“To thine own self be true” is a well-known Shakespearean quote. It is found in Hamlet in Act I, Scene 3, and is spoken by the King’s advisor, Polonius.
E.g. Polonius advises his own son, “to thine own self be true,” and yet does not himself follow that advice, betraying his morals with his actions.
The quote is one of the best-known excerpts from the play, and one of the most commonly used today. But, it reveals a great deal more about the character who speaks it, Polonius, than comes through in contemporary contexts. Polonius is a scheming, backstabbing, hypocritical character who eavesdrops and gets himself killed. He provides his son with the advice included in the long monologue below but does not follow it himself.
Scholars have often connected Polonius’ feigned morality with Hamlet’s feigned madness. Both characters (although Hamlet’s true sanity is questionable) are pretending to be something they aren’t.
“To thine own self be true” Meaning:
The quote “to thine own self be true” means that one should be true to their principles and who they are. They should not strive to please other people by changing what they believe in or acting in any way that is outside what they really want to do.
Shakespeare used this quote within Polonius’ speech in order to later emphasize the characters’ hypocritical nature. Polonius gives his son, Laertes, all of this information about how to behave but he doesn’t follow it himself. For example, he spies on Hamlet, lies, conceals himself, eavesdrops, and more. Eavesdropping eventually gets him killed, something that perhaps proves the importance of taking his own advice.
How is Hamlet not true to himself?
Hamlet is untrue to himself in several ways. First, he spends much of the play pretending (to an extent) to be “mad.” He lies and tricks in order to try to get information and revenge on his Uncle Claudius. Hamlet is conflicted about his desire to kill his uncle, his belief in the ghost, and how he treats other people.
- King Charles Coronation : “To thine own self be true”
A 14-year-old choirboy plays a prominent role in the Coronation when he greets King Charles inside Westminster Abbey. He welcomes the monarch as he moves through the body of the church to the Chairs of Estate. He says: “Your Majesty, as children of the kingdom of God we welcome you in the name of the King of Kings.”
The King replies before the service begins with the Recognition: ” In the name of God and after His exampIe, I come not to be served but to serve”.
The Kingdom of God is not a place, but a way of being – a reign of justice, mercy, and love which Jesus came to bring (Mark 1.15). ‘King of Kings’ is a title that is given to Jesus in the Bible (Revelation 19.16). Christians profess the belief that He reigns for ever as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In this greeting, His Majesty’s reply echoes the truth of Jesus Christ who came, not to wield power by force, but to show the power of love (Matthew 20.28).
– Cosmati Pavement:
The great pavement in front of the High Altar of Westminster Abbey is a unique and remarkable object. The complexity and subtlety of the design and workmanship can be seen nowhere else on this scale.
Westminster Abbey contains the only surviving medieval Cosmatesque mosaics outside Italy. They comprise: the ‘Great Pavement’ in the sanctuary; the pavement around the shrine of Edward the Confessor; the saint’s tomb and shrine; Henry III’s tomb; the tomb of a royal child, and some other pieces. Surprisingly, the mosaics have never before received detailed recording and analysis, either individually or as an assemblage. The proposed publication, in two volumes, will present a holistic study of this outstanding group of monuments in their historical architectural and archaeological context. The shrine of St Edward is a remarkable survival, having been dismantled at the Dissolution and re-erected (incorrectly) in 1557 under Queen Mary. Large areas of missing mosaic were replaced with plaster on to which mosaic designs were carefully painted. This 16th-century fictive mosaic is unique in Britain.
At the center of the sanctuary is a Medieval treasure in the form of its Cosmati Pavement, and it is upon this floor that the coronation of the monarch is traditionally performed. The name “Cosmati” refers to a family of Italian craftsmen renowned for the type of geometric mosaic work represented upon the floor at Westminster.
Such mosaics are comprised of small triangles and rectangles of glass and colored stones which were often incorporated from ancient monuments. As part of his Gothic renewal of Westminster, King Henry III brought Italian craftsmen to England especially for this work, and the pavement’s position within the floorplan indicates that the king intended for it to be the setting for royal ceremony. Nevertheless, this intricate masterpiece has rarely been seen in modern times, and has even been covered during previous coronations, including that of HM Queen Elizabeth II. In a study attempting to
evaluate the pavement’s meaning, art historian Richard Foster ends up posing the question, “did hiding it from public view mean that its significance was too great to be an open secret?”
A cryptic inscription on it even predicts the end of the world, claiming it would last 19,683 years, with a riddle adding together the life spans of different animals including dogs, horses, men, stags, ravens, eagles and whales. Read more here
- Coronation Chair and Stone of Scone or Stone of Destiny:
The Stone of Scone (Gaelic: Lia Fail), also known as the Stone of Destiny or Coronation Stone, is a block of sandstone associated with the coronation ceremonies of the medieval monarchs of Scotland. These ceremonies were held at Scone, a prehistoric site in Perthshire, although the precise use of the stone is not known.
In a deliberate act of political propaganda, the Stone of Scone was removed from Scotland by Edward I of England (r. 1272-1307) who made it a part of the English Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey. The stone was finally returned to Scotland in 1996 and now resides in Edinburgh Castle.
The Stone of Scone is a rectangular slab of yellow sandstone which most likely is Scottish in origin, perhaps from the Lower Old Red Sandstone rocks in the region of Perthshire. It measures approximately 66 cm x 28 cm (26 x 11 in) and weighs around 152 kg (336 pounds). The stone is plain with the exception of a single carved Latin cross. Today it resides in the Crown Room of Edinburgh Castle alongside other items of the Scottish regalia.
Myths & Legends For a rather nondescript slab of sandstone, the Stone of Destiny comes with a remarkable baggage of myth and folklore. According to the legend, the stone was the very one which Jacob – the ancestor of the people of Israel – used as a pillow when he was in Bethel (a city north of Jerusalem) and experienced a vision of angels ascending and descending a celestial ladder to heaven.
legend grew that only where the Stone of Destiny was located would Scottish kings rule.
The stone then enjoyed an extraordinary Mediterranean tour which saw it move from the Middle East to Egypt, Sicily, and Spain. Finally, the stone arrived in Ireland around 700 BCE where it was set up at the Hill of Tara, the Neolithic site in County Meath where tradition has it the ancient kings of Ireland were acclaimed. In some sources, it was then the legendary Irish ruler Fergus Mor who brought the stone to Scotland around 500. In another version of the legend, the stone was brought from Ireland to Scotland by Princess Scota, the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh. There is also some confusion as to whether the present Stone of Destiny is the same stone as the one related to these legends because some early medieval chroniclers describe it as a carved stone throne. Alternatively, the present stone may once have been a part of this more elaborate throne.
The stone’s new home in Scotland was either Dunstaffnage Castle on the western coast or, more likely given its history, the nearby island of Iona, part of the Inner Hebrides group. Iona was an ancient holy site for the Christian ascetics known as the Culdees, and it became the traditional burial ground for Scottish monarchs. Indeed, the site has a very long history with its prehistoric barrows and monuments.
The stone remained at Iona for the next 350 years, and a legend grew that only where the Stone of Destiny was located would Scottish kings rule. The author Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832 CE) claimed that a piece of metal was once attached to the stone which carried the following engraved verse:
Unless the fates be faulty grown
And prophet’s voice be vain
Where’er is found this sacred stone
The Scottish race shall reign.
Relocation by Kenneth MacAlpin: The Celtic king Kenneth MacAlpin (also spelt Cinaed mac Ailpin or mac Ailpein, r. c. 842-858) ruled the Kingdom of the Scots or Alba as it is sometimes known. Kenneth is credited with taking the Stone of Destiny to Scone in Perthshire around 843, perhaps as a symbol of his subjugation of the Picts who may have used the stone for their own coronation ceremonies. It was used in the ceremonies held at Scone to inaugurate Scottish kings thereafter. Lords and bishops gathered at Scone, and later at Scone Abbey, to witness their king being acclaimed and to swear oaths of loyalty. The king’s long genealogy was also proclaimed to the gathered dignitaries. Scottish kings were, as yet, not crowned or anointed with holy oil – this form of coronation ceremony would only take place from the 14th century onwards. The king did not perhaps sit on the stone either but, rather, it was used as an altar during the ceremony and set upon the small artificial mound known as Moot Hill or the ‘Hill of Belief’. Alternatively, the stone may have been used in different ways over the centuries as, in a detailed description of the ceremony of Alexander III of Scotland (r. 1249-1286), it is stated by John of Fordun that Alexander did sit on the stone.
In removing the Stone of Scone, Edward I was effectively declaring that Scotland was no longer a kingdom but a mere province of England.
If the king was married, then the queen received her inauguration service after her husband. By the 12th century, Scottish kings were given familiar symbols of power such as a sword, sceptre, rod, and orb. In addition, the ancient sacred site of Scone was given its own monastery c. 1115 by Alexander I of Scotland (r. 1107-1124). The monastery, first a priory and then, later, a full abbey, was founded by Augustinian canons from Nostel Abbey in Yorkshire.
Removal By Edward I The Stone of Scone’s destiny was about to be changed by an Englishman, one of Scotland’s greatest ever enemies. Edward I of England adjudicated over who became the successor of Alexander III of Scotland, an event often termed as the Great Cause. Top candidates were the powerful nobleman John Balliol and Robert Bruce (b. 1210 and grandfather of his more famous namesake). In 1292, Edward plumbed for Balliol, perhaps because he was the weaker of the two and so could be more easily manipulated. John was to be the last medieval Scottish king to be crowned on or near the Stone of Scone on 30 November 1292. As it turned out, the Scots themselves grew tired of Balliol’s ineffective responses to Edward’s domination, and open rebellion was in the air. In 1295 Scotland formally the English king allied itself with France – the first move in what became known as the ‘Auld Alliance’ – a step too far for.
Edward I then invaded Scotland, personally leading an army of 25,000-30,000 men. The king thus earned his nickname as ‘the Hammer of the Scots’, and he was intent on total conquest. Balliol surrendered after the Battle of Dunbar in 1296, and three English barons were nominated to rule Scotland. Always with an eye for dramatic gestures regarding enemy cultures, Edward stole the Scottish monarchy’s regalia and the Stone of Scone, relocating it to Westminster Abbey in 1297. There it was placed under the seat of the purpose-built English Coronation Chair, often called St. Edward’s Chair because Edward I dedicated his prize to the English king and saint, Edward the Confessor (r. 1042-1066). In this act of removal, Edward I was effectively declaring that Scotland was no longer a kingdom but a mere province of England.
There was a legend that the wily Scots had given Edward a substitute stone and kept the real one safe on the Isle of Skye, but the truth of that is unlikely ever to be substantiated, and there is no evidence that Edward did not get his hands on the original. In any case, Scotland was never quite subdued, and more rebellions followed, notably the 1300 uprising led by William Wallace (c. 1270-1305). Edward II of England may have been prepared to return the stone (r. 1307-1327) as part of a peace treaty with Scotland agreed in 1328. However, it seems that the Abbot of Westminster Abbey refused to give it up. Consequently, the Stone of Scone remained in England for the next seven centuries. On 25 March 1306, Robert the Bruce (r. 1306-1329) was the first Scottish king to be crowned without the stone, although the ceremony was held as usual in Scone Abbey.
Later History & Return to Scotland: As fate would have it, a Scottish king did eventually get to be crowned while sitting on the Stone of Scone. This was James VI of Scotland (r. 1567-1625) who also became James I of England CE (r. 1603-1625) when he was crowned in Westminster Abbey in 1603. This happened because his predecessor Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603) had died without children, and James, Elizabeth’s closest relative, was invited by the nobles of England to take the throne. James was of the Stuart line, and that house would rule England until 1714, all of its monarchs taking their place above the Stone of Scone in their coronation. The Scots had finally turned the tables on the English after Edward I’s theft 300 years earlier, and the legend of the stone had proved correct: a Scottish king now ruled where the stone resided.
From the 19th century, the Stone of Scone became a potent national symbol for the Scots, and there were repeated calls for the stone’s return. In 1950 a group of Scottish nationalists managed to break into Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day of all days. They grabbed the stone and took it back to Scotland, but it was recovered by the authorities and returned to Westminster four months later. The stone was finally and this time officially returned to the people of Scotland in 1996, appropriately enough, on 30 November, Saint Andrew’s Day, which honours the patron saint of Scotland. There was one catch which illustrates the continuing power of the stone in the imaginations of the peoples on both sides of the border: the stone must be returned to Westminster Abbey on the occasion of a coronation ceremony of a British monarch.
- The Anointing Ceremony
The most mysterious and sacred centre of Charles’ coronation is the Anointing. In this ceremony, which dates back to the Old Testament, Charles will remove his robes of state. Dressed in a simple white shirt, he will be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury with oil of chrism, made on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives and blessed in a special ceremony by the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
The millions watching the Coronation won’t see any of this. Our screens will see only the anointing screen: an elaborate tapestry embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework, depicting every nation in the Commonwealth as leaves on a tree. Behind this, the Archbishop will pour the oil into an ornate silver-gilt spoon, the only surviving relic of the pre-Civil War coronation regalia, and anoint Charles on the hands, chest and head: a moment traditionally seen as between the sovereign and God, and thus closed to public view.
The Anointing Screen
The Anointing Screen which has been designed and produced for use during the Coronation Service on 6th May at Westminster Abbey has been blessed at a special service of dedication at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace.
The Anointing Screen has been designed and produced for use at the most sacred moment of the Coronation, the Anointing of His Majesty The King. The screen combines traditional and contemporary sustainable embroidery practices to produce a design which speaks to His Majesty The King’s deep affection for the Commonwealth. The screen has been gifted for the occasion by the City of London Corporation and City Livery Companies.
The Anointing Screen was designed by iconographer Aidan Hart and brought to life through both hand and digital embroidery, managed by the Royal School of Needlework. The central design takes the form of a tree which includes 56 representing the 56 member countries of the Commonwealth. The King’s cypher is positioned at the base of the tree, representing the Sovereign as servant of their people.
The design has been selected personally by The King and is inspired by the stained-glass Sanctuary Window in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace, which was gifted by the Livery Companies to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002.
The Anointing Screen is supported by a wooden pole framework, designed and created by Nick Gutfreund of the Worshipful Company of Carpenters. The oak wooden poles are made from a windblown tree from the Windsor Estate, which was originally planted by The Duke of Northumberland in 1765. The wooden poles have been limed and waxed, combining traditional craft skills with a contemporary finish.
At the top of the wooden poles are mounted two eagles, cast in bronze and gilded in gold leaf, giving the screens a total height of 2.6 metres and width of 2.2 metres. The form of an eagle has longstanding associations with Coronations. Eagles have appeared on previous Coronation Canopies, including the canopy used by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Equally, the Ampulla, which carries the Chrism oil used for anointing, is cast in the shape of an eagle.
The screen is three-sided, with the open side to face the High Altar in Westminster Abbey. The two sides of the screen feature a much simpler design with maroon fabric and a gold, blue and red cross inspired by the colours and patterning of the Cosmati Pavement at Westminster Abbey where the Anointing take place.
Design Process
The screen has been gifted for the Coronation by the City of London Corporation and participating Livery Companies, the City’s ancient and modern trade guilds. His Majesty The King is a keen advocate and supporter of the preservation of heritage craft skills, and the Anointing Screen project has been a collaboration of these specialists in traditional crafts, from those early in their careers to artisans with many years of experience.
The individual leaves have been embroidered by staff and students from the Royal School of Needlework, as well as members of the Worshipful Company of Broderers, Drapers and Weavers.
As well as heritage craft, contemporary skills and techniques have formed part of this unique collaboration. The outline of the tree has been created using digital machine embroidery by Digitek Embroidery. This machine embroidery was completed with sustainable thread, Madeira Sensa, made from 100% lyocell fibres.
The threads used by the Royal School of Needlework are from their famous ‘Wall of Wool’ and existing supplies that have been collated over the years through past projects and donations. The materials used to create the Anointing Screen have also been sourced sustainably from across the UK and other Commonwealth nations. The cloth is made of wool from Australia and New Zealand, woven and finished in UK mills.
It is also inspired by the Tree of Life. As the tree of live of the Warlis people from India, it is a recurring motif in many arts, including in the folk arts of India. They contain deep symbolism, being embodiments of celestial and vital energies. The stylisations are many and specific to each craft. As many trees are represented, from the real to the mythical, from the ashwattha to the kalpataru, the divine tree that grants wishes. Some ancient Indian texts look at creation itself as a tree. But even without the complex layers of symbolism, it is always heartening to see this motif. The tree, whatever else it is, is a giver of life. A beautiful thing to be celebrated and give gratitude for.
The script used for the names of each Commonwealth country has been designed as modern and classical, inspired by both the Roman Trojan column letters and the work of Welsh calligrapher David Jones.
Also forming part of the Commonwealth tree are The King’s Cypher, decorative roses, angels and a scroll, which features the quote from Julian of Norwich (c. 1343-1416): ‘All shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well’.
This design has again been inspired by the Sanctuary Window in the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, created for Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. At the top of the screen is the sun, representing God, and birds including the dove of peace, which have all been hand embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework.
The dedication and blessing of the Anointing Screen took place earlier this week at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, where it was officially received and blessed by the Sub-Dean and Domestic Chaplain to The King, Paul Wright, on behalf of The Royal Household.
- King Charles and Sufism: Defender of Truth
This is a transcript of a TV interview given by Sheikh Mohammed Nazim al Haqqani, Mufti of Turkish Cyprus and Grandsheik of the Most Distinguished Naqshabandi Order of Sufis, in Cyprus Jan. 24, ’94.
We’ve been waiting a long, long time… “ABOUT HRH PRINCE CHARLES” RIP Queen Elizabeth; God Save Our King.
Bismillah hirRohman ni rRahim/In the Name of God, Almighty, All Merciful, O Our Lord, O Allah, we are asking your support for speaking about Reality.
Today TV stations are coming for recording an interview with me and they are interested to hear about the Crown Prince of England, Prince Charles, and the Crown Prince of Great Britain, especially Turkish people from every level of society. They are really interested in Prince Charles, wondering if he really embraced Sufism or not, and if he is accepting Sufism from me and is going to be my follower in Sufi ways. Every TV station is always coming and asking about that, because common people are surprised and wonder how it can be–that a crown prince, who is going to be the King of England in the future, embraced Sufism? And top-level people in Turkey are also shocked by this news, shocked that it can actually be true.
Therefore they were trying to say this news is something inaccurate about the Prince, and based on their imagination they are trying to say, “he is not sincere about his accepting Sufism. Maybe he is going to cheat you, or maybe he is wishing to get some benefit from the Arabs, or maybe he wants to get he support of Arab countries when he becomes king.” In this way, they are speaking nonsense about Prince Charles’ accepting of Sufism.
And I was saying to them that everything they imagine is only that, it is from them, it is not real. Whoever is always cheating people thinks that the Prince is also going to cheat people–no, never. He is now a real sincere Sufi Moslem showing love and praise for Sufism and Islam. If I as a mufti and sheik were to praise Christianity, what would you understand about me? It is very clear.
And what about Prince Charles’ coming to Turkey and going to ancient centers of worship, visiting the holy graves of the Prophet’s Disciples, and visiting the Sufi saints in Istanbul and Konya and his studying the Sufi Moslem communities, looking at the Ottoman Civilisation, praising it and saying it is so good, so perfect?
Still they are saying about him that he is cheating people and he is not liking or accepting Sufism which is the true Islam. But I think that… (bring it to me), what is written here? It says, “Text of Address Given by his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Patron of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.” This speech is a proof, an evidence that Prince Charles really embraced Sufism and Islam, in his heart. But now many people are attacking him, those who are declare their belief only with their tongues, not through their hearts.
In England, at Oxford University, he stood up and made a lecture about the perfection and beauty of true Islam. How are we able to say that he has not accepted it or that he is not sincere? But now Eastern Moslems, fundamentalist Moslems mental capacity has just reached the level of zero, and those fundamentalist and overly rigid Moslems have left most of the beautiful and lovely characteristics of true Islam and only have bad characteristics of Satan. They are not looking with sincerity or expecting a good result –therefore whatever they are expecting, that is what they are seeing –only suspicions and bad intentions.
And God Almighty promised to His Prophets (peace be upon them), “I am going to keep on you, O Earth, 124,000 saints, each one representing one of my Prophets. And there should also be one representing and inheriting from my Beloved Servant, the Seal of Prophets, Mohammed, peace be upon him.” Messengers and Prophets inform about the coming days of the future.
Every Prophet must be able to inform about the future if he is really a Prophet. If they are not able to tell about the coming days of the world they are not Prophets. A Prophet must know about future of this world, when it is going to end and how and also exact details of what should happen. They must inform their followers of every news about the Last Days, as well as before and after the Last Days.
One of the spiritual inheritors of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be pon him) was titled the Greatest Sheik. He was a grand sheik among Sufi saints. His name was Muhiyiddin ibn ‘Arabi, May God bless him, a Sufi saint, as well as the Inheritor of the Seal of Prophets, Muhammad, peace be upon him and on all Prophets. God Almighty took away the veils from the eyes of his heart, and he was looking at the Preserved Tablet, looking and seeing what is going to happen up to end of this world, what is going to be in the Last Days and even after the Last Days.
He was one of the most famous Sufi saints, Sheik Muhiyiddin ibn ‘Arabi. He has described some information about the Last Days and news about the nations. He was saying that when the Last Days approach, at the time of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_ArabiImam Mahdi, peace be on him, seven great nations will enter into true Islam, and the first of them will be England. English people are the first ones who are going to become Sufi Moslems, then Germans, then five more great Western countries.
All of them are going to be Sufi Moslems. And now is the time which Muhiyuddin ibn ‘Arabi informed us would be real and would appear. Therefore, it began with the future King of England accepting and embracing Sufism which is true Islam, Islam which means peace, Islam which stands for love and harmony among all people, without discrimination between believers and non-believers, between white or black or yellow or red.
That is the first and strongest evidence of what Muhiyiddin ibn ‘Arabi was saying about the English nation entering Islam. And now some people are asking, “Why he is not saying it openly, directly?” And I say to them, “you people, can’t you understand anything?” They are not looking at the conditions that he is in; his position within his country, England. His situation does not allow Prince Charles to declare his Sufi beliefs openly. And we do not need him to say it directly. But what he said about Sufism is enough to signify his accepting those beliefs sincerely.
We have a saying, “if a pot is made of clay, whatever you put in it the same will come out of it.” If you put vinegar in it, you will get vinegar out, if you put oil in, you will get oil out. It is enough that Prince Charles praised true Islam, the Sufi Islam that is based on love, tolerance, humbleness, respect and peace. That means what was in his heart appeared on his tongue. God Almighty is accepting. It is not necessary for him to stand up in Trafalgar Square and say, “La ilaha illa Allah Mohammadun Rasulullah, I just accepted Sufism and Islam, as I accept all religions, without discrimination. ” If he does that, perhaps people will throw stones, eggs, tomatoes, and onions at him. But he is clever and protected and he is also blessed. He going to meet the Mahdi, the Guided One who is coming before the return of Jesus, peace be on them, and he is going to become one of his ministers.
At the time of Mahdi and of Jesus, every king will accept the beliefs of true Islam, which are the same as those of true Christianity and true Judaism. And perhaps before the next century, every king who was exiled from his homelands, or from his kingdom, by whatever means, by fundamentalists or fanatics or tyrants, should return to his throne. They should once again be kings with full authority and power. Now the parliamentary system of democracy is going to end, and all of them should come back to the throne, everywhere.
Now kings, they are very few. At the beginning of the century there were about 140 kings yet in our days there are only 20 or 25 kings left. Most of them were thrown down from their thrones and exiled. Whichever people have the honor to have a king, they should give thanks and praise to God for their kingship. God Almighty is going to give them back their full rights. Therefore perhaps before the year 2000 every king that lost their power and their royal rights should gain them given back. And every one of them is going to be a minister of Mahdi, the Guided One (peace be on him), and a supporter of Jesus when he returns and one of them that is going to be given authority, is Hussein Charles, Prince Charles.
And that is the reason God Almighty is preparing Prince Charles for that purpose. Mahdi, is coming with his spiritual power, to prepare the way for the return of Jesus, peace be upon him. Before his coming the Prince is being prepared for Mahdi. We believe Mahdi, the Guided One is coming very soon, and then Jesus should appear, God-willing before the end of this century. So he should be with us, God-willing, before we reach the year 2000, before the 20th Century ends. This is understood by scholars of Scriptures and Traditions of the Last Days and many saints have also predicted this. Especially this is the understanding that God sent to the heart of the Sufi saint, Muhyideen Ibn ‘Arabi, the Greatest Sheik. Scholars of Sufism and saints are expecting the Mahdi during the Great Pilgrimage. Now we hope it is going to be before 2000, and that Jesus should appear soon after that, coming in Damascus, peace be upon him. I hope before then will be Hajj ul-Akbar, the Great Pilgrimage, and if he is not reaching before then, we hope he will reach soon after that year. And from God is all success.
Wa min Allah at tawfiq Fatiha
Look also:
Jesus – The Paradigm of a Pilgrim in God according to Ibn al-ʿArabi
Jesus, Mary and the Book, according to Ibn al-ʿArabi
Jesus in the Quran: an Akbari Perspective
THE ELIATIC FUNCTION IN THE ISLAMIC TRADITION: KHIDR AND THE MAHDI
Path to the Maypole of Wisdom 