A Comparative Study of Self-knowledge and Self-awareness From the Perspective of Ibn Al- Arabi and Jung

Subject Areas : Islamic Mysticism

Fatemeh Mahmudi ¹ , Hadi Vakili ² , Mohammadtaghi Fa’aali ³

1 - دانشجوی دکتری عرفان اسلامی، واحد علوم و تحقیقات، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، تهران، ایران.
2 - A member of Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies
3 - دانشیار گروه عرفان اسلامی، واحد علوم و تحقیقات، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، تهران، ایران.

Received: 2022-01-30 Accepted : 2022-04-06 Published : 2023-09-23

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Abstract :

The issue of self-knowledge has a special place in the humanities, especially mysticism and psychology. The conventional interpretation of knowledge of self in mysticism is self-knowledge, and in psychology, especially analytical psychology, is self-awareness. It seems that, the apparent differences between the two terms, the two concepts can be examined from a comparative perspective. In this paper Ibn al-Arabi is selected as representing Islamic mysticism and Jung as representing analytical psychology. Ibn al-Arabi uses concepts such as the cultivation of the self, contemplation and thought for self-knowledge, and Jung examines self-awareness through research in the unconscious, the analysis of dreams and meditation. These two perspectives are similar in some ways, such as the recognition of the self as well as the recognition of the self and the possibility of self-knowledge through inner consciousness. At the same time, Jung regards the analysis of dreams as one of the ways of self-awareness, but unlike Ibn al-Arabi for self-knowledge of self-cultivation, cognizability and uncognizability are possible. In sum, Ibn al-Arabi's mystical tradition has come close to contemporary psychological perspectives on his understanding. This article is based on library studies and comparative method.