Wisdom from Ibn al-'Arabi -- A Sufi Saint

by Anab Whitehouse

Following the wisdom of the Prophet,

He taught that we approach God through knowledge

Of our soul … that understanding oneself

Is a prelude to receiving the light

Of Divinity.

Existence is really nothing more, or

Less, than one form of imagination

Inside another kind of similar

Secret … a twin, mirroring Attributes

And Names of Being.

Yet, he cautioned those who believe that they

Know how to reconcile the mystery

Of worldly plurality with Divine

Unity for they bounce between shirk and

Rationality.

Do not acquire information

through those who merely transmit from mouth

to ear but, rather, open up your heart

and spirit to the only One Who can

illumine your soul.

Theology is a maze that has no

Exit … a waterless desert filled with

Illusions; the oasis of love is

What you need to seek, and that is not found

Without … but within.

Love is infinite but capacity

Is fixed … Look for the cup that reflects your

Fitra, for spiritual thirst can only

Be quenched by a drink that is drafted for

You personally!

Words have their beauty, and they convey much

Of interest and use, but one needs to

Ask about where these words come from … what

Is their inspiration and source? Dive deep

Into the Ocean!

Though the manifest seems quite dynamic

It actually is nothing but static

Residues of That which is actively

Immanent within the rippled surface

of appearances.

The One invented numbers, but, then, these

Ciphers began to enumerate and

Analyze the Mathematician Who

Penned their existence … dimensionless points

Looking for their Source.

We think we are the explorers who are

In search of the hidden treasure, but in

truth, the Treasure created seekers

so that the hunters might be captured

by That which is sought.