ابو مريم on Nostr: I was reminded this weekend that I had these gems sitting on the shelf. Martin Lings ...

I was reminded this weekend that I had these gems sitting on the shelf.



Martin Lings was student of René Guénon (both were prominent converts from the early part of the last century) and studied witb him in Cairo for over a decade. But before that he had been a student of C. S. Lewis at Oxford where he had specialized in Shakespeare. In fact, while living in Cairo he taught Shakespeare at the University of Cairo and annually produced the plays. Both these books (they're actually the same book, L is 3rd edition and R is 5th edition) document how Lings viewed Shakespeare in light of a more esoteric understanding of Islam. The tldr is that Lings saw in these classic works of english literature a story of the spiritual transforation of the soul, and that it was particularly noticable in the theatrical performances.

I'm not sure if Lings held to the theory that Shakespeare was actually Sheikh Pir or Sheikh Zubair, but he certainly was of the opinion that muslims could find benefit in them.

#bookstr