Ameli Esfahani and Interaction with Esoteric Traditions in â An Introduction to MirÄ t-al-AnwÄ r wa MishkÄ t-al-AsrÄ râ

Abstract

Esoteric meaning of the Qurān has long been investigated by Shia and Sunni researchers. Although encountering some changes, esoteric interpretation of the Qurān has more or less survived among Muslims. Along the history of Imamite interpretation, some interpreters applied narrations of the Prophet's household in order to refer to the esoteric meaning of Qurānic verses. But there are few books containing all these traditions. However, some non-Shia experts argue that “An Introduction to Mirāt-al-Anwār wa Mishkāt-al-Asrār” by Abul Hasan Sharif ‘Ameli Esfahāni (12th century) might be “esoteric interpretation” written by Shia scholars. They consider it a significant reference which signifies Shia’s attention to esoteric meaning. The present article is an introduction to this book and its author, along with an investigation of the aforementioned claim. The results indicate that the author observes both exoteric and esoteric meaning of the Qurān. Instead of being a complete esoteric interpretation of Qurān, This work includes some traditions about the esoteric meaning of some Qurānic verses. As the book is not so renowned among Shia scholars, it couldn’t be their interpretive reference. Meanwhile, this study has revealed that Mirāt-al-Anwār wa Mishkāt-al-Asrār is not an introduction to Tafsir al-Burhān.