'Tasting, Drinking and Quenching Thirst'

'Tasting, Drinking and Quenching Thirst'

Author: Selected speakers July 20, 2022 Duration: 37:47
Alexander Knysh is professor of Islamic Studies and former chair (1998–2004) of the Department of Near Eastern Studies, the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He obtained his doctoral degree from the Institute for Oriental Studies (Leningrad Branch) of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1986. Since 1991 he has lived and worked in the United States of America and England. His research interests include Islamic mysticism and Islamic theological thought in historical perspective as well as Islam and Islamic movements in local contexts (especially Yemen and the Northern Caucasus). He has numerous publications on these subjects, including Ibn 'Arabi in the Later Islamic Tradition: The Making of a Polemical Image in Medieval Islam (1998).

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…