The Seal of the Seals of the Ideal City

Description

This novel explores the issue of the inevitability of hierarchical ranks, a topic that has preoccupied religions and philosophies since the dawn of history. It presents four figures known as the Seals: Al-Tirmidhi (the sage), Al-Farabi (the philosopher), Al-Mutanabbi (the poet), and Al-Ma’arri (the writer).

These Seals convene in an imaginary council within the ideal city, spanning a time period from Plato to our own, to discuss this fundamental question. Each summons witnesses from among humankind and jinn to support their position (such as Taha Hussein, Bishara al-Khoury, Ahmed Shawqi, Nizar Qabbani, Shakespeare, and Mr. Bean). Each claims the right to rule this ideal city until the Seal of the Seals, Ibn Arabi, appears to judge between them and reveal the true nature of the city. Abd al-Ilah Ibn Arafa is a novelist, poet, scholar of Andalusian heritage, and researcher of mysticism and the legacy of Islamic philosophers. Founder and pioneer of the mystical novel project.