blog
Shaykh Aḥmad al-Aḥsāʾī: Part 3.ii – Shaykhism
This is Part Four of our seven-part series of reflections on the life, influence, and philosophical foundations of the cosmology of Shaykh Aḥmad Ibn Zayniddīn al-Aḥsāʾī. Here we focus on the phenomenon of Shaykhism. Contents of the seven parts of this series: Life, Travels, Character and Charisma Works: Opera Majora and Minora Legacy and Influence I: Students, Close Disciples, Licensees, and Other Contemporaries Legacy and Influence II: Shaykhism Major Arcs in the Philosophy of Shaykh Aḥmad I: Preliminary Considerations Major...
read moreShaykh Aḥmad al-Aḥsāʾī: Part 3.i – Students, Close Disciples, Licensees, and Other Contemporaries
Here is Part Three of our seven-part series of reflections on the life, influence, and philosophical foundations of the cosmology of Shaykh Aḥmad Ibn Zayniddīn al-Aḥsāʾī. This post focuses on some of the prominent disciples, licensees, admirers, and select contemporaries of the Shaykh, including some of the Sufis. Contents of the seven parts of this series: Life, Travels, Character and Charisma Works: Opera Majora and Minora Legacy and Influence I: Students, Close Disciples, Licensees, and Other Contemporaries Legacy and Influence...
read moreShaykh Aḥmad al-Aḥsāʾī: Part 2 – Works (Opera Majora and Opera Minora)
Here is Part Two of our seven-part series of reflections on the life, influence, and philosophical foundations of the cosmology of Shaykh Aḥmad Ibn Zayniddīn al-Aḥsāʾī. This post focuses on the writings of the Shaykh, primarily his opera majora (larger works). Contents of the seven parts of this series: Life, Travels, Character and Charisma Works: Opera Majora and Minora Legacy and Influence I: Students, Close Disciples, Licensees, and Other Contemporaries Legacy and Influence II: Shaykhism Major Arcs in the Philosophy of Shaykh...
read moreShaykh Aḥmad Ibn Zayniddīn al-Aḥsāʾī: Part 1 – Life, Travels, Character and Charisma
A number of brothers and sisters have requested more information in English on Shaykh Aḥmad Ibn Zayniddīn al-Aḥsāʾī. This post constitutes the first in a seven-part series of reflections on the life, influence, and philosophical foundations of the cosmology of Shaykh Aḥmad. This series is based mostly upon a chapter this author has written, in shāʾa Ãllāh to be published in an anthology on philosophy in Qajar Iran to be published by Brill (edited by Sabine Schmidtke and Reza Pourjavady). Here is a breakdown of the seven parts of...
read moreTowards an Objective Logic of the Categories of Faith and Science
One of the peculiar features of modern Western civilization is the conceptual divide between, on the one hand the category of religious faith, where knowledge is supposedly rare or impossible; and the category of scientific knowledge which, it is generally assumed, is the sole repository of true knowledge. This position is well-exemplified in theoretical physicist Freeman Dyson’s book chapter, “The Two Windows”, in the Templeton Foundations’s How Large Is God: The Voices of Scientists and Theologians. Within Western civilization, this...
read moreWalayah.org has reawakened.
Congratulations to all of our readers and subscribers on this, the first day of the Equinox. For those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the first full day of Spring and Rebirth (in South Asia called Nawrūz, the first day of the New Year in the solar Islāmic calendar). After remaining dormant for exactly one full year, Walayah.org is now, inshāAllāh, awakening from its slumber on this auspicious day. The hiatus began with a server crash; after recovering from the crash a number of critical functions were left broken and...
read moreTowards the Nexus of ʿAql: A Note on Method
This is another followup to our first reflection on the Qurʾānic and AhlulBayti concept of ʿaql. In particular, we are moving towards a discussion of the use of the word ‘nexal’ to help in the translation of ‘ʿaql’ into English. First, a note on method. As mentioned in the reflection What is ʿAql? Towards a Nexal Consciousness, translation, especially of divine speech, is always provisional; we must continually be open to new and better possibilities. So these reflections must not be considered absolutely final; only steps in a...
read moreA Subtlety in the Relation of Ignorance to Consciousness
Wa Bismi Rabbi al-Husayn (S) In the previous post in the Reflection section we have begun a discussion of the Qurʾānic and AhlulBayti concept of ʿaql and ways to express that concept in English. Brother dhulfiqar110 made some points regarding Amir-Moezzi’s “hiero-intelligence”; during the discussion a subtle and profound point in the science of the Decisive Sign (Āyaḧ Muḥkamaḧ) spilled out. This point is perhaps too advanced and delicate for general audiences, and I considered moving it to the private Meditations section...
read moreWhat is ʿAql? Towards a Nexal Consciousness
One of the most important technical terms in the Qurʾān and in the traditions of the Family of the Prophet of Islam (S) is ‘ʿaql’. According to them, ʿaql is That by which Ał-Raḥmān is adored and served; and that by which the Gardens [of Paradise] are earned. It is unfortunately very common to translate the word ‘ʿaql’ by ‘intellect’, ‘intelligence’, ‘reason’, or related expressions. The damage these inaccurate translations do to the message of the Qurʾān and of the Prophet of Islam (S) and his family (S) is...
read moreA Reflection on Walāyah
Reflecting on walāyah in the middle of Saturday morning traffic in the inner city London. The rain has cleared and the sun has appeared, but the air remains cold. The inner city with its poverty; surrounded by people who don’t know about the divine gift to humanity that is the Ahl al-Bayt (as). What can I do to let them know, in a culture where people don’t really communicate, except to talk about the weather, or economic state of affairs? The soul is not missing in this culture, but it is hidden. I wonder about the children growing up...
read more