Relation between Spiritual Journey and Intuition in Rumi's Mysticism

If we consider spiritual journey(Solouk) as a set of life practices against the epistemological content of intuition (Shohoud), which is used to explain the system of existence and knowledge of the truth, then we can talk about the relationship between these two in the mysticism of great mystics such as Rumi. In this article, via adopting interpretive method, we have tried to show the way mystical characteristics of a mystic like Rumi are in accordance with his intuitive epistemological characteristics. Accordingly, we have studied various dimensions of this relationship with regard to two areas: first, the truth of intuition and second, the epistemological quality of intuition. In Rumi's mysticism, purifying the soul with practices such as devotional worship, in form of prayer and remembrance (Zekr), and following the Divine Law (Shari'a) are considered vitally important. In addition to these matters, according to the spiritual statuses of different ranks of individuals, the quality of intuition enjoys different degrees too. This claim can be supported in Rumi's mysticism by mentioning the characteristics of his mystic manners and intuition and revealing their correspondence and appropriateness. For example, in Rumi's mysticism, the piety and purity of the seeker of the path of God (Salek) is essential for connecting with the divine source of intuition, and eventually leads to the truth of intuition. Regarding the epistemological quality of intuition, the most important examples are the congruence between Rumi's rejection of permanent and essential correlation between cause and effect; his disregard for established customs and traditions; plus his non-adherence to Sufi formalism in conduct and his intuitive view that the universe is not bound by fixed and necessary causes. Another example is the correspondence between a lover’s romantic spiritual journey and the divine intuition along with the romantic will in the universe, to which Rumi has paid much attention. In fact, describing the main features of Rumi's spiritual journey and intuition and putting them in relation to each other, as an interrelated whole, would depict the congruity between them.