Truth and Reality (ḥaqq and ḥaqīqa)

Abstract

This entry investigates the singular Islamic theme of al-ḥaqq and al-ḥaqīqa (truth and reality), with particular attention being given to the mystical tradition of Islam. Since there are numerous meanings underpinning al-ḥaqq, including truth, reality, fact, rightness, established, and necessary, we begin by analysing its semantic field then its usage in the Qur’an and Sunna. The entry will then investigate epistemic theories of truth with reference to the positions held by major Islamic philosophical schools. The main body of the entry, however, dives into the heart of Sufism by focusing on the path to God through the divine name al-Ḥaqq and the nature, knowledge, manifestation, and station of reality (maqām al-ḥaqīqa). Of this tradition, both the practical and theoretical dimensions will be considered as articulated in ʿAbdullāh Anṣārī’s manual of spiritual wayfaring and the key teachings of Ibn ʿArabī through a discussion of prophetic archetypes.

Keywords

• islamic philosophy
• sufism
• divine names
• metaphysics
• mysticism
• rights
• epistemology