The Epistemological Analysis of the Spiritual Feats of Sheikh Ahmad-e Jam “The Colossal Elephant” (Zhandeh Pil)

The concept of episteme and the means of achieving it in Sufi texts and writings have always been among the important thinking priorities of Sufi writers and luminaries. Furthermore, the issue of supernatural wonders or miraculous acts performed by Sufi spiritual masters (Karāmāt) is regarded as one of the most evident aspects of their manners and has come to be known as a true test and criterion for assessing the spiritual status of the saintly people. This research aims to answer these two questions: What is knowledge/episteme in Sheikh-e Jam’s view? And what is the connection between Sheikh Ahmad-e Jam's distinguishing supernatural wonders, i.e. transformation of the essence (qalb-e jowhar), and the definition of epistemology in his school of thought? To that aim, first, the status and definition of epistemology in the texts of Sufism are examined and then, the definition of the same concept in Sheikh-e Jam's writings and the features of knowledge and episteme in his works are explicated. Based on his writings, we can safely assume that Sheikh-e Jam thinks of knowledge as the elixir (as in alchemy) which leads to the transformation of the mystic's nature; he is also of the belief that achieving this knowledge coincides with gaining a special power to interfere with the essence of the objects. Then, the significance of the “transformation of the essence” in Sheikh-e Jam's writings and its connection with the doctrines of Karamiyya Islamic sect will be investigated. After these three introductions, the connection between the miraculous acts of Sheikh-e Jam and his specific epistemological stance will be illuminated. In view of that, the logic of narrating such spiritual feats will make sense in the field of contrastive discourse, beyond that of forgery and fabrication.