Epicycle Theory, from Physics to Metaphysics With special Reference to Ibn Arabi and Imam Khomeini's Thoughts

A study of the starting and culmination of the motion of stars is among the subjects studied in different disciplines. The Quran, the book of the Creator of heavens, also discusses the issue in several verses, which have different interpretations. The exegetes of the Quran, relying on the exegesis and narrative principles and fundamentals, have tried to interpret these verses. Astronomers, relying on laws of physics, equipments and telescopes have tried to test their hypotheses. Mystics have tried to contribute their shares in this endeavor through the power of their abstract souls, free from the bondages of time and space, while philosophers have tried to rely on the rational argument in this respect. Among these theories, the Epicycle theory – equal to the theory of cyclic theory of universe in astronomical physics – is one of the interpretative dimensions of the holy Quranic verses, which have been discussed in the traditions and by renowned mystics such as Ibn Arabi and great philosophers such as Mulla Sadra in his transcendental philosophy. Imam Khomeini, the renowned mystic and philosopher of our time, has relied on mystical principles to prove this theory.