Welcome to our monthly newsletter, dear reader,

• Our first library novelty is an article by Oludamini Ogunnaike, “The Logic of the Birds”, on the metaphysics of poetic language and thus on the essential value of poetry, with a wealth of examples drawn from traditions all over the world.

Poetry makes tangible and existentially realizable the union of the transcendentals of truth, beauty, and goodness; poetry allows us to experience the harmony of the very qualities of Being (and even sense the ineffable quality of no-qualities of Beyond Being) in ourselves and in every being.

• Next we have a chapter, “Ottoman Renaissance”, from the thesis titled Body, Soul, and Architecture: A Study of the Premodern Islamic and Western Traditions. This chapter explores and illustrates the sources, technical features and spiritual symbolism of the masterpieces of Ottoman architecture.

Following in this lineage Sinan presents himself to his reader as a Sufi sage: “the Hizir of his age.” Hizir, or Khidr, is a celebrated prophet in Islam, who is identified as the paradigmatic master of its mystical tradition, Sufism. Hizir is known amongst Muslims as an immortal prophet who is invested by God with deep knowledge in esoteric sciences. Amongst the miracles of Hizir, according to Ottoman legends, was in inspiring the architect of the Hagia Sophia to build its large and overwhelming dome.

Dome of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. Picture by Maskaravivek @ Wikimedia Commons.

• And we close our selection with a poem by Martin Lings, “Requiem”, related in the most practical and vital way to the worldwide practice of praying for the dead, and particularly in the Christian world to the festivity of All Souls.

The rich man of his gold gives, or of cattle,
And the poor what he may of milk and of fruit,
Certain that these offerings the after-life will reach,
Following the departed, not in form but in Spirit,
For a gift sanctified by sacrifice has wings.
And they pray: From the bond of rebirth and redeath
Liberate them with Knowledge of none but Thee,
O Truth, O Self of their selves, O Peace.