Immortal Echoes, Mortal Words

Ch1.E6. Ibn Arabi: “Universals” (umur kulliyya) | Fusus, Chapter 1 | Metaphysics of Existence

Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani
Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi
Unveiling one of the most profound and subtle teachings in Sufi Metaphysics—this episode of Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam dives into Ibn ʿArabī’s conception of “universal realities” (umūr kulliyya)—shortly translated as “universals.” This metaphysical topic bridges the divine Essence (Dhāt) and cosmos, revealing the structure of existence itself. Here, I explore the critical distinction between “fixed entities” (aʿyān al-thābita) and “universal realities” in Ibn ʿArabī’s metaphysics and how they underpin Ibn ʿArabi’s vision of reality. These insights challenge conventional theology and open pathways to inner transformation and spiritual awakening. This topic offers timeless wisdom for those on a journey of spiritual growth, personal development, and esoteric understanding of Islam in a modern world fragmented by duality.
Guiding Questions:
What does this chapter reveal about the nature of divine wisdom (Hikma) in Ibn Arabi’s thought?
Ibn ʿArabī talked about witnessing God’s signs in the cosmos. What implications does this have for us?
In what ways does this interpretation challenge conventional understandings of Islamic theology?
My latest book: Sarayān: The Real’s Permeation: Ibn ʿArabi on the Divine Presence in the Cosmos with Neoplatonic Insights (available in both digital and print formats): https://immortalechoes.org/pages/our-press
Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses
If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations
Watch more from our Ibn Arabi Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HG0qkYvbH9dyTAWnncKZGLp&si=sCNGBNjB7RRRIZat
My recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani
#IbnArabi #FususAlHikam #IslamicPhilosophy #SufiMetaphysics #Mysticism

Ch1. E5. Ibn ʿArabī’s Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam (Seals of Wisdom), Faṣṣ One: Wisdom of Adam

Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani
Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi
Study Guide for Ibn ʿArabī’s Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam: Before engaging with Ibn ʿArabī’s text, understanding his thought is beneficial: - His Intellectual Landscape: Ibn ʿArabī’s ideas draw from the Qur’an, Ḥadīth, Sufi metaphysics, Neoplatonism, and Islamic theology. Familiarity with these traditions helps. - The Structure of Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam: Each chapter revolves around a specific prophet, revealing a particular wisdom (ḥikma). In this case, divine Wisdom in the word of Adam will be examined. - Language & Symbolism: Ibn ʿArabī’s language is multilayered—literal, symbolic, and esoteric. Recognizing this complexity is key to interpretation.
Guiding questions:
What does it mean for the human being to encompass all the Divine Names?
If the human constitution contains all divine forms, what responsibility does this bestow upon us? Does this imply a unique ontological or spiritual role for humanity in the cosmos?
Why does Ibn Arabi link adab (etiquette) with divine knowledge? Can true spiritual understanding exist without humility?
My latest book: Sarayān: The Real’s Permeation: Ibn ʿArabi on the Divine Presence in the Cosmos with Neoplatonic Insights (available in both digital and print formats): https://immortalechoes.org/pages/our-press
Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses
If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations
Watch more from our Ibn Arabi Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HG0qkYvbH9dyTAWnncKZGLp&si=sCNGBNjB7RRRIZat
My recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani
#IbnArabi #Sufism #IslamicMysticism #SpiritualWisdom #UnityofExistence #onenessofbeing #wahdat_alwujud

Chapter 1 .Ep. 4. Ibn ʿArabī’s Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam (Seals of Wisdom), Faṣṣ One: Wisdom of Adam

Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani
Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi
Ep.1. Ibn Arabi’s Fusus al-Hikam, Preface (Khuṭba)Ep.2. Ibn Arabi’s "Fixed Entities" (aʿyan al-thabita)Ep.3. Ibn Arabi’s "Unity of Existence" (Wahdat al-Wujud)4. Ch1.E3. Ibn ʿArabī’s Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam, Faṣṣ One: Wisdom of Adam
My latest book: Sarayān: The Real’s Permeation: Ibn ʿArabi on the Divine Presence in the Cosmos with Neoplatonic Insights (available in both digital and print): https://immortalechoes.org/pages/our-press 
Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses 
If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations
Watch more from our Ibn Arabi Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HG0qkYvbH9dyTAWnncKZGLp&si=sCNGBNjB7RRRIZat
 
🔻Guiding questions: 1. Consider “This human is ‘created-in-time-eternal’ (ḥādith al-azalī), and the being ‘perpetually-created-everlasting’ (nashʾ al-dāʾim al-abadī), and the ‘separating-unifying’ word ... ." Does this claim imply the eternity of a created being—humankind—alongside God, which contradicts the fundamental Islamic doctrine of divine Oneness? 2. Why does Ibn ʿArabī distinguish between the eternity of the Real and the eternity of the created being’s fixed entity? 3. When Ibn ʿArabī says that the Perfect Human is the “separating-unifying word” (al-kalimah al-fāṣilah al-jāmiʿah), what kind of unity and separation is meant? 4. Again, consider the quoted text. Now, does this model blur or reinforce the boundary between the Creator and the created? And how does that align with or challenge Islamic theological doctrines of tawḥīd (divine oneness)?#IbnArabi #Sufism #IslamicMysticism #SpiritualWisdom #UnityofExistence #onenessofbeing #wahdat_alwujud

Chapter 1. Ep.3. Ibn Arabi’s Fusus al-Hikam (Seals of Wisdom), Fass One: Wisdom of Adam

Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani
Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi
Ep.1. Ibn Arabi’s Fusus al-Hikam, Preface (Khuṭba)Ep.2. Ibn Arabi’s "Fixed Entities" (aʿyan al-thabita)Ep.3. Ibn Arabi’s "Unity of Existence" (Wahdat al-Wujud)
My latest book: Sarayān: The Real’s Permeation: Ibn ʿArabi on the Divine Presence in the Cosmos with Neoplatonic Insights (available in both digital and print): https://immortalechoes.org/pages/our-press 
Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses 
If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations
Watch more from our Ibn Arabi Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HG0qkYvbH9dyTAWnncKZGLp&si=sCNGBNjB7RRRIZat
 
The following are the main ideas in this chapter, which require a careful hermeneutic approach: a. The Human Being as Mirror and Spirit. Interpretation Strategy: Cosmic Scale: The human is not just a being in the world but a being for the world. Symbolism of the Mirror: Mirrors do not create reflections; they reveal what already exists. Adam, therefore, is the “polish” that makes divine reality visible. Sufi Context: Compare with ḥadīth qudsī: “I was a hidden treasure, and I loved to be known … .” b. The Great Man vs. The Perfect Man. Interpretation Strategy: Microcosm-Macrocosm Parallel: The small man (human) contains all divine realities, while the Great Man (cosmos) is the externalized version. Compare With: The Qur’anic concept of human beings as God’s vicegerents (khalīfa). c. The Tripartite Human Structure: Divine, Reality of Realities, Universal Nature. d. The Eye, Sight, and Divine Knowledge. Key Text: “Adam is in relation to the Real as the pupil does to the eye itself, for it is through this that seeing occurs.” Interpretation Strategy: Theological Implication: Perfect Human is the lens through which God’s mercy is manifest in creation. Vision as a Metaphor for Epistemology: The pupil (Perfect Man) enables divine perception. The mirror (cosmos) reflects divine Names. Compare this with Ibn ʿArabī’s concept of divine self-disclosure (tajallī), where existence is God’s “seeing” Himself in the mirror of creation. #IbnArabi #Sufism #IslamicMysticism #SpiritualWisdom #UnityofExistence #onenessofbeing #wahdat_alwujud

Rumi: “The Vision of You” | Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast | Ghazal 1824

Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani & Reyhaneh Davoodi-Kahaki
Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi
The poem and translation: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/rumi-ghazal-1824
In this episode of the Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast, we explore Rumi’s vision of love, surrender, and spiritual transformation through Ghazal 1824 from the Divan-i Shams Tabrizi. For Rumi, the Beloved is infinite; therefore, longing never ends. Grief becomes medicine. Even reason reaches a boundary where love begins to speak.
Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses 
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Watch more from Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HHJERERmZ7fn8cYrLJOzvqy&si=m5l2JJfTOLetqpST
Read my recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani
#PersianPoetry #Rumi #MysticalPoetry #Sufism #SpiritualWisdom

Rumi: “There are pulls within my soul; I know who the puller is” | Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast

Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani & Reyhaneh Davoodi-Kahaki
Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi
In this episode of the Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast, we explore the intense mystical love Rumi presents in ghazal 1844 of the Divan. This poem is a powerful guide for those seeking to understand love, which demands surrender of the self before the Beloved and the courage to face the battlefield of the soul. Rumi’s verses challenge us to transcend our base desires and embrace the difficult path of spiritual transformation, where the ultimate goal is the sacrifice of the ego for the sake of the Divine Beloved. 
Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses 
If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations 
Watch more from Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HHJERERmZ7fn8cYrLJOzvqy&si=m5l2JJfTOLetqpST
Read my recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani
#PersianPoetry #Rumi #MysticalPoetry #Sufism #SpiritualWisdom

Fayz Kashani: "You Emptied Me of Myself." Ghazal 931 | Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast

Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani & Reyhaneh Davoodi-Kahaki
Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi
The poem and its translation: [https://immortal-echoes-mortal-words-shop.fourthwall.com/pages/fayz-ghazal-931] In this episode of the Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast, we explore Fayḍ Kāshānī’s electrifying ghazal 931, a masterpiece that reveals the burning intensity of divine love and the philosophical depth of Persian Sufi poetry. The poem dramatizes the journey from ego to intimacy, from bewilderment to nearness, and from the divine Command of “Be!” to the call of “Return.” Fayḍ teaches that true mystical experience destabilizes the ego, awakens the heart as the throne of divine presence, and reactivates the soul’s original ecstasy at creation. Souls were animated by the Command of “Be!” and they will be summoned by the call of “Return.”  
My questions for you:
What does Fayz’s portrayal of divine fire reveal about the relationship between love, suffering, and spiritual transformation?
How do you interpret the moment when the divine glance “empties the self of itself”?
The poem describes creation as intoxication at the command “Be!”—how does this reframe the meaning of existence for you?
Fayz connects mystical longing to the soul’s first hearing of the command “Be!”—how does this affect your understanding of human nature and desire?
Why does nearness to the Divine intensify longing instead of satisfying it? What does this paradox mean for spiritual practice?
The poem suggests that suffering and burning become forms of instruction—how has suffering shaped your own spiritual or ethical growth?
Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses 
If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations 
Watch more from Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HHJERERmZ7fn8cYrLJOzvqy&si=m5l2JJfTOLetqpST
Read my recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani
#persianpoetry #MysticalPoetry #Sufism #SpiritualWisdom #PoetryExplained

Mystical Symbols: Fayz & Shabistari on Face, Hair, Lip, Line, Wine, Eye, Mole, Saqi, Ruin

Host: Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani
Co-host: Dr. Reyhaneh Davoodi-Kahaki
Consultant: Mohammad Davoodi
Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi
Persian poetry and mysticism reach a profound philosophical depth in Fayḍ Kāshānī’s Mishwāq, where he interprets symbols such as face and tress, wine and cupbearer, mole and eye, clarifying the metaphysics of Divine Beauty, Majesty, and multiplicity and unity, and illustrating these symbols using Shaykh Mahmoud Shabistari’s verses in his Gulshan-i Rāz (The Rose Garden of Mystery). Fayz Kashani and Shabistari symbolically present the world itself as a winehouse of divine love, and the seeker is invited to transcend selfhood through intoxication, ruin (kharābāt), and self-transendence (fanāʾ).
Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses 
If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations 
Watch more from Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HHJERERmZ7fn8cYrLJOzvqy&si=m5l2JJfTOLetqpST
Read my recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani
 
Guiding Questions:
How do the symbols discussed in this video reshape our understanding of divine beauty and concealment?
Why did the mystics use such symbols?
Can the idea of kharābāt (ruin) be understood as an ethical transformation rather than escapism?
 
#symbolism #mysticism #mystical_symbolism #Sufism #SpiritualWisdom #FayzKashani #Shabistari #esoterism #islamicphilosophy #esoteric_Islam #PersianPoetry

Fayz Kashani: Love's Demands | Ghazal 288 | Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast

Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani
Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi
Love, in Persian mystical poetry, is never merely an emotion—it is a radical path of transformation. In this episode of the Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast, we recite and interpret Fayḍ Kāshānī’s Ghazal 288 from his Diwan, where he proclaims: “Not for a moment am I heedless—love demands this.” Through Farsi recitation and English commentary, we explore how love nullifies ordinary thinking, demands unwavering remembrance, and grants true knowledge. In this ghazal, Fayd reveals love as the supreme discipline: a force that makes one transcend one's ego, inspires contentment, and nurtures wisdom. Fayḍ teaches that love guards the seeker against falsehood, lifts the barrier of self, and orients the heart entirely toward the Beloved. His mystical philosophy resonates profoundly today, offering guidance for a life of focus, integrity, and spiritual resilience.
My questions for you:
What does Fayḍ Kāshānī mean when he says that when love is attained, one cannot remain “rational” in the usual sense? 
How does continuous remembrance (dhikr) challenge how we normally think about mindfulness?
In what ways does love serve as both a safeguard against falsehood and a source of knowledge?
How might transcending base desires be applied to everyday struggles with pride or self-centeredness?
Which aspect of Fayḍ’s vision—constant remembrance, contentment, or fidelity—feels most relevant to your own spiritual or ethical journey?
Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses 
If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations 
Watch more from Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HHJERERmZ7fn8cYrLJOzvqy&si=m5l2JJfTOLetqpST
Read my recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani
#persianpoetry #MysticalPoetry #Sufism #SpiritualWisdom #PoetryExplained

16. Ibn Arabi: The Imaginal World & the In-Between Soul | (Khayal p3) | Ibn Arabi Podcast

Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani
Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi
In this episode of Ibn Arabi Podcast, I continue examining his conception of imagination (khayāl) and the in-between (barzakh). Drawing from Ibn ʿArabī’s metaphysical vision, as interpreted in Chapter Seven (“The In-Between”) of William Chittick’s book Ibn ʿArabī Heir to Prophets, I explain how divine Essence self-discloses through imaginal existence. Ibn ʿArabī challenges assumptions about reality, perception, and knowledge by noting that everything other than God exists in an intermediate state between being and nonbeing; everything is imagination. This episode focuses on how the soul itself is imaginal, how the cosmos unfolds as an image mirroring divine self-disclosure, and why true understanding requires balancing reason and imagination together.
My questions for you:
When Ibn ʿArabī says, the whole world is imaginal, does he mean that it is unreal, that it does not exist?
What does it mean for your sense of self if the soul itself exists in an in-between state?
How might Ibn ʿArabī’s view of imagination challenge modern materialist or purely rational worldviews?
What would it mean to live while consciously balancing reason and imagination as “two eyes” of truth?
 My latest book: Sarayān: The Real’s Permeation: Ibn ʿArabi on the Divine Presence in the Cosmos with Neoplatonic Insights (available in both digital and print formats): https://immortalechoes.org/pages/our-press
Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses
If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations
Watch more from our Ibn Arabi Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HG0qkYvbH9dyTAWnncKZGLp&si=sCNGBNjB7RRRIZat
My recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani
#IbnArabi #Sufism #IslamicPhilosophy #Metaphysics #Mysticism