Imam ‘Ali From Concise History to Timeless Mystery

It is as if the Imam is saying: enlighten yourself by means of the twofold light God has already given you: the light revealed through scripture, and the light breathed by God into your own intellect, resulting in ‘treasures’ which are, for the majority, buried under the rubble of forgetfulness. The Truth given to us by God through prophetic revelation, and by our teachers through formal instruction, must resonate with, and thus awaken, the Truth that resides in the depths of our own heart.'Ali ibn Abi Talib is unparalleled in Islam. He was the Prophet Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, the first Shi'i Imam and the fourth of the Rashidun Caliphs. Sunni and Shi'i Muslims alike hold 'Ali in the highest regard owing to his status as a spiritual teacher and his strength as a warrior. According to the mystical tradition of Islam, 'Ali is the embodiment of 'the perfect human being' (al-insan al-kamil).Reza Shah-Kazemi here draws on the insights of the Sufi masters Ibn 'Arabi and Rumi to look