174 pagesIn the Sufism of ancient Iran, the quest for the dawning of light in the cosmic North symbolizes the mystic's search for realization. In this spiritual journey, the light arising in man's inner darkness- the Northern Light or Midnight Sun- represents the impartial but brilliant light of Truth, that which sets us free from egotism and from slavery to material existence.
Henry Corbin's The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism offers a penetrating analysis of the writings of the great Iranian masters-including Suhrawardi, Semnani, and Najm al-Din Kubra- in which he sees an unfolding and continuity of the idea of color and light as symbols of spititual development.
In the course of this study, Corbin constantly relates the ideas of Persian Sufism to the spiritual knowledge of other Middle and Far Eastern religions. A chapter is also devoted to the Goethe's theory of physiological color. This intellectually exacting text goes beyond theoretical speculation: the combination of analysis and insight beckons the reader to apprehend the intuitive dimension of the material being discussed.
The Man of Light in Iranin Sufism was reprinted through Print-On-Demand (POD) publishing.
Henry Corbin (1903-1978) was a famous French philosopher, professor of philosophy at Sorbonne University, and orientalist. Corbin spent most of his life in Iran and other Middle East countries. For more than 25 years he researched and scrutinized the Islamic world, especially Islamic Philosophy, Sufism, and Shi'a beliefs. His main achievement was the introduction of Mulla Sadra and Suhrawardi to the West. One of his masterpieces is History of Islamic Philosophy. Corbin was the first to translate Heidegger into French, publishing a collection of texts under the title "Qu’est ce que la Métaphysique?" (1938). His work on the Iranian Ismaili theosophical tradition relies heavily on German hermeneutics. He had a close relation with both Allameh Tabatabaei and Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr. His book The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism ISBN 0-930872-48-7 continues to be one of the greatest expositions of classical Persian Sufism available to a western audience.
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