Ali al-Khawas was a 9th-century Muslim Sufi poet and mystic from the ninth century AD. Pope Francis refers to him as a "spiritual writer" in his encyclical letter Laudato si' (2015) on the topic of ecology.[1]
Teaching
editIn Laudato si', Francis writes that humanity can "discover God in all things": "in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face".[1]: Paragraph 233 In a footnote, he refers to al-Khawas' experience of God and the world, noting how the poet stressed "the need not to put too much distance between the creatures of the world and the interior experience of God".[2] The footnote reads
The spiritual writer Ali al-Khawas stresses from his own experience the need not to put too much distance between the creatures of the world and the interior experience of God. As he puts it: "Prejudice should not have us criticize those who seek ecstasy in music or poetry. There is a subtle mystery in each of the movements and sounds of this world. The initiate will capture what is being said when the wind blows, the trees sway, water flows, flies buzz, doors creak, birds sing, or in the sound of strings or flutes, the sighs of the sick, the groans of the afflicted ..."[3][1]
Aisha Bhoori has noted that it is "unusual for a pope to cite a Sufi poet".[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c Pope Francis, Laudato si', footnote 159, published 24 May 2015, accessed 22 May 2024
- ^ a b Bhoori, Aisha. "Meet the Muslim Mystic Pope Francis Cited in His Encyclical". Time. Archived from the original on 18 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ Eva de Vitray-Meyerovitch [ed.], Anthologie du soufisme, Paris 1978, 200
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