Seekers of Unity Sufism Interview with Sara Sviri | Wisdom of the the Heart
In this interview with Sara Sviri, Professor Emerita of Arabic and Comparative Religions of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, we shall discuss:
03:44 Wisdom of the Heart
04:49 Definition of the Mystic
05:56 Knowing - Ma'rifa
06:32 Poetry by Gilani
10:45 Unity of Being - Waḥdat al-Wujūd
13:09 Unity and Duality
19:45 Sara’s favorite Sufis
23:29 Love and Eros
25:26 Sara’s Story
31:23 The Spiritual Path in Sufism
35:42 Ego - Nafs
36:45 The Spiritual Stations - Makamat and Achwal
39:27 Annihilation and Subsistence - Fana and Baqa
43:14 Establishment and Fluctuation - Tamkin and Talween
Sara’s fields of study include Islamic mysticism, mystical philosophy, comparative aspects of early Islam, the formative period of Islamic mysticism, medieval Jewish mysticism and the mystical wisdom of Ibn al-ʿArabī.
Her first book, The Taste of Hidden Things: Images on the Sufi Path, was published in 1997. Followed In 2008 by her comprehensive Sufi Anthology. In 2013, Sara published her latest work, Perspectives on Early Islamic Mysticism, The World of al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī and his Contemporaries.
Check out Sara’s YouTube channel where she is sharing her teacher’s, Irina Tweedie’s book, The Chasm of Fire: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1is...
Poem:
From the heavens descend rain of blessing to the earth.
And the earth produces a variety of plants.
From heaven this thing descends to the ground of the hearts.
The hearts quiver.
And from all knowledge that descends to them – sprout different plants
Secrets, wisdoms, union, trust, silent prayer, closeness to the exalted God.
And they grow in the heart, trees and species of flowers.
And it moves, deserts, wastelands, oceans, rivers and mountains.
The heart becomes a place, a place of meeting for humans and demons, angels and spirits
This matter is beyond the intellect.
Strength, and real power, the will and the knowledge of God Her/Himself.
She/He gives it to a chosen few.
To a rare few of the children of man.
- Gilani