Jinn Doppelgangers in Islam and Akbarian Sufism

Jinn Doppelgangers in Islam and Akbarian Sufism

Author: Selected speakers June 8, 2023 Duration: 32:41
"Ghouls, ifrits and a panoply of other jinn have long haunted Muslim cultures and societies. These also include demonic doubles (qarīn, pl. quranā'): the little-studied and much-feared denizens of the hearts and blood of humans. Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn 'Arabī (d. 1240) wrote on jinn in substantial detail, uncovering the physiognomy, culture and behaviour of this unseen species. Akbarians believed that the good God assigned each human with an evil double. Ibn 'Arabī’s reasoning as to why this was the case mirrors his attempts to expound the problem of evil in Islamic religious philosophy. No other Sufi, Ibn 'Arabī claimed, has ever managed to get to the heart of this matter before him. As well as offering the reader knowledge and safety from evil, Ibn 'Arabī’s writings on jinnealogy tackle the even larger issues of spiritual ascension, predestination and the human relationship to the Divine." Dunja Rašić earned her Ph.D in Islamic Studies at the Free University Berlin. Her primary research field is medieval intellectual history, with a focus on Akbarian cosmology, philosophical Sufism and the Islamic philosophy of language.

The Ibn 'Arabi Society podcast offers a deep and nuanced exploration into the life, work, and enduring legacy of the 13th-century Andalusian mystic and philosopher, Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi. This series presents a curated selection of talks from the Society's annual symposia, featuring a diverse range of Selected speakers including scholars, translators, and practitioners. Each episode delves into specific themes from Ibn 'Arabi's vast corpus-such as the Oneness of Being, the imagination as a creative cosmic force, and the perfect human-placing his thought in dialogue with contemporary questions in spirituality, philosophy, and culture. Listening to this podcast feels like attending a rigorous yet accessible academic gathering, where complex ideas about the nature of reality, love, and divine knowledge are unpacked with care and passion. You'll hear detailed analyses of primary texts, cross-cultural comparisons, and reflections on how these profound teachings apply to modern life and interfaith understanding. It is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to move beyond superficial summaries and engage seriously with one of history's most influential spiritual intellects. The discussions are richly layered, rewarding both newcomers and those already familiar with Sufi metaphysics, and together they build a comprehensive portrait of a thinker whose work continues to resonate across centuries and disciplines.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Ibn 'Arabi Society
Podcast Episodes
The Perfect Human and the Greatest Name [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:18
The title for this talk is drawn from the final mysterious book-title mentioned by Ibn 'Arabi in his listing of his own writings in the Fihrist ('Catalogue'). It would be impossible to appreciate Ibn 'Arabi's writings wi…
Dispatch from the Red Planet: Prophet Aaron’s Paradoxical Persona [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:27
Angela writes: Overshadowed by his younger brother Moses, known primarily for his negative role in the Golden Calf saga, the Prophet Aaron’s importance may seem to some negligible, his status auxiliary, his effect doubtf…
Farghānī on Waḥdat al-Wujūd in the Four Journeys [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:17
William C. Chittick is an internationally renowned scholar on Islamic civilization as well as Comparative Philosophy and Religious Studies. He is author, editor and translator of 30 books and monographs, and nearly 200 a…
Wujūdī Metaphysics in Chinese [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:18
Dr Sachiko Murata’s research has included the interrelationships between Islamic and Far Eastern thought, especially in the writings of the Huiru, "the Muslim Confucianists,” who wrote numerous tracts in Chinese from the…