“The new Toronto Museum will take as its theme the concept of light — suffusing the building from a central courtyard, through patterned glass screens. From the outside, it will glow by day and by night, lit by the sun and the moon. This use of light speaks to us of the Divine Light of the Creator, reflected in the glow of individual human inspiration and vibrant, transparent community. As the poet Rumi has written: The light that lights the eye is also the light of the heart… but the light that lights the heart is the Light of God.” - Imām Shāh Karīm al-Ḥusaynī Āgā Khān IV (Foundation Stone Ceremony for the Aga Khan Museum, Ismaili Centre and Park, Toronto, May 28, 2010) Many religious traditions, including Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam understand the human intellect (buddhi; khirad; nous; intellectus; aql) or light of the heart as deriving its intelligible power or “light” from the Light of God, known as the Divine Intellect. For many Islamic philosophers, including the Ismā‘īlī dā‘īs, the Divine Intellect is the first originated being (al-mubda‘ al-awwal) which comes forth from God’s creative act or command (amr). This idea is found in a number of prophetic ḥadīths which read: “The first thing God created was the Intellect (‘aql); the first thing God created was my Light.” - Prophet Muhammad ismailignosis/2014/08/26/esoteric-thought-in-physical-form-the-aga-khan-campus-in-toronto/
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 14:21:54 +0000