Ibn Arabi: Poem 14 of the Tarjuman al Ashwaq
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Photo: Sayyed Muhammad Kelardashti, in chains before his execution. In the province of Luristan, a branch of Ahl Haqq had followers which were called "Atash Beigi" which Sayyed Muhammad Kelardashti was attached to. Once he came to Kelardasht in Mazanderan and started his preaching, some of the locals followed him and soon he formed a group around himself. First he preached the coming of the Mahdi and asked his followers to be prepared for such an event. He asked them to sell their properties and purchase swords and guns to fight for Mahdi. At the beginning they had success in taking control of the town and repelling the attacks from the central government but they were eventually defeated and captured by the government forces under a cousin of the orthodox ruler, Naseruddin Shah, whose name was Sa'idudulah.
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He saw the lightning in the east and longed for the east,
but if it had flashed in the west he would have longed for the west.
My desire is for the lightning and its gleam, not for the places and the earth.
The east wind related to me from them a tradition handed down successively,
from distracted thoughts,
from my passion,
from anguish,
from my tribulation,
From rapture,
from my reason,
from yearning,
from ardour,
from tears,
from my eyelid,
from fire,
from my heart,
That "He whom you love is between your ribs; the breaths toss him from side to side."
I said to the east wind, "Bring a message to him and say that he is the enkindler of the fire within my heart
If it shall be quenched, then everlasting union, and if it shall burn, then no blame to the lover!"
(Ibn Arabi)
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Recommended Reading:
'Ringstones of Wisdom (Fusus al-hikam)'
by Ibn Al'Arabi (Author), Caner K. Dagli (Translator)
Purchase Book:
Amazon.com
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Description:
The Ringstones of Wisdom is one of the most influential and controversial books of Islamic civilization. This relatively brief but far-reaching text covers topics such as creation. prayer, the relationship with God with the world, and the interpretation of dreams.
Caner K. Dagli is a doctoral candidate in Princeton University's Department of Near Eastern Studies. He holds a B.A. from Cornell University and an M.A. from George Washington University. His scholarly interests include Sufism, Islamic philosophy in the West, religion and science, and the writings of the seventeenth century Persian philosopher Mulla Sadra, fields in which he has published articles.
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