It speaks to me in the silence of this one By Fakhruddin Iraqi

It speaks to me in the silence of this one

By Fakhruddin Iraqi

(? - 1289)

English version by William Chittick and Peter Lamborn Wilson

It speaks to me in the silence of this one

then through the words of that one speaking;

it whispers to me through an eyebrow raised

and the message of an eye winking.

And do you know what words it breathes into my ear? It says,

          "I am Love: in heaven and earth I have no place;

          I am the Wondrous Phoenix whose spoor cannot be traced.

          With eyebrow-bow and arrow-winks I hunt

          both worlds -- and yet my weapons cannot be found.

          Like the sun I brighten each atom's cheek;

          I cannot be pinpointed: I am too manifest.

          I speak with every tongue, listen with all ears,

          but marvel at this: My ears and tongue are erased.

          Since in all the world only I exist

          above and below, no likeness of me can be found."

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Fakhruddin Ibrahim 'Iraqi (sometimes written Araqi or Eraqi) was a fascinating figure who bridged several Sufi traditions and traveled through much of the Muslim world.

'Iraqi was born near Hamadan, in what is today Iran. (The name 'Iraqi does not refer to the modern country of Iraq, but to the local region around Hamadan.) While still a young boy, 'Iraqi gained local fame for having memorized the entire Koran and reciting it aloud. He went on to acquire an impressive education in his teens.

This properly devout young man surprised everyone when he joined a group of traveling Kalandar dervishes. Kalandar Sufis had a bohemian, some would even say heretical, lifestyle and expression of the Muslim faith.

The young 'Iraqi eventually ended up in Multan in what is modern day Pakistan. There he received formal initiation into the Sufi way under Shaykh Baha'uddin, the head of the Suhrawardiyya Sufi Order, one of the most influential Sufi groups in the Indian subcontinent. 'Iraqi lived in Multan for 25 years, composing poetry. As the shaykh was dying, he named 'Iraqi to be his successor. But some in the order became jealous and denounced him to the local sultan who sought to have 'Iraqi arrested.

'Iraqi fled the area with a few close companions, and they eventually made their way to Mecca and Medina. Later they moved north to Konya in Turkey. This was Konya at the time of Rumi. 'Iraqi often listened to Rumi teach and recite poetry, and later attended Rumi's funeral.

Although 'Iraqi was nominally the head (in exile) of a large and respected Sufi order, he humbly became the disciple of another Sufi master -- Sadruddin Qunawi, who also lived in Konya at the time. Qunawi was the son-in-law of the recently deceased Sufi philosoper Ibn 'Arabi. Although less known in the West today, Qunawi was perhaps the preeminent Sufi teacher in Konya at the time, even better known than his neighbor Rumi.

'Iraqi was deeply devoted to Qunawi and to the teachings of Ibn 'Arabi. It was a series of speeches Qunawi delivered on the esoteric meaning of Ibn 'Arabi's great works that inspired 'Iraqi to compose his own masterpiece of commentary and poetry named the Lama'at or Divine Flashes.

When Fakhruddin 'Iraqi died he was buried near Ibn 'Arabi's tomb.