Knowledge in Islamic Mysticism and Gnosticism

Gnosticism is in fact a mystical movement that includes different religions such as Manichaeism, Mandaeism and Christianity. Gnostics had a dualistic view and they considered the material world as the creation of an evil force. Their main doctrine is that the human soul is trapped in this world and the path of his salvation is passing through achievement of gnosis or the saving Knowledge, which brings to the mankind by divine messengers and holy saviors. This knowledge is acquired through the heart not the mind. Such an idea is considered as one of the most basic principles in Islamic mysticism, so there are remarkable similarities between gnostic and the Sufi epistemological standpoints. This becomes more obvious when we consider the meaning of the two words, gnosis and „rfān, both of which mean “knowledge”.