Transcendent Philosophy 1, 1-36 © London Academy of Iranian Studies Theoretical Gnosis and Doctrinal Sufism and Their Significance Today Seyyed Hossein Nasr George Washington University Abstract This essay examines the meaning, role and structure of that supreme science of the Real which came to be known as al-tasawwuf al-'ilmi or 'irfan-i nazari in Islamic civilization. It then turns to the history of this science beginning with Ibn 'Arabi and his immediate circle and then considers each region of the Islamic world separately from Morocco to the Malay world. Special attention is paid to the great masters of 'irfan-i nazari in Persia from the earliest teachers to those of the present day. The relation of this science to philosophy, kalam, and other intellectual disciplines is discussed and its spiritual significance is studied in itself and in its relation to the operative and practical aspects of Sufism. At the end of the essay a section is devoted to the significance of 'irfan today and its role in providing solutions for some of the most important intellectual and spiritual issues facing the contemporary Islam world. Introduction There is a body of knowledge in the Islamic tradition which, while highly intellectual in the original sense of this term, is neither theology (kalƗm) nor philosophy (falsafah) while dealing with many subjects of their concern although from another perspective. This body of knowledge is called doctrinal Sufism, al-tas} awwuf al-‘ilmī in Arabic, to be contrasted to practical Sufism, al-tas} awwuf al-‘amalī, or theoretical (and sometimes speculative) gnosis (this term being understood in its original and not sectarian sense), especially in the