The Sacred Way

In one of her sublime mystical poems, Annemarie Schimmel evokes the quiet of the night and envisages the ‘purple wing’ of the archangel which covers ‘the eyes’ of her heart. Only God remains. In the depth of feeling conveyed by the poem and the aura of transcendence which illuminates it, these verses bear comparison with the famous Noche Oscura poem of the Spanish mystic, Juan de la Cruz, to which we will have occasion to refer in considerable detail later in this text.

And perhaps it is only in poetry that the essence of Sufism, Islamic mysticism, may truly be captured and evoked. Professor Schimmel's magisterial volume Mystical Dimensions of Islam, however, also captures in a rare, lucid and profound manner her almost boundless knowledge of Sufism, drawing on her skills in diverse relevant languages. But, like the great Persian mystical poet, Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī (AD 1207–73), before her, Schimmel expresses the essence of Sufism best in her poetry. The verse cited above captures one of the most commonplace, and yet deepest, of all sufi themes, the yearning of the terrestrial-bound soul for communion, intimacy and ultimate union (whatever that might mean!) with the Divine ‘Object’ and focus of sufi love, God Himself.