This book is about “Mysticism”(erfan) and in Arabic. Its author, “Seyyed Rokn Al-din Heydar Hosseini Amoli, is the Shiite Gnostic and commentator of eight century A.H.
This book containing the mysteries of prophets and “Holy people” (those close to God) and its main aim is to explain the “Tawhid”(oneness of God). The author tried to show that reality of “shiism” (Tashayo) and Sufism (Tasavof) is one reality. According to the author’s word, using of this book depending on full attention, mind purity, purity of belief and complete submission or it can be use by the helping of perfect “Gnostic” (Äref). The author’s motive has been responding to the group of his religion, righteous (saleh) and wayfarer(salek) brothers’ request, so he decide to do the following:

1-To write a comprehensive book about prophets and holy people(those who close to God) mysteries, Tawhid (Oneness of God)mysteries and its kinds, the facts and secretes of Tawhid(Oneness of God).

2- To evaluate the principles, branches, uncertainties and sophistries (moghaleteh) of that mysteries, according to the rule of monotheist(believers in one God), “folk of Allah”(ahle Allah) researchers and sufis that to be agreeable with the principles and rules of “Twelver shiism religion” (mazäheb davazdah imami).

3-To end the viewpoints differences between mysticism(Sufiyeh) and shiism, so that for reconciling their difference, no need to refer to another book.

Author’s brief biography:
Bahä Aldin Seyyed Heydar Ibn Ali Ibn Heydar (Obeydi Hosseini Amoli) famous to “sufi” is the commentator and shiism, well-known Gnostic of eighth century A.H., jurisconsult, scholar and grandchildren of mazandaran Alaviys that his family were famous for shiism. He studied from childhood then for profiting by more knowledge, left his birthplace “Amol”. He went to Astaräbad, khuräsan and Isfehan, in returning from trip, went to Fakhr Al-din Hassan Ibn Keykhosro, the last king of “Äle Bävand” and got his special companion. After awhile, in the yerar of 1334 to 1360 A.D.(734 to 761A.H.) went to king “Ghäzi” court and for a long time stayed with him and his brothers and found high position and saved much wealth. In this time, a great changing caused in his inside then got “reality seeker” (haghighat joo). He left his wealth and family then with the intention of pilgrimage the holy prophet (p.b.u.h ) and infallible imams, left his homeland, awhile stayed in Isfehan then went to hajj with the Sufism great man. In returning, in the cities like “Najaf”, “karbala”, “Baghdad” and “Hele”, at the presence of Masters such as: Nasir Aldin Ali Ibn Mohammad Käshäni(one of shism jurists(foghahä) and “scholastic theologian”(kaläm specialist) and “fakhr Al-mohagheghin Mohammad Ibn Hassan Heli” studied and in 1360A.D.(761A.H) granting permission of Ejtehad from Fakhr Al-mohagheghin. This great man, about 20 years, was a prejudiced (strict) juristconsult and “scholastic theologian” (motekalem), but with his inside changing, put away his prejudice, turned to tolerate and linked the mysticsm and shiism, count shiism “infallible imams” as Gnostic and who have “endowed with mystic knowledge”(sähebe marefate kashfi). He has several useful writings that this book is the most important of them. And its writing had finished in the time of his old age in “Holy Najaf”.

The other names of book:
This book has been called Jam Al-anvär, Majma Al-ansär, Manba-e Al-anvär and Jame Al-ansär.

The brief structure of book:
The book of Jame Al-asrar has 3 part(asl) and each of them consist of 4 chapter(ghavä-ed).

Part one: about Tawhid(Oneness of God) and its kinds. [This part is the biggest part]. Its 4 chapters consist of:
1= explaining the “Tawhid”(Oneness of God) virtue
2= Tawhid(Oneness of God) definition
3= Tawhid(Oneness of God) devision
4= Tawhid(Oneness of God) description.

Part two: analysis of Tawhid(Oneness of God) (with relying on quran verses, prophet Hadiths (traditions), fourteen infallible ones(14 masum) traditions and mysticism great-men words. Its 4 chapters consist of:
1= God’s words
2= prophets words
3= words of the “holy people” (those close to God)
4= mysticism great-man words.

Part three: about results and consequences of “Divine Law”(shari-at haye elahi) secrets. All chapters of this third part, are on three fundamental concept of Shiite mysticism.
Chapter one: “Divine Law”(shariat) explanation, “spiritual way” (Tarighat), “reality”(haghighat).
Chapter two: prophecy secrets, mission and “spiritual ministry” (veläyat) that itself consisting of 2 subjects (discussion).
Chapter three: the subjet of revelation, inspiration and mystic experience (kashf). The difference between “acquired sciences” and hereditary sciences (oolume ersi) and the quality of learning the formal sciences and “real sciences”(oolume haghighi). Chapter 4: in explaining of islam, faith and certainty. In this book, the author in several cases without any changing, has related the viewpoint of others and then has criticized and studied them.

The feature of book:
One of the features of this book is the diversity in methods, so that, the author has talked about verses, traditions, intellectual reasons, intuitive gifts (mavahebe shuhudi), his and others “mystical disclosure” (mokashefe). He sometimes for proofing subjects such as imams infallibility (sinlessness) has used theological subjects. Some innovations of author (seyyed Heydar) in this book, is about: referring “the presence of quintuple” (hazarate khams) to “presence of trinity”(hazarate saläth), presenting the pantheism in the form of “Oneness of being”(Tawhid wujudi), posing Gnostic issues in the quite Shiites atmosphere and framework, in other words, the emphasis is on presenting the shiism Gnostic mood. He emphasized on world trinity(in general) and tried to present the trinity of Gnostic matters(subjects). The most fundamental subject of book is “real Shiites are real sufis, and real sufis are Shiites”.

Jame Al-asrä from the viewpoint of authorities:
The great philosophers and Gnostics such as: Sheikh Bahäi, Ghotb Al-din Tabrizi(deceased in 1760 A.D (1173) were familiar with this book and know its author is seyyed(Amoli), the great Gnostic who believe to pantheism.

The book printing and pulishing:
several manuscripts of Jame Al-asrar are available from the different times. It shows that the book had been knowned by intellectuals and researchers. This book by the correction of “Osmän Ismail Yahya” and “Henry Corbin” and with the introduction by both of them, along with bibliography of seyyed Heydar Amoli’s works, that “Osmän Yahyä” arranged it, printed in the 1968A.D. (1347 solar year) and reprinted in the 1989A.D.(1368 solar year).