Abu Nasr al-Farabi, known as Alpharabius in the West, was a Persian philosopher and polymath of the Islamic Golden Age. Living in the 9th and 10th centuries, he made significant contributions to philosophy, political science, music theory, and logic. Al-Farabi’s work bridged the gap between Greek philosophy and Islamic thought, particularly through his commentaries on Aristotle. He emphasized the importance of reason and virtue in achieving a just and harmonious society, advocating for the ideal ruler, or “philosopher-king,” who governs with wisdom and justice. His influence extended beyond his lifetime, shaping later Islamic philosophy and contributing to the broader intellectual landscape of the medieval world. Al-Farabi’s legacy endures through his enduring impact on philosophy and political theory.
Abu Nasar Seraj Quotes
01. “Trust in God is ‘restricting concern for livelihood to one day and refraining from aspirations for the morrow.’ Also, the condition of trust in God is what Abu Turab Nakhshabi has noted: ‘Casting down the body in worship, attaching the heart to His Lordship, and being serene as to sufficiency. If something is given, he is thankful, and if it is withheld, he is patient.'”
— Abu Nasar Seraj
02. “Gnosis is of three kinds: The gnosis of acceptance, the gnosis of reality, and the gnosis of contemplation. And in the gnosis of contemplation, understanding and learning and explanation and disputation fade away.”
— Abu Nasar Seraj
03. “Trust in God is the last station on the Divine Path for nothing remains to be attained through mystical efforts after having experienced spiritual satisfaction.”
— Abu Nasar Seraj
04. “God reveals the truth behind the language of the Quran to those whom He loves and who are true Sufis.”
— Abu Nasar Seraj
05. “Humanity is not destroyed from men any more than blackness is destroyed from that which is black or whiteness from that which is white but that inborn qualities of humanity are converted and transformed by the all-powerful Light that is shed upon them from the Divine Realities. Those who inculcate the doctrine of Fana’ mean the obliteration of one’s own deeds and works of devotion through the continuance of regarding God as the doer of those deeds on behalf of His devotee.”
— Abu Nasar Seraj
06. “Renunciation (Zuhd) is a noble station, and it is the basis of all spiritual progress. It is the first step on the way to God. Without renunciation, one cannot hope to make progress in this respect.”
— Abu Nasar Seraj
07. “Gnosis (Marifat) is fire and faith light; gnosis is ecstasy and faith a gift. He differentiates between the believer and gnostic saying that the believer sees by the light of God and the gnostic sees by means of God Himself, and the believer has a heart, but the gnostic has no heart.”
— Abu Nasar Seraj
08. He quotes a Sufi who said, “Lovers do not reach the height of true love until one says to the other, ‘O Thou who art I.’”
— Abu Nasar Seraj
