تجليات المقدس في قصيدة: (صورة ذاتية)‎ لمارتن لينجز

Abstract EN

The British philosopher and thinker Martin Lings converted to Islam and Sufism after the bitter experience of atheism.

Going through that period of spiritual emptiness, he looked to witness the transformations of holiness and spiritual moments, so he wanted to polish his heart by recalling some divine spiritual events, going after every sacred episode.

His poem (Self Portrait) reflects his Perennial philosophy, he believed in, which linked him to Traditional thinkers.

He began his poem from the primitive times, of Greeks, Hindus and Buddhists mythology, he told us about their art, gods, and religious rituals.

He then moved on to the three religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, describing important glorious moments in those religions.

He mentioned the grate miracles of achieving big victories, without discussing the struggle and sufferings of our prophets with their disbelievers, because of his longing for great spiritual happiness and infinite joy, by going through holly directions empowering himself to go back to old scared events.

The importance of the poem is that it combines several religions, civilizations and cultures, and showed the perception and rejection of some thinkers in the Western world in modern times of materialism and non-religious trends and how they express their longing for everything spiritual and sacred.