Beyond Reason: The Certitude of the Mystics from Al-Hallaj to

This article examines the teachings of several Christian and Sufi mystics on the position of reason in the spiritual life, from Al-Hallaj (d. 922) to David R. Hawkins (b. 1927). In the plethora of “maps,” “stages,” and “ladders” discussed by mystics, the level of reason is highly regarded as a “rung” of spiritual attainment. However, reason alone is not enough to transport the soul to the most intimate spiritual realms. Love, which emanates from the heart, is the more powerful opener to the Beloved, Reality, or God. The article focuses on the difference between thinking about God or Reality through conceptual reason versus realizing God or Reality as an experiential certitude, as one is dissolved into, or united with, God/ Reality. Such realized beings offer a beneficial impact on the world through the phenomenon of “silent transmission.”