The Garden of Esoteric Truths
Part 2
Unlike the legal or historical focuses of classical commentators like al-Tabari or Ibn Kathir, al-Kashani’s work is rooted in the ‘irfan (gnosis) of Ibn ‘Arabi’s school. He operates on the principle that the Quran has an outer shell (zahir) and an inner kernel (batin). typically covers the middle section of the Quran—often from Surah Hud (or al-Isra) through Surah al-Mulk—where narratives of the prophets and eschatological descriptions are decoded as symbols of the soul’s states.
- Beginning mid-Juz’ 1 to early Juz’ 3: While Part 1 often covers Surah al-Fatiha and the beginning of Surah al-Baqarah, Part 2 dives into the heart of Surah al-Baqarah (The Cow). This includes the famous Ayat al-Kursi (Verse of the Throne) and the narratives of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham).
- Surah Al ‘Imran (Family of Imran): Al-Kashani’s esoteric reading of the theological debates with Christians and Jews.
- Surah An-Nisa (The Women): A surprisingly mystical take on social laws, inheritance, and justice. Al-Kashani views these legal verses as metaphors for the soul's relationship with divine attributes.
- Surah Al-Ma’idah (The Table Spread): The spiritual station of completion (ikmal al-din).
details his influence as a Sufi author and his relationship with the teachings of Ibn ʿArabī. Editor's Introduction to Kāshānī
In Part 2, readers will notice Kashani’s distinct "Safi" (Pure) style. He avoids the lengthy grammatical debates found in Tafsir al-Baydawi or the purely philosophical abstractions of other scholars. Instead, he focuses on:
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Part 2 of "Tafsir al-Kashani" covers Surahs 2-4 of the Quran: