We were around 6 years of age. My friend very casually told me something that has stuck with me to this day (never thought I’d be retelling the story in a TH-cam comment). For context, Farsi, like many other languages, is LOADED with mystical and spiritual anecdotes. Even some of the most basic everyday phrases have some esoteric spin that goes unnoticed because they’re so commonly used in day-to-day conversation. For example, our way of saying ‘once upon a time’ is: there was one, there was none, except God, there was none - the start of every story already comes with a heavy load on the duality of essence/existence, immanence/transcendence, and the contradictory nature in which God inhabits both. My friend referenced this opening line for how stories are told and then goes on to say: "Isn’t it funny how we always say…except god, there was none and then carry on saying how stuff ‘is’? Like ‘there was once a woman who lived in etc…’ it’s like you’re saying whatever happens in the story is happening in god." …a 6-year-old’s observations.
I wonder how much of older Persian philosophy went through a kind of metamorphosis where the older ideas survived by shrouded itself inside a new religious identity. A similar thing happened among the Germanic christian converts, where the old myths were given a christian name.
all the best philosophical observations and conversations happen before the age of 20 in my opinion. once you go beyond simple wonderment at existence you've become too brainy for your own good. maybe that's what muslims refer to as the fitrah
For me, growing up, practising Islam meant losing yourself in your faith, not in limiting yourself in regimented understanding of what faith is, but letting your faith and your love for the Almighty consume you, not in madness and passion, but in sublimation. It reminds me of this quote by Mansur Al-Hallaj, “Between me and You, there is only me. Take away the me, so only You remain.” You encapsulated the idea of nihilism in Islam beautifully, thank you. Looking forward to more of your videos. :)
Wonderful job Artin. I look forward to reading the article you referenced. I was recently discussing with a friend how martyrdom is framed and reinforced in Islamic culture which from the outside could be seen as a thirst for annihilation for fulfilling a prophecy or redemption but from an insider perspective it is really just coping against overwhelming odds especially in terms of Shia history.
This hit me at the right time, the idea of baqa is really inspiring, I was rolling around in my head something similar to the will to nothing this really gave a tail to that head.
Excellent job 👌.it is actually a really interesting topic and I think we shall consider the Islamic mysticism about the concept of annihilation especially "the self" annihilation that you can find interesting similarities between them and neoplatonism.the next thing that you can see many times in words of Islamic mystics is that we are all traped in this material form and the self(sould)demands to release itself from the chains of materialistic form of existence and return to it's origin .as a famous poe" Rumi" quotes: "you're the ocean traped into a drop".
I'll leave this thaught here. This is related to Islam but not to nihilism, there are few things that actually fascinates me. 1-Prizes in the actual religion, there 7 heavens, and the field varies from an action to another, and the highest heavens are for the most complicated tasks, nothing related to praying or fasting, but to who you are as a person, and the best version of yourself will simply be bearing good will to anyone. Think that's easy? Absolutely not, in psycology, philosophy, sociology,, the beginning of chaos starts from one's self,jealousy,hate.... The same goes with hell, the more heavy consequences your action takes, the more your down,maybe you smoke,it's a sin but not as heavy as hypocrisy. I'm writing this in a hurry but I can give more examples about this. I always link psychology and philosophy to what I read on Islam and surprisingly there is always something to mention.
We were around 6 years of age. My friend very casually told me something that has stuck with me to this day (never thought I’d be retelling the story in a TH-cam comment). For context, Farsi, like many other languages, is LOADED with mystical and spiritual anecdotes. Even some of the most basic everyday phrases have some esoteric spin that goes unnoticed because they’re so commonly used in day-to-day conversation.
For example, our way of saying ‘once upon a time’ is: there was one, there was none, except God, there was none - the start of every story already comes with a heavy load on the duality of essence/existence, immanence/transcendence, and the contradictory nature in which God inhabits both. My friend referenced this opening line for how stories are told and then goes on to say: "Isn’t it funny how we always say…except god, there was none and then carry on saying how stuff ‘is’? Like ‘there was once a woman who lived in etc…’ it’s like you’re saying whatever happens in the story is happening in god."
…a 6-year-old’s observations.
I wonder how much of older Persian philosophy went through a kind of metamorphosis where the older ideas survived by shrouded itself inside a new religious identity. A similar thing happened among the Germanic christian converts, where the old myths were given a christian name.
all the best philosophical observations and conversations happen before the age of 20 in my opinion. once you go beyond simple wonderment at existence you've become too brainy for your own good. maybe that's what muslims refer to as the fitrah
For me, growing up, practising Islam meant losing yourself in your faith, not in limiting yourself in regimented understanding of what faith is, but letting your faith and your love for the Almighty consume you, not in madness and passion, but in sublimation.
It reminds me of this quote by Mansur Al-Hallaj, “Between me and You, there is only me. Take away the me, so only You remain.”
You encapsulated the idea of nihilism in Islam beautifully, thank you.
Looking forward to more of your videos. :)
I wish this channel were more widely known
Wonderful job Artin. I look forward to reading the article you referenced.
I was recently discussing with a friend how martyrdom is framed and reinforced in Islamic culture which from the outside could be seen as a thirst for annihilation for fulfilling a prophecy or redemption but from an insider perspective it is really just coping against overwhelming odds especially in terms of Shia history.
This hit me at the right time, the idea of baqa is really inspiring, I was rolling around in my head something similar to the will to nothing this really gave a tail to that head.
Yeki bud, yeki nabud. Never thought about it!
Incredible as per usual
Great content as usual!
Excellent job 👌.it is actually a really interesting topic and I think we shall consider the Islamic mysticism about the concept of annihilation especially "the self" annihilation that you can find interesting similarities between them and neoplatonism.the next thing that you can see many times in words of Islamic mystics is that we are all traped in this material form and the self(sould)demands to release itself from the chains of materialistic form of existence and return to it's origin .as a famous poe" Rumi" quotes: "you're the ocean traped into a drop".
Amazing well done!!!
Thanks so much🙏🏼💚
Sufis are the GOATs of positive nihilism !
I'll leave this thaught here.
This is related to Islam but not to nihilism, there are few things that actually fascinates me.
1-Prizes in the actual religion, there 7 heavens, and the field varies from an action to another, and the highest heavens are for the most complicated tasks, nothing related to praying or fasting, but to who you are as a person, and the best version of yourself will simply be bearing good will to anyone. Think that's easy? Absolutely not, in psycology, philosophy, sociology,, the beginning of chaos starts from one's self,jealousy,hate....
The same goes with hell, the more heavy consequences your action takes, the more your down,maybe you smoke,it's a sin but not as heavy as hypocrisy.
I'm writing this in a hurry but I can give more examples about this. I always link psychology and philosophy to what I read on Islam and surprisingly there is always something to mention.
haha philosophers man. tomayto, tomahto is like some weird thing you latch onto.