Intimate Dialogues with Reality

Description

Intimate Dialogues with Reality

A seminar on the writings of al-Niffari

Little is known of the life of the 10^th century mystic Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdi-‘l Jabbar al-Niffari. He was born in the marshlands of the Euphrates and remained a solitary wanderer all his life, shunning the company of others. His visionary insights, which he wrote down on scraps of paper, were only collected into book form after his death. In his “Spiritual Addresses” and “Stayings” can be found essential intuitions about the spiritual quest, expressed in extraordinarily direct yet subtle language. Compared with other mystical writings there are few time-bound cultural references in his work and this gives to the writings of Niffari a very contemporary feel.

In this seminar we shall be reading and contemplating some of Niffari’s “Spiritual Addresses” in English translation, and exploring their relevance to us in the present moment.

We shall be using a new translation of Angela Jaffray, who will be participating via Zoom.

Some extracts from Niffari’s writings in an older translation are here.

The October Gallery,
24 Old Gloucester Street
London
WC1N 3AL

Refreshments Provided