Online Education

The mystical teachings of Ibn ‘Arabi, particularly influential in Anatolia, are rooted in a tens-of-thousands-of-years old knowledge attainment and transfer tradition, which is one of the fundamental cornerstones of Sufism.

Through his unique method, Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi performed an unparalleled role in conveying the secrets of the Sufi mystical teachings across the generations. The secrets concealed in his teachings are not immediately revealed, and the knowledge they contain is hidden in such language that those who encounter it are often left in a state of shock and bewilderment. Those who strived to understand this language have been able to discover the real meaning hidden within, yet the majority, without making such an effort, took the meaning at face value and accused Ibn ‘Arabi of being anti-religious.

The title of this course, ‘The Enlightened are Not Bound by Religion’, is one Arabi’s notable sayings, about which alone a whole course could be written; because, to be able to understand just this saying requires knowledge of many subjects of the mystical teachings. In just one word, many layers of mystical secrets are waiting to be revealed.

The saying, ‘The enlightened are not bound by religion’, ‘Feiza kanel arifu arifen hakikaten felem yeter kayyed bimutekadin’, in other words ‘when an enlightened one becomes truly wise, he/she cannot be bound by one belief ’, is the adapted version for Turkish. This saying conceals important wisdom about religions. As we delve into the meaning of this saying we will perceive that the current form of religions is very different to their pure form. It is for this reason that we’ve chosen to explore the deep, mystical meaning of this saying as the topic of this course. Because, even today, religious instruction of the masses excludes the inward, mystical aspects of faith and concentrates on its outward form and functions.