It may be that one day the cause for the extraordinary...

It may be that one day the cause for the extraordinary perceptive powers of some people will become clear. " ( 1 ) The human spirit thus has means of communicating with the external world that lie beyond sensory and rational perception and through the appropriate researches scholars have come to accept that communication with the world of the unseen is not only possible for man but a reality.

In just the same way that experience shows it to be possible to make contact with the external world in a dream and even to gain information concerning it there is nothing to prevent our inner spiritual faculties providing us with similar experiences while we are awake. This is an aperture that God has opened for His servants permitting them to glimpse certain hidden mysteries and truths.

Given the fact that such a gift is bestowed on ordinary people what is to prevent perfect human beings such as the prophets and the friends of God who possess exalted qualities and attributes from communicating with the world of the unseen and learning hidden truths on a higher level and in a more extensive fashion than others thanks to the depth of their devotion and inward purity?

One of the sources of the knowledge of the Imams is the ( 215 ) inspiration that is bestowed on them by God's order; through communication with the world of the unseen truths and realities become disclosed to them. There are numerous traditions bearing on this confirming that persons chosen by God can indeed establish communication with the unseen and come to perceive a whole series of complex mysteries.

The inspiration that comes to the Imams initiating them into certain hidden concerns is different from revelation because the one who receives inspiration does not see the angel of revelation. However the truths that are bestowed on the Imams help them greatly in expanding the scope of their vision and augmenting their cognitive abilities.

It needs to be added of course that the communication of the Imams with the world of the unseen is not unbounded resulting in a complete awareness of all things unseen or independent of God's infinite power; their relationship is with a specific zone or region of the unseen within boundaries set by God Himself. Given the inherent limitation of their knowledge and their dependence for it on divine power they cannot attain that which is absolutely unknowable to all except God.