Immortal Echoes, Mortal Words

Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani

Our podcasts: Ibn Arabi Podcast, Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast, Shiʿi Mysticism (ʿIrfān) Podcast, and Islamic and Neoplatonic Metaphysics Podcast. Hosts: Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani; Reyhaneh Davoodi-Kahaki

  1. 21h ago

    Shams Tabrizi: "True Companionship: Beauty & Flaws" | Discourse 5 of the Maqalat

    Producer, Cinematographer, and Host: Dr. Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani Co-host: Dr. Reyhaneh Davoodi-Kahaki In this episode, I explore a deeply personal passage from Shams Tabrizi’s Maqālāt. Here, Shams reflects on his relationship with Rumi, saying: “Rumi has beauty—he saw my beauty, but not my ugliness. This time I will show both, so he sees me as I truly am.” For Shams, spiritual companionship is not built on pretense, but on honesty—revealing both virtues and flaws. He goes further: when someone listens to his speech, they would grow “cold” and distant towards others’ speech. He means that once a seeker follows true spiritual guides, they no longer find worldly or superficial instructors satisfying. Real wisdom creates a new hunger that cannot be fed by mere appearances or materialistic teachings. This discourse invites us to reflect on authenticity in spiritual friendship, the courage to show both strengths and weaknesses, and the transformative effect of encountering real truth.    My latest books: The Soul-Conquering Love in Fayz Kashani’s Poetry: Translations and Annotations (Persian and English): Link Sarayān: The Real’s Permeation: Ibn ʿArabi on the Divine Presence in the Cosmos with Neoplatonic Insights: Link If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: Link     #ShamsTabrizi #shams_tabrizi #Iran #Sufism #PersianPoetry #Rumi #PersianPoem

  2. Aug 21

    Fayz Kashani: Between Poetry & Prose | Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast

    Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi Poetry has always been more than art in Persian poetic tradition—it is a vessel of wisdom, ethics, and spiritual transformation. In this episode of the Persian Poetry Podcast, we explore the profound verses of Fayḍ Kāshānī, a Safavid-era philosopher, mystic, theologian, exegete, and poet. We recite the original Farsi verses and offer deep English interpretations, showing how Fayḍ viewed poetry not as “mere verse” but as pure wisdom—a transformative language that awakens the soul. His poetry bridges reason and imagination, philosophy and mysticism, longing and gnosis. The episode highlights how poetry helps us confront ethical questions, overcome despair, and find spiritual clarity in contemporary life. Relevance today? Fayḍ’s insights remind us that rational discourse alone cannot heal the heart—sometimes only poetry can sweep away grief, cultivate longing, and open us to divine truth. His verses remain timeless invitations to inner transformation, calling us to balance reason, love, and wisdom in our personal and spiritual journeys. My latest book: Sarayān: The Real’s Permeation: Ibn ʿArabi on the Divine Presence in the Cosmos with Neoplatonic Insights (available in both digital and print formats): https://immortalechoes.org/pages/our-press Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations Watch more from our Ibn Arabi Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HG0qkYvbH9dyTAWnncKZGLp&si=sCNGBNjB7RRRIZat My recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani #PersianPoetry #MysticalPoetry #Sufism #SpiritualWisdom #iran #PersianMysticism

  3. Aug 12

    Shams Tabrizi's Discourses | Whirling Dance | Discourse 4

    Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani Co-host: Reyhaneh Davoodi-Kahaki Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi In this episode, I explore Shams Tabrizi’s reflections on samāʿ (whirling dance). For Shams, samāʿ is not a uniform act—it is deeply tied to intention, state, and spiritual orientation. He distinguishes three groups: 🔹The true ahl al-ḥāl (people of spiritual states), who participate in samāʿ as a form of remembrance, a doorway into divine presence. For them, it is a path of spiritual growth and proximity to God. 🔹The ascetics, who approach samāʿ merely as discipline or practice. For them, it is neither harmful nor transformative, but neutral. 🔹 The desire-driven, who treat samāʿ as entertainment, religious hobby, or self-indulgence. For them, it becomes harmful, leading them away from the truth rather than toward it. Through this classification, Shams teaches us that the value of an act is not in its form, but in its orientation toward God or desire. This discourse challenges us to reflect: Do we engage in spiritual practices out of true devotion, or are they tied to ego and pleasure? My latest book: The Soul-Conquering Love in Fayz Kashani’s Poetry: Translations and Annotations (Persian and English); available for in print and digital formats: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/our-press Sarayān: The Real’s Permeation: Ibn ʿArabi on the Divine Presence in the Cosmos with Neoplatonic Insights (available in both digital and print formats):  https://immortalechoes.org/pages/our-press Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations Watch more from our Ibn Arabi Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HG0qkYvbH9dyTAWnncKZGLp&si=sCNGBNjB7RRRIZat My recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani #ShamsTabrizi #PersianPoetry #SufiPoetry #PersianMysticism #Iran #IslamicPhilosophy #MysticalPoetry #Mysticism #PersianLiterature #maqalat

  4. Aug 10

    Ch6. E1/3. Ibn Arabi's Fusus al-Hikam (Seals of Wisdom), Fass Six: Wisdom of Isaac

    Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani Music: Amirmohammad Monjezi: https://www.youtube.com/@amirmohamdmonjezi Chapter 6 of the Seals of Wisdom, “Ringstone of the Wisdom of the Real in the Word of Isaac,” focuses on the story of Abraham’s dream of sacrificing his son. The central point is that a true vision still needs interpretation. Ibn ʿArabī argues that Abraham saw the dream in the realm of imagination, but he took it literally. In Ibn ʿArabī’s reading, the son in the dream actually signified the ram; therefore, God’s ransom of the son with the “mighty sacrifice” revealed the true meaning of the vision. So the chapter is not only about sacrifice. It is about how the Real appears through forms. Divine reality may disclose Itself in images, dreams, and symbols, but these forms must be read correctly. The wise person does not stop at the outward image; he seeks the meaning intended by God. In this sense, Chapter 6 teaches that spiritual perception requires both vision and interpretation. My latest book: Sarayān: The Real’s Permeation: Ibn ʿArabi on the Divine Presence in the Cosmos with Neoplatonic Insights (available in both digital and print formats): https://immortalechoes.org/pages/our-press Visit our ⁠Academy of Mystic Poetics and Philosophy⁠, and check out our courses: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/courses If you enjoy the content and wish to ⁠support our work⁠, your generosity helps us continue creating: https://immortalechoes.org/pages/donations Watch more from our Ibn Arabi Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqkz7b_183HG0qkYvbH9dyTAWnncKZGLp&si=sCNGBNjB7RRRIZat My recent publications: https://istanbul.academia.edu/RasoulRahbariGhazani #IbnArabi #Sufism #SpiritualWisdom #FususAlHikam #Tasawwuf #MysticalTheology

About

Our podcasts: Ibn Arabi Podcast, Persian Mystical Poetry Podcast, Shiʿi Mysticism (ʿIrfān) Podcast, and Islamic and Neoplatonic Metaphysics Podcast. Hosts: Rasoul Rahbari-Ghazani; Reyhaneh Davoodi-Kahaki

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