Singh, D: Wilayat and the Bayan

Prophecy in Islam is the authoritative mode of revelation and prophets are the messengers of that revelation. As islam grew, parts of the community felt the need for continuing guidance. This led to the various forms of knowledge-seeking. Mystics (Sufis and Saints) in Islam emphasised the role of the ‘‘heart‘‘ as the faculty where imagination (khayal) directly reflects the knowledge of/from God. Mystics express this knowledge through the revelatory Discourse (Bayan). Mystics see themselves as being part of mainstream Islam and hence the central problem they deal with in relation to Bayan is the authority of their discourse. This book examines this problem in a Mystical tradition of Islam and shows how based on this tradition‘‘s classical sources the support for the authority of the Bayan is provided at three fundamental levels: in relation to the Qur‘‘an, in relation to the Prophets and Prophecy and in relation to God. The book shows the powerful role played by Imagination in religious discourses in Islamic Mysticism.