertive journey and its achievements in spiritual track. Then, based on the ontological foundations of Islamic mysticism, and also according to the deeper meanings that the verse refers to, it is attempted to offer another level for extrovertive journey in Islamic mysticism. These levels that include "travelling in the longitudinal levels of the world" and "the perfect man's travelling in different levels of the world" are various ends and achievements of the first level.