‘Seven Days of the Heart’ Study Retreat
The Seven Days of the Heart
This study retreat is open to anyone who has previously studied Ibn Arabi. All material is in English or in transliteration; no special Arabic knowledge is assumed or required. Participants will need to have a copy of the ‘Seven Days of the Heart’ and complete a questionnaire prior to participating.
The Seven Days of the Heart: prayers for the nights and days of the week by Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi
Translated by Stephen Hirtenstein and Pablo Beneito
A unique spiritual masterpiece, available for the first time in English. The English translation can be purchased directly from Anqa Publishing.
Ibn ʿArabi has long been known as a great spiritual master, but the prayers which are attributed to him remain little-known. They provide a most precious glimpse into the real practice of the mystical life within the Sufi tradition. This is the first time that any of Ibn ʿArabi’s prayers have been published in another language.
This particular collection (Awrad al-usbu or Wird) is one of the most beautiful, having been revered in the Islamic world for centuries. There are fourteen prayers, one for each day and night of the week. They include not only the most astounding expressions of contemplation and devotion to God, but also an unparalleled depth of knowledge of Union (tawhid).
As the translators Pablo Beneito and Stephen Hirtenstein show in their introduction, the very structure of the prayers is a mode of contemplation, since for Ibn ʿArabi the weekly cycle itself is sacred.
About Ibn 'Arabi
Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi (1165–1240)
Known as the greatest mystical genius of the Arabs, Ibn ‘Arabi was born in Murcia in south-eastern Spain, at a time of the last great flowering of Andalucian culture under Islamic rule. From the earliest age he showed evidence of an extraordinary visionary capacity, and while still a teenager, had a seminal vision of the three major prophets of the West, Jesus, Moses and Muhammad. He traveled widely in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia Minor, eventually settling in Damascus for the last 20 years of his life. He wrote a series of inspired works, some 300 in number ranging from short treatises and mystical odes to the 37-volume encyclopaedia Meccan Revelations (al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya) and his spiritual masterpiece on the prophetic wisdoms, Fusus al-Hikam.
Ibn ‘Arabi’s reach was immense and his influence vast during his lifetime and beyond. His works inspired the great civilizations of the Mughals in India, the Ottomans in Turkey, the civilisations of Indonesia and China right down to the present day. He occupies a status equivalent to Shakespeare in the realm of English language, but Ibn ‘Arabi’s wealth of meanings extends from the interior unknown essential reality to the most explicit outward expression without ever compromising the principle of unity.
With recent translations into European languages a new era of influence is noticeably and interestingly beginning to unfold. The Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society was founded in 1977 to promote a greater understanding of the work of Ibn ‘Arabi and his followers. It is an international association with its headquarters in Oxford, England and a branch in Berkeley, California.
Stephen Hirtenstein
Stephen has been studying the works of Ibn ʿArabi for over 40 years. After studying at the Beshara School of Esoteric Education in the 1970s and 80s, and serving as a director of the Chisholme Institute, he became editor of the Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society’s Journal in 1981, and director of the Society’s Archiving Project. He teaches courses in Islamic Mysticism at the University of Oxford, and is a co-founder of Anqa Publishing. His numerous publications include: a biography of Ibn ʿArabi, The Unlimited Mercifier; and translations of Ibn ʿArabi’s works, The Seven Days of the Heart, The Four Pillars of Spiritual Transformation and Divine Sayings. His latest book The Alchemy of Human Happiness will be out later this year. He leads independent tours to Andalusia and Anatolia following in the footsteps of Ibn ʿArabi. Two years ago, Stephen facilitated the first ‘Seven Days of the Heart’ course at the Chisholme Institute in Scotland.
Booking
Numbers are limited, so if you’d like to do the course, please apply by June 30, 2017.
For booking or more information, please contact:
Rosemary Rule, Secretary, Beshara Australia
rosemary.rule@gmail.com
Mob: (+61) 0418 675 734
