overlooked ( Islamic ) mythic themes ...

What needs do mythology and religion serve in today's world and in ancient times? Here we discuss the relationship between mythology, religion and science from mythological, religious and philosophical viewpoints.

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Ercan2121
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Post by Ercan2121 »

Incidently, I’d like to add that I left my heart in Damascus that I first
went a couple of weeks later I read these posts on JCF website.
I was planning to go further but something -a cathedral, a mosque,
a friendly smile or a piece of famous Damascus cake?- witheld
me in that marvelous city so near, so far, so familiar and so new to my
soul. Thanks.

charlesupton
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Post by charlesupton »

Maybe you were held in that city by, among other things, the tomb of Ibn al-'Arabi.
He was buried in the family tomb of the Banū Zakī in the small beautiful district of Al-Salihiyah at Jabal Qāsiyūn.

CarmelaBear
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Post by CarmelaBear »

Ercan2121 wrote:....and prefer to listen for a while. Thank you all :)

Not too long, though. The silence can be deafening.

~
Once in a while a door opens, and let's in the future. --- Graham Greene

charlesupton
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Post by charlesupton »

Has anyone expanded on the myth of al-Khidr, the Green Man, who appears in the Qur'an in the surah of The Cave -- the immortal prophet, patron of the Sufis, who has been identified with Elijah and (by the Eastern Orthodox Christians) with St. George? Or on the Companions of the Cave from the same surah, youths who slept in their cave for something like 900 years, guarded by their dog? This is precisely where the Qur'an presents, and allows for, the study of symbolic, mythic literature -- as long as (it is emphasized) Muslims follow the legal prescriptions first (a rule that certainly doesn't apply to non-Muslims). Then there are the Persian romances of Jami (Yusuf and Zuleikha) and Nizami (Layla and Majnun), etc., as well as the Visionary Recitals of Avicenna....the world, the ontological plane where such myths are real is called the "alam al-mithal" (the Imaginal Plane) or the "eighth clime" or the "earth of Hurqalya"....the doorway to so much of this literature is Henry Corbin, especially his book Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth....It's strange: We used to think of Islam in the West, especially in the Victorian era, as a mythopoetic wonderland, via the Arabian Nights and Fitzgerald's translations of Omar Khayyam; now we think of it as a dry, threatening, fanatical legalism; only Walt Disney preserves our older view, as children's entertainment....

Ercan2121
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Post by Ercan2121 »

charlesupton wrote:Maybe you were held in that city by, among other things, the tomb of Ibn al-'Arabi.
He was buried in the family tomb of the Banū Zakī in the small beautiful district of Al-Salihiyah at Jabal Qāsiyūn.
Have-you also been to Syria, my friend ?
Last edited by Ercan2121 on Sun May 27, 2012 4:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Nermin
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Post by Nermin »

‘The image of the cosmos must change with the development of the mind and knowledge; otherwise, the mythic statement is lost, and man becomes dissociated from the very basis of his own religious experience. Doubt comes in, and so forth. You must remember: all of the great traditions, and little traditions, in their own time were scientifically correct. That is to say, they were correct in terms of the scientific image of that age. So there must be a scientifically validated image. Now you know what has happened: our scientific field has separated itself from the religious field, or vice-versa. … This divorce this is a fatal thing, and a very unfortunate thing, and a totally unnecessary thing.’
Joseph Campbell

Hello, I like this quote because I believe that it applies to most institutions and
cultures of our times. Perceptions are changing but that’s the problem of all belief
systems and all cultural patterns. We’re all getting our share of criticism without any
exception.
Some of us turn back to old time religion while some others come up with
new interpretations and more open-mindedness. The choice is still ours to
a certain extent and basically, that's a matter of willingness.
Thank you all.

JamesN.
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Post by JamesN. »

Hello Nermin. Very nice point and most helpful; ( in my opinion ). :wink: :)
What do I know? - Michael de Montaigne

Andreas
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Post by Andreas »

Hello guys...and in my opinion too. :P
“To live is enough.” ― Shunryu Suzuki

Nermin
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Post by Nermin »

JamesN. wrote: Very nice point and most helpful; ( in my opinion ). :wink: :)
Andreas wrote:Hello guys...and in my opinion too. :P
Thank you both for nice compliments :)

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