Ibn Arabi: Listen, O dearly beloved!
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Photo: A Russian customer buying carpets from a Persian merchant in the old bazaar, 1900s.
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Listen, O dearly beloved!
I am the reality of the world, the centre of the circumference,
I am the parts and the whole.
I am the will established between Heaven and Earth,
I have created perception in you only in order to be the
object of my perception.
If then you perceive me, you perceive yourself.
But you cannot perceive me through yourself,
It is through my eyes that you see me and see yourself,
Through your eyes you cannot see me.
Dearly beloved!
I have called you so often and you have not heard me
I have shown myself to you so often and you have not
seen me.
I have made myself fragrance so often, and you have
not smelled me.
Savorous food, and you have not tasted me.
Why can you not reach me through the object you touch
Or breathe me through sweet perfumes?
Why do you not see me? Why do you not hear me?
Why? Why? Why?
(Ibn Arabi)
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Recommended Reading:
'Divine Sayings: 101 Hadith Qudsi - The Mishkat Al-Anwar of Ibn 'Arabi'
By Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi (Author)
Purchase Book:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Description:
A collection of 101 hadith sayings, this work is one of the most important and influential early collections of hadith qudsi. Falling into three categories, the first 40 sayings each have a full, unbroken chain of transmission that goes back to God through the medium of the Prophet Muhammad. The second category are sayings mostly taken from well-known written collections. The final section is drawn from similar books, with Ibn 'Arabi adding one extra hadith, orally transmitted. Comprised of a full introduction explaining the meaning of Hadith, the text stresses the importance of this tradition in Ibn 'Arabi's writing.
"Stephen Hirtenstein and Martin Notcutt have produced in "Divine Sayings" a beautifully translated version of Ibn 'Arabi's best known collection of "Hadith," based not only on the published Arabic text but also several important manuscripts, with full scholarly apparatus."
(William C. Chittick, professor, Stony Brook University)
"This classic collection (and first critical edition) of 101 memorable Divine Sayings' related by the Prophet, translated in full for the first time in English, is not just an indispensable key to the teachings of Ibn 'Arabi and the wider traditions of Islamic spirituality. These short sayings are also a simple, direct, immediately accessible summary of the most universal spiritual lessons."
(James W. Morris, professor, Boston College)
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