Category Archives: Articles

The Psychological Impacts of Fasting and Dhikr During the Holy Month of Ramadan

A person contemplating in Masjid al-Haram - image generated by Sora.

This article explores the spiritual practices and liturgical rituals of the month of Ramadan and their profound psychological impacts through the lens of Islamic Psychology and Mysticism (Irfan). Drawing upon the Theory of the Interpretive Semantic Structure of the Quran (Safavi, 2025), the study elucidates the conditions of “True Fasting,” categorising practitioners into levels ranging from the commonality to the spiritual elite.

Ramadhan and the Spiritual Rebirth of Humanity: A Semantic and Islamic Psychological Analysis of the Qur’anic Discourse

Muslim couple looking at the sunrise

the Qur’anic presentation of Ramadhan reveals a sophisticated structure aimed at the holistic development of the human being. Through the practice of Sawm, the individual transitions from external compliance to an internalisation of Taqwa (piety) and Muraqabah (vigilance).

Luqmān the Sage in Ibn ʿArabī’s Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam: An Analytical Reading of the Virtue of Iḥsānic Wisdom

Luqman Hakim

Dr Seyed Salman Safavi, Sayyed Sadr al-Din Safavi London Academy of Iranian Studies – LAIS Abstract This study explores the Sufi interpretation of Luqmān the Sage, as presented by Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī in his seminal work Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam. Ibn ʿArabī considers Luqmān not merely a historical or Qurʾānic figure, but a manifestation of Divine […]

A General Semiotic Analysis of Surah al-Nisāʾ

Dr Seyed Salman Safavi London Academy of Iranian Studies – LAIS Introduction To interpret and analyse Surah al-Nisāʾ through the lens of semiotics and Umberto Eco’s (1933–2016) semantic structuralism, key concepts from Eco’s work must be utilised: the function of the sign, encoding and decoding, narrative strategies, intertextuality, isotopy, and symbolic meaning. Surah al-Nisāʾ, which […]

Yūsuf in Ibn ʿArabī’s Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam

Imaginal world

By Dr Seyed Salman Safavi and Sayyed Sadr al-Din Safavi Abstract This article examines the character of Prophet Yūsuf (peace be upon him) from the perspective of Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī in his work Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam (The Bezels of Wisdom), specifically the chapter titled Faṣṣ ḥikma nūriyya fī kalima Yūsufiyya (The Chapter of Luminous Wisdom […]