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Sufi Heart with Omid Safi

Sufi Heart with Omid Safi

By: Be Here Now Network
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The Sufi Heart podcast with Omid Safi features teachings and stories about a sacred tradition of love, one that manifests outwardly as justice and inwardly as tenderness. Drawing primarily on the wisdom of the Islamic tradition as well as the legacies of the Civil Rights movements and other wisdom teachings, Omid invites you to a meditation on the transformative power of love and recalling the necessity of linking healing our own hearts with healing the world.

Omid Safi is a teacher in the Islamic mystical tradition of Radical Love, and serves as a professor of Islamic studies at Duke University. Omid’s passion for teaching has been recognized by his ten nominations for Professor of the Year awards.

Omid has published extensively on the foundational sources of Islam and Sufism. His Memories of Muhammad is an award-winning biography of the Prophet Muhammad. His most recent book is Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition.

He teaches online courses through Illuminated Courses on topics ranging from Rumi to the mystical dimension of the Qur’an. Lastly, he offers for the general public Illuminated Tours , spiritually oriented contemplative journeys and retreats which have brought more than 2,500 friends from over twenty countries to Turkey, Morocco, Andalusia, and now Umrah since 2002.

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Episodes
  • Ep. 40 - The Thread Between Traditions with Joshua Michael Schrei

    Ep. 40 - The Thread Between Traditions with Joshua Michael Schrei
    Mar 19 2026
    Omid Safi and mythology expert Joshua Michael Schrei explore the shared threads of spiritual traditions, discussing ecstasy, discernment, and the courage to cultivate a heart that becomes a refuge for others.This episode was originally recorded for The Emerald, a podcast that explores the human experience through a vibrant lens of myth, story, and imagination. Brought to life through the wise, wild, and humorous vision of Joshua Michael Schrei — a teacher and lifelong student of the cosmologies and mythologies of the world — the podcast draws from a deep well of poetry, lore, and mythos to challenge conventional narratives on politics and public discourse, meditation and mindfulness, art, science, literature, and more. Subscribe to The Emerald on your favorite podcast app for more conversations like this!In this episode, Omid and Joshua navigate:The connecting thread between different faith traditionsThe mythic, the ecstatic, and the embodiedMaking contact with the mysteryBuilding spiritual rhythm through daily practiceReal friendship: holding up the mirror to one anotherStaying consciously open but maintaining wise boundariesSpiritual naivety, working on discernment, and being aware of self-justification Political activism and taking accountability for our own rolesMaking our hearts a garden in which others can seek shelterAbout Joshua Michael Schrei:Josh Schrei is a podcaster, myth teller, teacher, and a lifelong student of the cosmologies and mythologies of the world—in particular the Indian subcontinent. Throughout a lifetime of teaching, study, meditation, and yogic practice, wilderness immersion, art, music, and public speaking, Josh has sought to navigate the living, animate space of the imagination and advocate for a world that prioritizes imaginative vision. Josh has taught intensive courses in mythology and somatic disciplines for more than 20 years. Keep up with Joshua on his website and stay tuned for fresh episodes of The Emerald. "When we re-find that ecstatic thread, then we find that thread unifies so many things that we once thought were disparate. The divine has always been accessed musically, through story, through art, in so many different ways, through mythic study. All of this is a different way of getting out of agitated consciousness and into a place where we can find that ecstatic experience." –Joshua Michael SchreiAbout Omid Safi:Omid Safi is a teacher in the Islamic mystical tradition of Radical Love, and serves as a professor of Islamic studies at Duke University. Omid’s passion for teaching has been recognized by his ten nominations for Professor of the Year awards. Omid has published extensively on the foundational sources of Islam and Sufism. His Memories of Muhammad is an award-winning biography of the Prophet Muhammad. His most recent book is Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition. He teaches online courses through Illuminated Courses on topics ranging from Rumi to the mystical dimension of the Qur’an. Lastly, he offers for the general public Illuminated Tours , spiritually oriented contemplative journeys and retreats which have brought more than 2,500 friends from over twenty countries to Turkey, Morocco, Andalusia, and now Umrah since 2002. "There is such a thing as the dark side of the force and there is tremendous power in it. There are people who derive their reason to live and ability to get up in the day from that very negative energy. I don't think it's the healthiest one, I don't think it's the most beautiful one, but to pretend that it's not real and merely an illusion I think that's setting yourself up for a very rude awakening. Maybe what you want is to hold up the mirror and say yes this has power, but is this the most beautiful way to live? –Omid SafiSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • Ep. 39 - The Womb of Love: Feminine Wisdom & Embodied Islam with Willow Brook

    Ep. 39 - The Womb of Love: Feminine Wisdom & Embodied Islam with Willow Brook
    Feb 4 2026
    Focusing on the feminine side of religion, Omid Safi and Willow Brook express how divine love and connection transcend all binaries. This episode was originally recorded for the Wild Heart Podcast with Willow Brook - a podcast that explores divinity in daily life with themes of love, mysticism, grief as a spiritual path, and sensual embodiment. Learn more: Wild Heart Podcast | On YoutubeThis time on Sufi Heart, Omid Safi chats with Willow Brook about:Navigating this mass global suffering Tapping into love while going through crisis Remembering that the self and collective are wrapped up togetherConnecting to the lived experience of othersWhat it means to make love and beauty realLessons from great activists like MLK Jr. and Malcolm XHow essential black women have been in the civil rights movementExpanding our notions of love beyond the romanticThe divine mother and feminine wisdom within IslamDeeply knowing that we are never apart from GodHow we are all living in the same spiritual ecosystem, the same divine wombThe dichotomy of form and formless, body and spirit Love as embodied serviceAbout Willow Brook:Willow Brook is a love coach, interspiritual companion, and earth-rooted educator dedicated to helping people awaken to deeper intimacy, presence, and love. For over a decade, she has guided individuals and groups through transformational spaces around the world, weaving somatic intimacy practices, ritual, meditation, and song to support the alchemy of heartbreak into embodied and nourishing connection. Through her signature coaching program, Open to Love, Willow supports those who long for fulfilling and soulful relationships with their bodies, partners, and the divine but feel held back by the pain of the past. As co-founder of Wild Heart with Mirabai Starr, she also facilitates community grief gatherings and ceremonies rooted in the divine feminine for people of all genders. Listen to Willow's The Wild Heart Podcast to hear more about the intersections of love, spirit, and embodiment. You can also keep up with Willow on Instagram.About Omid Safi:Dr. Omid Safi is the director of Duke University’s Islamic Studies Center. He specializes in the study of Islamic mysticism and contemporary Islam and frequently writes on liberationist traditions of Dr. King and Malcolm X, and is committed to traditions that link together love and justice. He leads spiritual tours every year to Turkey, Morocco, or other countries, to study the rich multiple religious traditions there. The trips are open to everyone from every country. More information is available at Illuminated Courses & Tours.Check out Omid’s books Progressive Islam and Radical Love for more progressive perspectives on wisdom from ancient sages “If we are both in the same divine womb, what atrocity would I commit without it also coming back to me? How would it change our idea of environmental responsibility? Not only because this is our only home in all of the infinite galaxies, but because we are living in the same spiritual ecosystem and all of that is contained in the divine womb.” –Omid SafiSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • Ep. 38 -The Mystical Teachings of Ibn ‘Arabi

    Ep. 38 -The Mystical Teachings of Ibn ‘Arabi
    Jul 14 2025

    Omid Safi discusses Sufi teachings from one of the greatest muslim mystics, an Andalusian sage named Ibn ‘Arabi.

    "When Ibn 'Arabi comes, he sits with all of himself. When he's listening, he listens with all of himself. When it's time to go, he gets up with all of himself. All of him is here, so I can give him all of the love. That's such a practice, and it's such a challenge for all of us who are always distracted. A lot of Sufi practice is really this art of being present." – Omid Safi

    This week on Sufi Heart, Omid Safi illuminates:

    • The life of Ibn ‘Arabi from Andalusia, to Morocco, Turkey, and Damascus
    • The prayer of opening and Ibn ‘Arabi’s text, Futuhat al-Makkiyya (openings of the heart)
    • Removing that which veils you from direct presence with God
    • Experiencing Kashf—the unveiled revelations that arise from intimate communion with God
    • The paradoxical ‘yes and no’ response that Ibn ‘Arabi often gave to philosophical questions and finding beauty in the paradox
    • Remembering that we do not see God, we are seen by God
    • Presence and mindfulness as a core feature of Sufi spiritual practice
    • How Ibn ‘Arabi’s life teaches us what it means to have a teacher and blurring together seeker and master
    • A commentary on all in the natural realm that is made beautiful
    • Dissolving the illusion of separation between lover and beloved
    • A poem from Ibn ‘Arabi on alchemy and the Prophet

    “Most people translate it as ‘I become’ then ‘I become the sight by which you see’. Ibn ‘Arabi says ‘it’s not I become, I am’. It sounds really different, it hits different. I am the eye by which you see. I am the hearing by which you hear. I am the hand by which you touch. I am the tongue by which you speak.” – Omid Safi

    About Omid Safi:

    Dr. Omid Safi is the director of Duke University’s Islamic Studies Center. He specializes in the study of Islamic mysticism and contemporary Islam and frequently writes on liberationist traditions of Dr. King and Malcolm X, and is committed to traditions that link together love and justice. He leads spiritual tours every year to Turkey, Morocco, or other countries, to study the rich multiple religious traditions there. The trips are open to everyone from every country. More information is available at Illuminated Courses & Tours.

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    56 mins
All stars
Most relevant
After reading The Rumi Prescription by Melody Moezzi, I am thrilled to discover a podcast featuring Professor Omid Safi, the man in her book who led Melody Moezzi's family on a tour that included Rumi's home land and gravesite. Omid Safi is filled in both mind and heart with love and knowledge of mystics. This first episode is gorgeous. I'm overjoyed to discover his teachings are available here. Thank you and may peace be with you.

A Thrilling Find

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I find the thoughts of the Sufis like this writer to be interesting even though I don't always agree with them.

Sufism is one of the better mystical traditions

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