Al-Akbarian Metaphysics in the Context of the Metamodern Episteme: Toward a New Model of the Interaction between Rationality and Mysticism

Abstract

The article offers a conceptual rethinking of al-Akbarian metaphysics as a productive intellectual paradigm, relevant within the context of a metamodern episteme. In traditional interpretations, al-Akbarian thought is primarily viewed as a historical-mystical phenomenon of 15th–16th century Islamic Sufism. However, from a metamodern perspective, its potential can be understood differently as a complex system of cognitive and mystical processes capable of integrating rational and transrational knowledge. The author proposes a model in which al-Akbarian metaphysics functions not merely as a mystical representation of being but as a dynamic framework organizing the interaction of empirical, logical, and hermeneutic levels of cognition. Objective: To uncover al-Akbarian metaphysics as a living, productive framework that combines the rational and the mystical, and to examine its capacity to shape contemporary models of cognition and consciousness within a metamodern episteme. Methods: A synthesis of hermeneutic analysis of classical texts, cognitive approaches to self-observation, embodied-emotional experience, and mystical practice; modeling cognitive processes through a theoretical framework of al-Akbarian metaphysics’ interaction with the metamodern paradigm; comparative analysis of the transformation of key conceptual categories. Results: A conceptual model is proposed in which al-Akbarian metaphysics, viewed through the lens of a metamodern episteme, demonstrates a unique ability to integrate rational, symbolic, and spiritual dimensions, making it a productive intellectual resource for contemporary humanities research. Conclusions: The proposed interpretation presents al-Akbarian metaphysics as an effective intellectual matrix capable of integrating rational and mystical cognition, in contrast to modern or postmodern frameworks where rationality and spirituality are often opposed. The al-Akbarian paradigm demonstrates a unity of knowledge in which analytical, symbolic, and intuitive forms of understanding complement each other, establishing a new methodological foundation for research in the humanities and cognitive sciences.