Suhrawardi Quotes
Shihab al-Din Suhrawardi was a Persian philosopher and the founder of the Illuminationist school of Islamic philosophy. Drawing on Avicennan philosophy, ancient Persian wisdom, and Neoplatonism, he developed in The Philosophy of Illumination a metaphysics in which reality consists of a graded series of lights emanating from a Light of Lights and made known to the soul through a direct intuitive vision. The quotes below are attributed to Suhrawardi, organized by topic.
Suhrawardi on God
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Attributed to Suhrawardi:
“The Light of Lights is the source from which all other lights derive.”
Suhrawardi on Knowledge
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Attributed to Suhrawardi:
“Knowledge by presence is more certain than knowledge by representation.”
Suhrawardi on Mind
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Attributed to Suhrawardi:
“The soul knows itself directly, without need of intermediary.”
Suhrawardi on Nature
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Attributed to Suhrawardi:
“Existence is light, and the difference between things is in the intensity of their light.”
Suhrawardi on Truth
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Attributed to Suhrawardi:
“Light is the most evident of all things, and through it everything else becomes evident.”