Based on indications in Ibn ‘Arabi’s Fus?s al-Hikam, this introduction to the divine-human relationship of “closeness” (wal?ya) begins with a few of the most familiar signs through which we begin to become aware of the actual reality of that relationship, moves on to the processes of “realization” by which we can deepen those initial discoveries, and focuses on the recur- rent ways that this intimate relationship—ultimately encompassing every dimension of our experience—becomes more present and consciously interactive in our spiritual life.
Professor James Morris (Boston College) has taught Islamic and comparative religious studies at the Universities of Exeter, Princeton, Oberlin, and the Sorbonne, and lectures widely on Sufism, the Islamic humanities, Islamic philosophy, the Qur’an, and Shiite thought. Recent books include Ostad Elahi’s Knowing the Spirit (2007); The Reflective Heart: Discovering Spiritual Intelligence in Ibn ‘Arabi’s ‘Meccan Illuminations’ (2005); Orientations: Islamic Thought in a World Civilisation (2004); and Ibn ‘Arabi’s The Meccan Revelations (Pir Press, 2003).
