Fakhruddin Iraqi: Divine Flashes

The Classics of Western Spirituality

by Fakhruddin ʿIraqi (Translator), Seyyed Hossein Nasr (Translator), Peter Wilson (Translator)

Book by FAKHRUDDIN 'IRAQI

Genres: Poetry, Islam, Religion, Spirituality, Mysticism, Philosophy, Theology

178 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Born in modern-day Iran, Fakhr al-Dīn ʿIraqi (Farsi: فخرالدین عراقی) (also transliterated Fakhruddin ʿIraqi) was a Muslim poet in the Islamic esoteric tradition (Al-taṣawwuf).

Reviews

[Ivan Granger]

Iraqi bridged several Sufi traditions and traveled through much of the Muslim world. Born in Iran (not Iraq), he became a member of an important Sufi order in India/Pakistan. For political reasons, he escaped to Turkey. There he studied the philosophy of Ibn Arabi, inspiring his stunning “Divine Flashes” — spiritual commentaries, peppered with short poetic verses. Very highly recommended!

[Mark David Vinzens]

Fakhruddin Iraqi is one of the great Sufi masters and poets, a gnostic who spoke in the language of love. The „Divine Flashes“ (Lama’at) are an invitation to a deeper contemplation of the truth of divine oneness. The whole book can be summarized in this one sentence: „Only the One Being is“ - and that Being, our true Self, is the life-giving breath and spirit of infinite divine love.

“I am Love: in heaven and earth I have no place;
I am the Wondrous Phoenix whose spoor cannot be traced.

(p. 72)”
― Fakhruddin Iraqi, Fakhruddin Iraqi: Divine Flashes

[Lucas]

Glimpses of understanding surrounded by a sea of confusion. I found the introduction nearly unreadable. Bogged down with esoteric jargon I keep wondering if Feynman's stance that if you can't explain it to a 6th grader, you don't understand it can be applied to these sorts of writings. Is metaphysics necessarily so technical? Perhaps if I spent months reading and re-reading this alongside the expansive canon that surrounds it I would understand it better. But I often feel like I just need to spend a few hours being able to ask the writers questions. Iraqi's own poems are much more readable and although there is again a great deal of depth I am likely surfing over, I was able to find a few flashes of understanding and a sense of the general vibe that suffuses the entire collection.

[Christian]

Divine flashes indeed! Throughout this book, I had glimmers of a feeling that my self was a burden, one that I didn’t have to carry, and that I could abandon into an expansive nothingness that was and is the “default setting.” It was marvelous. If only it would last...

[Erin Aslami]

Impossible to believe this is made of words

[Ivy Rockmore]

The painters fascination / is with his own canvas

[Diane]

The writings of a Sufi contemporary of Rumi. Focuses on achieving union with the Divine. I had never heard of Iraqi before, but the introduction provides an excellent context for his writings. It also includes a critical essay explaining the mystical writings.

[oludamini]

startlingly beautiful commentary on the Fusus and after Conference of the Birds one of the works nearest to my heart

[Ervina Bajrami]

This book...
this book is Love
this book is Beloved
this book... ah this book!!

*It’s not finished, for it will never end!

Eid Mubarak!