Martin Lings (Shaykh Abu Bakr Siraj al-Din)
If we use the imagery suggested by Jacob’s Ladder, the bodily heart will be the lowest rung and the ladder itself will represent the whole hierarchy of centres or “Hearts” one above the other… each centre as separate and distinct from the others and yet at the same time connected with them. It is in virtue of this interconnection, through which the centres are as it were merged into one, that the bodily heart receives Life from the Divinity… and floods the body with Life.
With thanks to the Islamic Texts Society, we offer here both a PDF and an exclusive audio recording of “The Heart”, chapter 5 from What is Sufism?, considered one of the most genuine, relevant and authoritative works on Sufism produced in our times.
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Or listen to the recording below
Read by Guy Ogilvy for The Matheson Trust
This recording is part of the Matheson Trust Hear! Project.
