Ep. 38 -The Mystical Teachings of Ibn ‘Arabi

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Jul 14, 2025

A lively tour of Ibn ‘Arabi’s life, travels, and mystical writings. Conversations about kashf, unveiling, and the prayer of opening. Reflections on presence, humility, and the blurred lines between seeker and teacher. Poems and paradoxes that explore love, sensual alchemy, and being seen by the divine.

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INSIGHT

Paradox As Spiritual Method

Ibn 'Arabi holds paradox as essential: the world is both God and not God, embodiment and transcendence coexist.
This 'huwa, la huwa' posture preserves mystery and resists simplistic metaphysical claims.

ADVICE

Deepen Prayer To Experience Divine Presence

Increase in prayer to invite God's nearness, following the Hadith Qudsi Omid cites about God running to the devotee.
Orient inwardly so 'I am the sight by which you see' becomes experiential rather than merely metaphorical.

ANECDOTE

Spherical Vision In Prayer

Omid Safi describes Ibn 'Arabi's experience of vision becoming spherical during Asr, feeling God see through him in all directions.
This loss of ordinary sight illustrates the Sufi claim: you don't see God, you are seen by God.

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Omid Safi discusses Sufi teachings from one of the greatest muslim mystics, an Andalusian sage named Ibn ‘Arabi.

"When Ibn 'Arabi comes, he sits with all of himself. When he's listening, he listens with all of himself. When it's time to go, he gets up with all of himself. All of him is here, so I can give him all of the love. That's such a practice, and it's such a challenge for all of us who are always distracted. A lot of Sufi practice is really this art of being present." – Omid Safi

This week on Sufi Heart, Omid Safi illuminates:

The life of Ibn ‘Arabi from Andalusia, to Morocco, Turkey, and Damascus
The prayer of opening and Ibn ‘Arabi’s text, Futuhat al-Makkiyya (openings of the heart)
Removing that which veils you from direct presence with God
Experiencing Kashf—the unveiled revelations that arise from intimate communion with God
The paradoxical ‘yes and no’ response that Ibn ‘Arabi often gave to philosophical questions and finding beauty in the paradox
Remembering that we do not see God, we are seen by God
Presence and mindfulness as a core feature of Sufi spiritual practice
How Ibn ‘Arabi’s life teaches us what it means to have a teacher and blurring together seeker and master
A commentary on all in the natural realm that is made beautiful
Dissolving the illusion of separation between lover and beloved
A poem from Ibn ‘Arabi on alchemy and the Prophet

“Most people translate it as ‘I become’ then ‘I become the sight by which you see’. Ibn ‘Arabi says ‘it’s not I become, I am’. It sounds really different, it hits different. I am the eye by which you see. I am the hearing by which you hear. I am the hand by which you touch. I am the tongue by which you speak.” – Omid Safi

About Omid Safi:

Dr. Omid Safi is the director of Duke University’s Islamic Studies Center. He specializes in the study of Islamic mysticism and contemporary Islam and frequently writes on liberationist traditions of Dr. King and Malcolm X, and is committed to traditions that link together love and justice. He leads spiritual tours every year to Turkey, Morocco, or other countries, to study the rich multiple religious traditions there. The trips are open to everyone from every country. More information is available at Illuminated Courses & Tours.

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