Knowledge by Presence (علم حضوری), Qom, Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute, 1996.
The book’s subtitle is “The Cornerstone of Human Knowledge and a Foundation for Epistemology and Transcendent Metaphysics.” This book analyzes ʿilm ḥuḍūrī (immediate and non-conceptual knowledge) as the foundation of all human cognition. This type of knowledge is a priori and non-inferential, and it serves as the basis for acquired knowledge (concept-based cognition). The idea is rooted in Islamic philosophy, particularly the views of philosophers such as Suhravardī and Mullā Ṣadrā.
Modern epistemological approaches that rely solely on empiricism are critiqued in this book. In some sections, it compares perspectives in Islamic philosophy with Western philosophical schools.
In the concluding chapters, the book examines the link between intuitive knowledge and metaphysics. It concludes that true understanding of the nature of existence is only possible through a synthesis of philosophical rationality and mystical intuition—this synthesis paves the way for a deeper and more comprehensive form of knowledge.
The book is in the field of epistemology and metaphysics, published in octavo format. It is structured into ten chapters discussing the following topics: Knowledge and its types, Types of intuitive knowledge, Self-awareness, Knowledge of others, Differences between acquired and intuitive knowledge, The starting point of cognition, The emergence and development of concepts, Primary propositions, General properties of being, Types of existence, causality and necessity.