In the name of Him who taught the soul wisdom,
And kindled the lamp of the heart with the light of the spirit.
The collection of articles presented in this issue of Javidan Kherad (Perennial Philosophy) is a special number dedicated to Ibn Arabi. It comprises a selection of papers presented at the international conference titled “Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi: His Legacy and Its Significance in the Contemporary World,” which was held over two days on December 11 and 12, 2023 (20–21 Azar 1402 A.H.S.) at the Iranian Institute of Philosophy. The event was conducted both in person and virtually, featuring presentations in Persian, English, and Arabic.
The proposal to organize a conference on Ibn Arabi and his legacy was first introduced in 2021 (1400 A.H.S.). From the outset, a scientific and executive committee was formed, including esteemed professors from both Iranian and international universities. However, due to various fluctuations and challenges, the event was delayed and eventually realized in 2023. During this interval, four educational workshops related to the conference themes—ranging from approximately three to thirty sessions each—were held under the instruction of Dr. Reza Feyz, Dr. Babak Alikhani, and Dr. Esmail Radpour, alongside several book review and critique sessions.
Following the announcement and the public call for papers, numerous abstracts exploring different facets of Ibn Arabi’s teachings and legacy were received from within the country and abroad. After a final review and approval process by the scientific referees, a number of these were selected for oral presentation and delivered during the various morning and afternoon sessions of the conference.
Subsequently, it was decided that an issue of Javidan Kherad be dedicated to publishing a selection of the conference papers. Consequently, speakers and authors were invited to submit their manuscripts as full research articles in accordance with the journal’s editorial guidelines. Unfortunately, due to the tight deadline, only a portion of the selected authors were able to respond to this request; thus, it was not possible to include all the valuable papers from the conference in this current issue. We hope that the remaining papers will be published in future editions of the journal.
In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the conference organizers and all the colleagues and friends who assisted in the preparation and publication of this issue of Javidan Kherad.