In view of the fact that Imam Khomeini, regardless of his distinguished political status, is of legal, philosophical and mystical competence, the study and analysis of his epistemic dimensions esp. the epistemological principle of his thought is of significant importance. It is worth noting that his epistemology should be studied, on the one hand, in the light of Mulla Sadra's philosophy on the basis of which he regards knowledge as equil to existence beyond qualities and devoid of any material aspect. On the other hand and in following Master of illumination Imam Khomeini construes knowledge in terms of light. Although sense and reason provide the grounds for particular objects, they are of little adequecy in comparison with contemplative vision and revelation.
Higher knowledge, therefore, is the one that results from contemplative vision dependent on revelation which is taken not as its rival but as complementary to human faculties of knowledge, removing the shortcoming and weaknesses of human cognition. In order to fulfill His grace and favor to human beings, God reminds them of their unawareness of the greatness of order of reality as well as their heedlessness of higher world to which they belong.
On examination, one can see that Imam Khomeini's epistemological foundation is mystical-illuminationist which can be deduced from the way he looked into such categories as nature of knowledge, reality, levels of knowledge, and sources of human cognitions. This attitude to the domain of knowledge is compatible with other aspects of his philosophical thought in fields of metaphysics, humanology and ontology.
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