In broad sense, any feeling, observation or personal comprehension that somehow relates man to the unseen and supernatural worlds and unseen forces dominating man and other creatures of the material world and draws man's attention towards them is called religious experience. In its specific sense, religious experience is a kind of epiphany or manifestation of God to the experiencing individual.
Referring to the emergence of religious experience in the late 18th century, the author puts fore some questions about this issue. Also enumerating various kinds of religious experiences, the author discusses Imam Khomeini's viewpoints about man's divine primordial nature and his love for perfection. The author also criticizes the viewpoint of a contemporary writer who claims that with the passage of time and repetition of revelation, the Prophet became more acquainted with his mission and became more insightful and decisive in carrying out his mission and performing his duties.
Referring to the distinction of revelation from other kinds of religious experiences, the author discusses Imam Khomeini's ideas about the characteristics of revelation. Imam Khomeini maintains that except the Prophet of God and those who were with him in solitary moments or have been inspired by him, no one else is capable of understanding the quality of descending of revelation
Referring to the relations between primordial nature and religious experience, the author writes: man's divine primordial nature is the source of religion and this divine nature is what is today religious experience or the source of religious experience.
Referring to some readings of religion in today's Iran that pits religious experience against the sharia, worship and commitment to the religious principles, he analyzes various interpretations that may be offered for the following phrase: "religious experience is the essence of religion".