Biography
Ivan Aguéli or Shaykh Abdul Hâdi Aqhîli (1869-1917) was a Swedish Sufi and artist who was a pioneer in the introduction of Sufism to the West. Born in the small Swedish town of Sala in 1869, Aguéli moved to Paris in his youth where he converted to Islam in 1898.
Travelling to Ceylon and India, Aguéli finally settled in Egypt in 1902 where he was initiated into the Shadiliyyah Sufi order by the renowned Shaykh Elish el Kabir. Returning to Europe in 1909 as Elish's representative, he began teaching the universalist Sufi doctrine of Muhyeddin Ibn Arabi.
In 1910 Aguéli moved back to Paris where he learnt to know the young editor René Guénon. Becoming good friends, Aguéli received Guénon into Islam and Sufism in 1911. Shortly after, Aguéli departed for Sweden and the two never met again. During the First World War, Aguéli was exiled from Egypt to Spain, where he perished under tragic circumstances.
