Religion of Love
A religious lesson at the Mosque of Ibn Al-Arabi in Salhieh, Damascus.
Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi (1165-1240) is one of the most famous Muslim philosophers. He was born in southern Spain and lived during the golden era of openness and tolerance in Arab-ruled Andalusia. He spent years traveling around the Islamic world before finally settling in Damascus, where he completed his greatest book Al-Futuhat Al-Makkiyyah (Meccan Revelations), which is an encyclopedia of Sufism (Islamic mysticism) and Sufi teachings. He was buried in Damascus; and the Mosque, pictured above, was built in his honor by Ottoman Sultan Selim I in 1516.
Throughout his life, Ibn Arabi preached tolerance among all faiths. In one of his most famous poems, he considers his heart "a center of love":
O Marvel! a garden amidst the flames.
My heart has become capable of every form:
It is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for monks,
and a temple for idols and the pilgrim's Kaa'ba,
and the tables of the Torah and the book of the Quran.
I follow the religion of Love:
Whatever way Love's camels take,
that's my religion and my faith.
posted by Ayman Haykal @ 8:12 pm
3 Comments:
Assalamu a'laykum!
Nice blog; it's great to see pictures which an explanation.
Please, come and join the Muslim Cultures photo pool over at flickr. It's free and your photos would be highly appreciated. Also, many (not all, but many) of the photos in the pool are published under a Creative Commons license, meaning you may use them without charge on your own web site so long as you credit the photographer.
Also, please consider linking to the Muslim Cultures photoblog as it complements your blog nicely.
Cheerio!
Khalid
What a wonderful idea for a blog! Having lived in and around the Middle East and western Asia I've long been fascinated by Ibn Battutah and am so pleased to have found this site. Thank you!
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