The Sufi Heart with Omid Safi

QUICK SUMMARY

What if God is closer to you than the ocean is to the fish? Sufi scholar and Duke University professor Omid Safi joins Religion to Reality for one of the most luminous conversations in the podcast’s history. Omid walks us through the heart of Islamic mysticism, not as doctrine, but as a living, breathing practice of radical love. From his childhood in Iran to the halls of Duke, from Rumi’s prayer to the crisis of violence in the Middle East, this episode is an invitation to stop compartmentalizing your faith and start living it in every breath.

Note: Toward the end of this episode, Omid speaks candidly about violence in the Middle East, including recent events in Gaza and Iran. Sensitive listeners may wish to be aware.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE

The heart of Islamic mysticism through the eyes of Sufi scholar Omid Safi, from the daily practice of dhikr (the remembrance of God) to Rumi’s vision of prayer as a way of being, the unity beneath all world religions, and what it truly means to listen without agenda. Omid also speaks with unflinching honesty about violence, scripture, and the question every believer must ask: what would the prophets actually sanction today?

ABOUT OMID SAFI

Omid Safi is a professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University, specializing in Islamic spirituality and contemporary thought. Born in Florida and raised in Iran, Omid bridges two worlds as a teacher, author, and spiritual guide in the Sufi tradition of radical love. He is the founder of Illuminated Courses and Tours, which has brought more than 2,500 people from over 20 countries on spiritual journeys to Turkey and Morocco since 2002. His most recent book, Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition, draws on the foundational texts of Sufism to offer a path of love-drenched, justice-inclined spirituality for the modern world. He has been mentored by luminaries, including the late Vincent Harding, a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

MEMORABLE QUOTE

“I prayed so often that my whole being has become a prayer. Now, whenever somebody sees my face, they start to pray.” — Rumi, as quoted by Omid Safi [00:18:50]

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition — Omid Safi’s most recent book
• Illuminated Courses — Online courses, monthly gatherings, and in-person spiritual retreats open to all
• Dominion by Tom Holland — mentioned by host Dave Plisky in the discussion on the Western colonial labeling of world religions
• Abraham Joshua Heschel — the Jewish theologian and civil rights activist who deeply shaped Omid’s understanding of Judaism
• ✊ Vincent Harding — scholar, activist, and close friend of Dr. King who mentored Omid in the liberationist tradition of Christianity
• David Foster Wallace’s 2005 Kenyon College Commencement Address (“This Is Water”) — referenced at [00:51:50] as a modern parallel to Rumi’s fish metaphor
• ️ Previous episode: Dalia Mogahed on the Muslim Experience in America
• ️ Next episode: Gabriel Said Reynolds, Notre Dame professor of Islamic Studies, on what he learned from the Quran