See like a child ✨

Greetings!

When was the last time you watched children play? They talk to their toys, have conversations with trees, and create entire worlds where everything around them is alive and responding.

As kids, we naturally saw life and consciousness in everything. But somewhere along the way, many of us learned to see the world differently - to view most things as lifeless objects.

I recently read a fascinating article about Ibn Arabi's perspective on animals and consciousness that brought me back to this childlike way of seeing.

The author makes a compelling case for why everything - from stones to atoms - might be conscious in ways we don't perceive. I've shared my thoughts on this in a thread below.

1/ In this post:

• Why everything must be conscious

• The hidden life in "inanimate" things

• What stones are really saying

• Why this changes everything

• The evidence Ibn 'Arabi presents

2/ Ibn 'Arabi's core argument is simple but deep: Life is the foundation of all attributes. To know, feel, or act, a thing must first be alive. Since God's attributes permeate creation, life must permeate everything.

3/ "The nonexistence of life has no divine support," Ibn 'Arabi writes. Think about it: How can anything exist without divine support? And how can anything receive divine qualities without being alive to receive them?

4/ What we call "inanimate" objects are simply things whose life is hidden from our limited perception. Like radio waves we can't see, consciousness operates at levels our ordinary senses don't detect.

5/ This isn't mere philosophy. Ibn 'Arabi and other mystics claim direct experience: They report hearing the speech of stones, understanding the glorification of trees, witnessing the awareness in every particle.

6/ The Quran states "everything glorifies God" - most read this metaphorically. But Ibn 'Arabi challenges us: Why assume metaphor when the literal meaning reveals a deeper truth about reality?

7/ Modern science is rediscovering hints of this:

• Plants showing signs of memory

• Particles behaving differently when observed

• Matter organizing itself in purposeful ways

8/ The implications challenges the dominant worldview: We're not isolated islands of consciousness in a dead universe. We're participants in an ocean of awareness, where every entity plays its unique role.

9/ This view demands respect for existence: If everything is aware, everything deserves consideration. Every action affects conscious beings, whether we recognize them or not.

10/ The common objection: "Where's the proof?" Ibn 'Arabi's response: Our inability to perceive something doesn't negate its existence. Our own limited awareness is the only barrier.

11/ Next time you hold a stone, touch a tree, or watch dust floating in sunlight, consider: What if these aren't dead objects, but conscious participants in existence? What if we're not alone in our awareness, but immersed in it?

12/ Inspired by this article by William Chittick: ibnarabisociety.org/the-wisdom-of-animals-william-chittick/-

Reply to this email or leave a comment on the Instagram or X post if you wish to share your thoughts.

Warm regards,
Mohammed Ali

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