Care of the Heart
The Religion and Thought Service of the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) reports that the book «Existential Phenomenology of the Heart in the Tradition of Islamic Mysticism (A Theory of the Heart-Based Spiritual Human)», authored by Abdullah Salavati, was published this autumn by the Astan Quds Razavi Islamic Research Foundation.
Phenomenology initially took shape within philosophical systems, but it has now transformed into an effective tool for describing and explaining human experiences in various fields. Today, phenomenology has found its way into diverse areas of knowledge, including basic sciences, psychology, and even physics.
Edmund Husserl, the founder of phenomenology, believed one should return to phenomena. However, in this book, the author reversed this path with the slogan “Phenomena must return to us.” This conceptual shift emphasizes the active role of the ‘human of the heart’ in confronting truth.
While God and theology have no place in conventional phenomenological systems, in this book, “the Infinite” is introduced as the guide for phenomenology, realized through the perfect human. This approach elevates phenomenology from a purely human horizon to a divine and mystical one.
In this work, a new theory titled “Human of the Heart” is proposed, according to which humans are not merely beings with a heart, but are the heart itself.
While in philosophical tradition, intellect (Aql) is recognized as the leader of faculties, in this theory, the heart holds the position of leader, and intellect, imagination, and other faculties are considered aspects and agents of the heart.
In this approach, unlike philosophy which relies on a limited and framed intellect, the heart, due to its transformative and free nature, is the most suitable guide for phenomenology, as it accepts no confinement and is always in motion and change.
The general table of contents of the book is as follows:
- First Section: The Heart in Mystical Tradition
- Second Section: Phenomenology
- Third Section: Existential Phenomenology of the Heart
- Fourth Section: The Theory of the Heart-Based Spiritual Human
In this book, with reference to our mystical heritage, the categories of the heart, components of the heart, and the steps of phenomenology—from wonder and epoché to reduction and analysis—were inferred and described, and finally, skills for caring for the heart were presented.
The book “Existential Phenomenology of the Heart in the Tradition of Islamic Mysticism” aims to present the theory of the heart-based spiritual human, in which the heart, instead of the intellect, takes the helm of affairs, and intellect, imagination, and other human faculties are considered agents of the heart.
In this work, a different framework of phenomenology is outlined, in which the heart, not the intellect, with existence as its focus, not awareness, and guided by the Infinite and aided by the perfect human, undertakes the description of phenomena.
In the present book, with reference to our mystical heritage, the components, categories, stages, and phenomenological analyses of the heart have been inferred and described, and skills for caring for the heart have been provided.
The book «Existential Phenomenology of the Heart in the Tradition of Islamic Mysticism» can be beneficial for researchers in the fields of philosophy, mysticism, and theology, as well as for those who wish to have a fresh and profound view of the world, humanity, and religious truth.
