Mystical Hermeneutics and Moral Education from the Perspective of Imam Khomeini: From the Discovery of the Inner Meaning of the Qur’an to Practical Spiritual Wayfaring

Abstract

Mystical hermeneutics within the tradition of Islamic thought is a process through which the spiritual wayfarer advances from the outward form of words to their inner truth, whereby knowledge is elevated to the level of direct witnessing (shuhūd) and moral embodiment (takhalluq). In the thought of Imam Khomeini (1981/2002), this process is neither a mere exegetical technique nor simply an epistemological reflection; rather, it constitutes a socio-ethical structure grounded in existential wayfaring, in which the understanding of the Qur’an is intrinsically interwoven with self-purification and inner moral education. The objective of the present study is to explicate the role of mystical hermeneutics within Imam Khomeini’s intellectual framework and to examine its impact on the formation of moral education and the existential transformation of the monotheistic human being. This qualitative study, through a systematic reexamination of Imam Khomeini’s epistemological and spiritual foundations, demonstrates that the hermeneutical movement in his thought begins with purification of the heart, spiritual vigilance (murāqabah), conscious presence (ḥuḍūr al-qalb), inner struggle (mujāhadah al-nafs), and unwavering commitment to the Sacred Law (Sharīʿah). This path ultimately culminates in the reception of the light of truth and the manifestation of divine attributes within the human being. The findings indicate that within Imam Khomeini’s educational system, acts of worship play a strategic role in transforming knowledge into identity: prayer functions as a discipline of servitude and presence; remembrance (dhikr) serves as an instrument for stabilizing monotheistic awareness; intention constitutes the axis of volitional formation; and ritual ablution (wuḍūʾ) represents the preliminary stage of inner purification. This form of hermeneutics is a mode of understanding that leads to spiritual wayfaring, and a form of wayfaring that deepens understanding. Within this framework, the ultimate aim of religious education is not merely the transmission of knowledge, but rather the “formation of the monotheistic human being” and the realization of a Qur’anic mode of life—one who experiences truth not solely at the level of theoretical cognition, but at the level of moral embodiment and faithful conduct.