Batin (Islam)
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Batin (Arabic: باطن) literally means 'inner', 'inward', 'hidden', etc. The Quran, for instance, has a hidden meaning in contrast to its exterior or apparent meaning (the Zahir). Sufis believe that likewise, every individual has a batin which is the world of souls. This is the inward self of the individual which when cleansed with the light of one's spiritual guide, elevates a person spiritually.[1][2] This notion is connected to Allah's attribute of Al-Batin i.e. the Hidden One who cannot be seen but exists in every realm.
Muslim groups believe that the bāṭen[3] can only be fully understood and interpreted by a figure with esoteric knowledge, who for Shia Muslims is the Imam of the Time.
In a wider sense, bāṭen[3] can refer to the inner meaning or reality behind all existence, the ẓāher[3] being the world of form and apparent meaning. It may also.
See also
- Sufism
- Esotericism
- Esoteric interpretation of the Quran
- Batiniyya
- Alevism
- Bektashi Order, another group focusing just like Alevis on Batin and Zahir[4]
- Ismailism
- Nizari
- Alawites
- Qarmatians
References
- ^ Daftary, Farhad (2000). Intellectual traditions in Islam New York: St. Martins Press. ISBN 186064760X . page 90.
- ^ Gleave, Robert (2011). Islam and literalism: Literal meaning and interpretation in Islamic legal theory. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0748631135. Page 64.
- ^ a b c Radtke, B. "BĀṬEN". Encyclopedia Iranica. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- ^ http://bektashiorder.com/love-of-the-prophets-family
External links
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