Abd al Wahid Pallavicini | |
---|---|
Born | Felice Pallavicini Milan, Italy |
Died | 12 November 2017 Milan, Italy |
Occupation(s) | Ulama, preacher, doctor |
Family | Pallavicini Family |
Abd al Wahid Pallavicini ( née Felice Pallavicini; 1926, Milan, Italy - November 12, 2017, Milan) was a leading figure of Sufism in Europe. In France, he founded the Institut des hautes études islamiques (IHEI), in Lyon, the Italian Islamic Religious Community (COREIS), and the Academy of Interreligious Studies (Accademia ISA).
Abd al Wahid Pallavicini was born in Milan in 1926. He descended from a noble Lombard family (Pallavicini family). After studying medicine, his spiritual quest led him to convert to Islam in 1951 thanks to the teachings of Titus Burckhardt.
After a trip to Singapore, he received authorization to lead an autonomous branch of the Ahmadiyyah Idrisiyyah Shadhiliyyah brotherhood that was inspired by René Guénon in Europe, Abd al Wahid Pallavicini, and was honored with the title of sheikh (teacher). He subsequently founded a community of Muslims in Italy and France in the 1980s, linked to traditional Sufism. [1]
Very involved in inter-religious dialogue, he was chosen to represent "Italian Islam" at the first inter-religious meeting for peace organized in Assisi in 1986 by Pope John Paul II. [2]
At the 10th International Theological Conference held in 2003, he argued that his Muslim but non-Arab status was a bridge linking the three great religions connected to Jerusalem. [3]
His son Yahya Sergio Yahe Pallavicini, imam of the al-Wahid mosque in Milan, was one of 138 Muslim representatives who sent a letter to the Vatican in 2007 calling for a new dialogue on cohabitation between the two religions, and who subsequently spoke to Pope Benedict XVI on the subject in 2008. [4]
René Jean-Marie-Joseph Guénon, also known as Abdalwahid Yahia, was a French intellectual who remains an influential figure in the domain of metaphysics, having written on topics ranging from esotericism, "sacred science" and "traditional studies" to symbolism and initiation.
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Titus Burckhardt was a Swiss writer and a leading member of the Perennialist or Traditionalist School. He was the author of numerous works on metaphysics, cosmology, anthropology, esoterism, alchemy, Sufism, symbolism and sacred art.
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Ivan Aguéli, also named Shaykh ʿAbd al-Hādī al-ʿAqīlī upon his conversion to Islam, was a Swedish wandering Sufi, painter and author. As a devotee of Ibn Arabi, his metaphysics applied to the study of Islamic esotericism and its similarities with other esoteric traditions of the world. He was one of the initiators of René Guénon into Sufism and founder of the Parisian Al Akbariyya society. His art was a unique form of miniature Post-Impressionism where he used the blend of colours to create a sense of depth and distance. His unique style of art made him one of the founders of the Swedish contemporary art movement.
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