Hojviri's Epistemological Viewpoints in Kashf al-Mahjub on Monotheism and Divine Vision

Hojviri wrote his book Kashf al-Mahjub under the influence of sectarian and social developments and challenges in society and on the basis of his intellectual and religious backgrounds. Following an epistemological approach this article attempts to discuss his views on monotheism and some related issues, such as divine essence, attributes and vision. Moreover, epistemological analysis of Hojviri’s views on monotheism besides showing his opinion on the different levels of monotheism reveals his views on the on the effect of human knowledge on monotheism. It is also understood that he believes in the subsistence of the essence and he ascribes changing to attributes. In his opinion attributes are not self-dependent; as a result he believes that the attributes of God are dependent on His essence, both being ancient. This article not only shows that there is an epistemological relationship between monotheism and divine vision, it also explains that in the viewpoint of Hojviri the high level of vision leads to faith and divine unity.