Cynthia Bourgeault has often pointed to the deep resonances between early Christian mysticism and Islamic Sufism. Both traditions arose in the same sacred geography. Both cultivated surrender of the small self, purification of the heart, and direct knowing of divine reality. Rather than seeing them as rivals, it may be more accurate to see them as neighboring wells drawing from the same underground aquifer.
In this series, we explore Mary Magdalene through the lens of the 99 Divine Names in Islam. Not to collapse traditions into one another, but to notice how certain divine qualities shine through her life and presence. In Sufi teaching, the Divine Names are not distant theological abstractions. They are qualities meant to awaken within the human heart. They already exist in seed form within us. The path is the work of polishing the heart until those Names begin to reflect clearly.
We begin with Al-‘Alīm — The All-Knowing.
The Difference Between Information and Knowing
There is knowledge that can be memorized, defended, and weaponized.
And there is knowledge that has been tasted.
Al-‘Alīm refers to the One whose knowing penetrates all veils. It is not merely the accumulation of facts but awareness that sees through surfaces into essence. When this Name is reflected in a human being, it does not appear as arrogance or intellectual dominance. It appears as clarity.
Mary Magdalene embodies that clarity.
In the Gospel of Mary, after the death of Jesus, the disciples are afraid. The movement feels shattered. The future is uncertain. It is Mary who steadies them. She speaks of a vision. She recounts teachings given in intimacy. She does not argue for authority; she speaks from encounter.
Her knowledge is not secondhand.
It has been tasted.
The Sufi tradition distinguishes between knowledge that is learned and knowledge that is experienced directly. One can study sweetness endlessly and never know honey. But once honey touches the tongue, argument becomes unnecessary. Mary’s authority rests in that kind of knowing.
Steadiness in the Garden
The Gospel of John gives us another scene that reveals the same quality. At the empty tomb, while others have retreated into fear, Mary remains. Dawn breaks. She weeps. A voice speaks her name.
Recognition is immediate.
There is no deduction, no analysis, no theological calculation. She knows the voice because she has lived in relationship with it. This is not conceptual knowledge. It is intimacy.
Al-‘Alīm reflected in a human heart does not shout. It recognizes.
That moment in the garden is a portrait of heart-knowledge. In Sufi language, it would be called ma‘rifa — direct knowing. The kind that arises from proximity, surrender, and love.
Knowledge Forged in Love
Mary’s knowing is not abstract. It is forged in experience.
She stands at the cross when others flee. She remains when hope appears extinguished. Love, in her case, does not collapse under disappointment. It deepens. That depth becomes insight.
In the Gospel of Mary, when Peter challenges her, the tension revolves around the source of authority. Does true knowledge come from rank, from position, from institutional recognition? Or does it arise from realization?
Mary speaks from realization.
She describes the ascent of the soul beyond fear and fragmentation. Her words carry weight because they are born of transformation. This is the alchemy that mystics across traditions describe: longing purified into clarity, eros transfigured into wisdom.
The Sufis speak of polishing the heart until it becomes a mirror. When the rust of ego and fear is removed, the Divine Names shine through. Mary’s presence across early Christian texts suggests such polishing. She understands when others are confused. She remains steady when structures collapse. She speaks without panic.
That steadiness is the human reflection of Al-‘Alīm.
The Name Within Us
If the Divine Names exist in seed form within every human being, then the path is not about importing something foreign. It is about uncovering what is already there.
Mary Magdalene becomes, in this light, not simply a historical figure but an icon of possibility. Her life suggests that divine knowing is accessible through intimacy, surrender, and love. Not through control. Not through dominance. Not through argument.
She does not know about Christ. She knows with Christ.
That participatory quality is the heart of mystical epistemology. It is relational. It is embodied. It is luminous.
Al-‘Alīm, the All-Knowing, shines in a human being as clarity in confusion, recognition in darkness, steadiness in fear. In Mary Magdalene, we glimpse that shine.
The work before us is the same work given in Sufi teaching and Christian contemplation alike: polish the heart. Endure the unknowing. Stay in love when love feels costly.
When the heart clears, the Names do not remain distant.
They begin to live.
Practicing Al-‘Alīm: How a Sufi Teacher Might Guide Us
To work with Al-‘Alīm, establish a simple, repeatable structure.
Set aside five to fifteen minutes. Sit upright with the spine straight. Close the eyes gently.
Bring attention first to the breath. Do not try to control it. Let it settle on its own. Watch it until it becomes steady.
Then bring awareness to the physical area of the heart, slightly left of center in the chest. Rest attention there without strain.
Begin silent repetition of the Name in coordination with the breath:
Inhale: Ya
Exhale: ‘Alīm
Let the sound of the Name be inward, not vocalized. The repetition should feel as though it is occurring in the heart, not in the head.
Keep attention anchored in two places at once:
The movement of the breath.
The location of the heart.
If thoughts arise, do not argue with them. Return attention to the heart and continue the repetition.
If emotion arises, do not analyze it. Keep the Name moving with the breath.
After several minutes, allow the verbal repetition to stop, but keep awareness resting in the heart. Continue breathing naturally.
Remain there without forcing insight.
The purpose of this practice is not to generate revelation. It is to stabilize perception. Over time, the breath slows, the heart quiets, and the tendency to react diminishes.
Clarity becomes more immediate because agitation has decreased.
Mary’s recognition in the garden reflects this kind of steadiness. She remains present long enough for recognition to occur. Dhikr of Al-‘Alīm trains that capacity: sustained attention in the heart until perception clears.
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How is it that adding Sufism to anything pretty much always makes it better? It's like ... curry powder. Brilliant and full of flavor and healing.
This reminds me of Rohr's suggested use of YHWH in meditation. "YAH" on the inhale, "WHEY" on the exhale. Thank you VMB for the reminder.🖖