all of the major branches of islamic mysticism, ‘irfān, refer to imam ‘ali (‘a) as a major source for their teachings and practices. hence, we begin with a review of how the mystics viewed imam ‘ali (‘a). after this we consider some controversies about the nature of ‘irfān and its relationship to sufism, for the terms have been used in different ways. then we turn to the sources on the basis of...