Category Archives: sacred knowledge

Letters on the Spiritual Path

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Ian Whiteman

We’re pleased to announce that a new translation of the Letters of Moulay Al-Arabi Darqawi has been scheduled for release this coming May. The following blurb by the translators, which will accompany its release, is self explanatory and hints at … Continue reading →

Posted in beauty, calligraphy, language, miscellaneous, Publishing, religion, sacred knowledge, Sacrilege, tassawuf, tradition, typography / design | 7 Comments

The Problem of Ornamentation

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Ian Whiteman

 After all, what is beauty? [Looking through old drafts of blog posts I found this one. Not perfect and a bit of a rant but it has some good bits in it.] When looking at Muslim prayer apps the other day … Continue reading →

Posted in architectural, beauty, calligraphy, Comment, evolution, House design, language, miscellaneous, modernism, peace, politics, Publishing, religion, sacred knowledge, science, tradition, typography / design | 1 Comment

Long Hopes and Personal Choices

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Ian Whiteman

I wrote this in late January after some outrage in the US by a white supremacist but sadly it applies now and probably for the foreseeable. I would rather be writing on a more creative theme but current events seem … Continue reading →

Posted in Comment, miscellaneous, peace, politics, religion, sacred knowledge, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Music to my Ears

Posted on June 18, 2017 by Ian Whiteman

My Ramadan afternoons, when the blood sugar reaches low levels, have been spent watching some of the lectures by Abdal Hakim Murad (Tim Winter) on YouTube given in his college’s annual retreat last year. I can strongly recommend his lecture … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellaneous, music, music in Islam, religion, sacred knowledge, Sacrilege, tassawuf, typography / design | Leave a comment

Unplanned Permanence

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Ian Whiteman

Whilst doing the washing up after supper last night it dawned on me that the fish slice I had just used to flip my egg-in-the nest was the actual fish slice my mother was using in the 1950s when I … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholicism, Comment, Father Brown, Fish Slices, Halloween, miscellaneous, sacred knowledge, Sacrilege, tv, typography / design | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Passing of Martin

Posted on December 25, 2016 by Ian Whiteman

Picture Courtesy of Peter Sanders. Martin Stone passed away at 2am on the 8th November 2016 in Paris where he lived. Before joining the seminal rock group Mighty Baby in 1968 he had ventured into the world of the occult, … Continue reading →

Posted in Comment, miscellaneous, music, Poetry, religion, sacred knowledge, Sacrilege, tassawuf, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Pearls of the Faith

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Ian Whiteman

A book that recently left my desk to the printers after sitting in my computer for over ten years is the book illustrated above: Pearls of the Faith by British Victorian journalist and traveller Sir Edwin Arnold. First published in 1884 it … Continue reading →

Posted in Comment, language, miscellaneous, Poetry, Publishing, sacred knowledge, Sacrilege, typography / design | 4 Comments

Small is Bountiful

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Ian Whiteman

In the year 2000, Shaykh Zaki Yamani, the erstwhile Saudi oil minister, gave a one-off lecture in London which I had the good fortune to attend. The lecture was about the house of Khadijah, may God be pleased with her, … Continue reading →

Posted in architectural, Comment, House design, miscellaneous, religion, sacred knowledge, Sacrilege, small houses, Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Pass the Parcel

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Ian Whiteman

  The graveyard of 6 million at Najaf, south of Baghdad. Professional journalists usually have to fill column inches to order, which accounts for their flights of fancy or in many cases outright lies. Bloggers, unless they are driven lunatics, … Continue reading →

Posted in Comment, miscellaneous, Poetry, Publishing, religion, sacred knowledge, tassawuf, typography / design, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Daniel Moore, Poet

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Ian Whiteman

Daniel Abdal Hayy Moore, passed away yesterday April 18 after several years of cheerfully coping with illness. He was a night bird poet who invariably wrote in the early hours. Like a nightingale his song was only heard by a few but … Continue reading →

Posted in Comment, language, miscellaneous, music, Poetry, Publishing, religion, sacred knowledge, tassawuf, typography / design, Uncategorized | 5 Comments