A Typology of Social Mysticism with an Emphasis on the Perspective of Imam Khumayni

The production of Islamic human sciences is tied to a reinterpretation of the intellectual inheritance of Islam and the recognition of the great potential that such an endeavour holds. Islamic mysticism (ʿirfān), with its rich history and outstanding figures, is an important part of this inheritance. The event of the Islamic Revolution in Iran at the hands of the people and under the leadership of Imam Khumanyni (r), and the crucial role that mysticism played in it, makes a more profound treatment of this science all the more necessary. The article in hand compares the positions and practices of great mystics and attempts to derive from this a typology of mystical schools of thought and their relation with social issues. In so doing the study expounds on the different levels of activity of the mystics, such as, reclusive mysticism, personal mysticism with social applications, and personal mysticism with social wayfaring. It continues by presenting a new definition of social mysticism using the words of Imam Khumayni (r) and his great teacher and delineating some of the particularities of this mystical school of thought