Michel Chodkiewicz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michel Chodkiewicz
|
|
|---|---|
Chodkiewicz at Editions du Seuil, 1987
|
|
| Born | 13 May 1929 |
| Died | 31 March 2020 (aged 90) |
Michel Chodkiewicz (born May 13, 1929 – died March 31, 2020) was a French writer and a smart person who studied Sufism. Sufism is a special way of understanding Islam. He was especially interested in the teachings of a group called Akbarian.
His Life and Work
Michel Chodkiewicz came from the Chodkiewicz family. They were a very old and important family from Poland who moved to France in 1832. He was born in Paris, France, in 1929. He did most of his schooling there.
From 1977 to 1989, he was a top leader at Editions du Seuil. This is a big publishing company in France. He was first the Director-General, then the President and CEO.
Later, he became a director of studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales. Here, he led special classes called seminars. These classes focused on the ideas of a famous scholar named Ibn 'Arabi.
His Spiritual Journey
Michel Chodkiewicz became a Muslim when he was about seventeen years old. He said this happened because he had been searching for answers since he was a teenager. He felt that his earlier faith, Catholicism, did not give him the answers he needed.
During a trip to Arab countries, he learned about Sufism. This spiritual path within Islam really interested him, and he decided to convert. His daughter, Claude Addas, also became a well-known scholar.
What He Wrote
Michel Chodkiewicz wrote and helped publish many important books about Sufism and Islamic thought. Here are some of his main works:
- Émir Abd el-Kader, Écrits spirituels: He helped present, translate, and add notes to this book. It was first published in 1982 and reprinted in 1994.
- Awhad al-Din Balyani, Épître sur l'Unicité absolue: He also presented, translated, and added notes to this book in 1982.
- Le Sceau des Saints, Prophétie et Sainteté dans la doctrine d'Ibn 'Arabî: This book was published by Éditions Gallimard in 1986 and reprinted in 2012. It talks about sainthood and prophecy in Ibn 'Arabi's teachings.
- Ibn 'Arabî, Les Illuminations de La Mecque: He worked with others to choose texts from Ibn 'Arabi's large work, al-Futûhât al-Makkîya. This book came out in 1988 and was reprinted in 2008.
- Un Océan sans rivage. Ibn 'Arabî, le Livre et la Loi: This book was published by Éditions du Seuil in 1992. It explores Ibn 'Arabi's ideas about books and laws.
Learn More
In Spanish: Michel Chodkiewicz para niños
- Michel Chodkiewicz 1929–2020 at The Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society (MIAS).
