A Comparative Study of Henri Corbin’s and Allameh Tabataba’i’s Views on the Perfect Human and the Imam of the Age (May God Hasten His Reappearance)

The present study aims to elucidate and analyze the causal differences between the perspectives of Henri Corbin, the French philosopher, and Allameh Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba’i at three interrelated levels: ontology, epistemology, and teleology. From an ontological perspective, Corbin understands the Imam as a manifestation of a luminous reality within the imaginal realm (ʿālam al-mithāl), transcending ordinary historical temporality. Allameh Tabataba’i, by contrast, particularly in al-Mīzān fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān, conceives of the Imam as an ontological reality and a manifestation of divine grace operating across the levels of being and throughout history. At the epistemological level, Corbin regards knowledge of the Imam as primarily intuitive and esoteric, whereas Allameh Tabataba’i, in al-Mīzān, understands such knowledge as involving an interplay of reason, transmitted revelation, and spiritual vision. From a teleological perspective, Corbin emphasizes the spiritual continuity of the Imam during the occultation and maintains that the Imam remains inwardly and esoterically present in the world. Allameh Tabataba’i, however, understands the Imam as an indispensable source of both ontological and legislative guidance in every age. Furthermore, in al-Mīzān, Allameh Tabataba’i, in contrast to approaches that are predominantly esoteric—such as Corbin’s tendency to locate the Imam primarily within the imaginal realm—emphasizes the inseparable relationship between the unseen (ghayb) and the visible (shahādah) realms. From the perspective of al-Mīzān, the Imam constitutes the link between the sacred realm and the human world and serves as a guarantor of the continuity of revealed law and practical guidance within society and history. Taken as a whole, these differences reveal two distinct approaches to the relationship between the human being and the sacred, as well as to the manner in which the sacred becomes manifest within the human world. These differing approaches have significant implications for the interpretation of religious and philosophical traditions. The present study collects its data through library-based research and analyzes them using a descriptive-analytical method. Future research may further examine each of the constituent components identified within the two perspectives in greater conceptual and comparative depth.

کلیدواژه ها:

mystical ontology ، Esoteric Epistemology ، Ontological Imamate ، Qur&rsquo ، anic hermeneutics ، Legislative Authority (Wilāyah Tashrīʿiyyah)