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Iranian philosopher and Sufi writer, Fakhruddin Ibrahim Iraqi
Compiled by: Syed Ali Shahbaz
On June 10, 1213 AD, Persian philosopher and Sufi writer, Fakhruddin Ibrahim Iraqi, was born in Hamadan, western Iran. During his lifetime he spent many years in Multan, (present day Pakistan) as well as in Konya and Toqat in present day Turkey. He was highly educated in both theology and literary disciplines and not only knew the Holy Qur'an, hadith and its exegesis, but also Persian and Arabic literature.
He joined a group of wandering dervishes and traveled to Multan where he met Shaikh Baha’uddin Zakariyya who was the head of the Suhrawardi Sufi Order. He married the Shaikh's daughter and was with him for a total of twenty-five years during which time he continued to write poetry. After the Shaikh's death, he left Multan and traveled first to Mecca and Medina and then towards present day Turkey.
While in Konya where he settled for a while he met Sadruddin Qunawi and the famous Persian mystical poet, Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi. He became a good friend of Rumi, while Qunawi helped to shape him intellectually, as Shaikh Baha’uddin Zakariyya had shaped him spiritually.
After Rumi's death, he moved to Toqat, at a time when there was much upheaval on the Byzantine border. The local ruler did not like him because of the great influence he had over many of the people; so he fled to Cairo in Egypt.
Later he settled in Damascus where he eventually died at the age of 78 years. His writings include “Lama’at” (Divine Flashes). His Divan has been published in Iran under the title of “Kulliyaat-e Iraqi”. Another of his works is the “Ushshaq-Namah” written during his stay in Multan and is dedicated to the vizier Shamsuddin Juwayni.
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