Publisher's Synopsis
In this unique study, new light is cast upon the role of the Swedish Sufi Ivan Aguéli (1869-1917) in the life and writings of the French scholar René Guénon (1886-1951). The book answers the following questions:
- Who was Ivan Aguéli, and how did he meet René Guénon?
- How did Ivan Aguéli influence the works of René Guénon?
- Were any of René Guénon's books co-authored by Ivan Aguéli?
- What was René Guénon's true relationship to the Egyptian Sufi Elish el Kabir?
In this unparalleled study, the scholar Oliver Fotros explores the profound influence of Ivan Aguéli on the works and ideas of René Guénon. By examining Aguéli's original articles and letters in French, Swedish and Arabic, Fotros proceeds to decipher the texts of Guénon - which uncovers facts that have been well concealed for over a century. The result offers a new perspective on one of France's greatest intellectuals and a fascinating account of friendship, intrigue, and ambition.
Background:
Ivan Aguéli or Shaykh Abdul Hâdi Aqhîli (1869-1917) was a Swedish Sufi and artist who was a pioneer in the introduction of Sufism to the West. Born in Sweden in 1869, Aguéli moved to Paris in his youth where he converted to Islam in 1898. Becoming a representative of the renowned Shadiliyyah Sufi Shaykh Elish el Kabir, Aguéli returned to Paris in 1910 to spread the teachings of Ibn Arabi. Learning to know René Guénon, he received him into Islam in 1911. Shortly after, Aguéli departed Paris and the two never met again. In 1916, Aguéli was exiled from Egypt to Spain, where he perished under tragic circumstances. Guénon nevertheless went on to become an intellectual of global renown and a leading scholar of the Perennial Philosophy.
So far, Ivan Aguéli has only been attributed a peripheral role in the life of René Guénon - but what if his influence was far greater than what has hitherto been acknowledged?
