Ibn Arabi

Exploring how the medieval mystic Ibn 'Arabi has been read as an inclusive universalist through the interpretative field of Perennial Philosophy, this book shows how his metaphysics is inseparably intertwined with Islamic supersessionism. Ibn 'Arabi's universalist reception is thus traced to lineages of Eurocentrism, revealing how Perennialism is itself exclusionary.

These penetrating metaphysical and spiritual teachings cross the divides of culture and time, providing unexpectedly modern insight.

The importance of Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-Arabi (1165-1240) for Islamic mysticism lies in the fact that he was a speculative thinker of the highest order, albeit diffuse and difficult to understand. His central doctrine is the unity of all existence. In this text, William Chittick explores how, through the work of Ibn Al-Arabi, Sufism moves away from anguished and ascetic searchings of the heart and conscience and becomes a matter of speculative philsophy and theosophy.

Originally published 1959. Ibn ‘Arabi is one of the most significant thinkers of Islam. Yet he is far less widely known in the Western world than Ibn Sina, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd or even Al Farabi. This volume provides original interpretations and illustrations to some of Ibn ‘Arabi’s ideas, as well as including a number of his texts in English.

Quest for the Red Sulphur: The Life of Ibn Arabi is undoubtedly a landmark in Ibn Arabi studies. Until the publication of this book, anyone who wanted to learn about the life of Ibn Arabi has had little choice of material to work from. This major study by Claude Addas is based on a detailed analysis of a whole range of Ibn Arabi's own writings as well as a vast amount of secondary literature in both Arabic and Persian. The result is the first-ever attempt to reconstruct what proves to have been a double itinerary: on the one hand, the journey that took Ibn Arabi from his native Andalusia to Damascus - and on the other hand, the 'Night Journey' which carried him along the paths of asceticism and prayer to the ultimate stage of revelation of his mystic quest.

This is a concise introduction to the life and thought of Ibn 'Arabi, who is considered as the 'Greatest of Sufi Masters'. Written by the author of a best-selling biography of Ibn 'Arabi, Ibn 'Arabi: The Voyage of No Return traces the major events of Ibn 'Arabi's life: his conversion to Sufism; his travels around Andalusia and the Maghreb; his meetings with the saints of his time; his journey to Mecca; his travels in Egypt, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Anatolia and Syria; his most important books. The events of Ibn 'Arabi's 'inner voyage', however, are far more spectacular than those of his outer life and are here presented directly from the many auto-biographical sections found in his writings. Through her detailed analysis of Ibn 'Arabi's works and her profound understanding of his ideas, Claude Addas gives us a comprehensive insight into the major doctrines of this most influential of Sufi, masters: the doctrine of prophethood and sainthood, of inheritance from the prophets, of the 'imaginal world', of the 'unicity of Being', of the 'Seal of the Saints', and many others. Addas also introduces the main disciples of Ibn 'Arabi down to the nineteenth century and traces both his unequalled influence on the course of Sufism and the controversies that still surround him till today. Ibn 'Arabi: The Voyage of No Return is essential reading for anyone interested in Islamic mysticism and is a genuine contribution to scholarship in this field. This second edition includes a new preface and an updated and expanded bibliography.

An Ocean Without Shore is a study of Ibn Arabi, known in Islam as al-Shaykh al-Akbar, the Greatest Spiritual Master. In the introduction, Chodkiewicz provides a good deal of documentation for the often heard claim that Ibn Arabi has been the most influential thinker in Islam over the past seven hundred years. He shows that this has been true, not only among the intellectual elite, but also among the common believers. He explains why a few Muslims have considered Ibn al-Arabi the greatest heretic of Islam, while for many others he is Islam's greatest spiritual teacher. In the main body of the book, Chodkiewicz demonstrates that Ibn Arabi's writings are firmly grounded in the Koran. In doing this he also shows that Ibn Arabi's Koranic roots run far deeper than has heretofore been imagined. He explains that principles of Ibn Arabi's Koranic hermeneutics with unprecedented clarity, and in bringing out the primary importance of the Shaykh's magnum opus, The Futuhat Makkiyya, he solves a good number of riddles about the text that have puzzled modern readers. Chodkiewicz's work shows how, for Ibn Arabi, the iniatory voyage is a voyage in the divine word itself.

Examines the fierce controversy over the legacy of Ibn 'Arabi, the great Islamic mystic.

The influence of Ibn 'Arabi, the 12th century Andalusian mystic philosopher extended beyond the Muslim world from Spain, to China, to Indonesia.The study investigates how the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society has evolved into an international organisation with increasing influence in both the West and the Muslim world.

Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi (AD 1165-1240) is unquestionably one of the most profound figures in the history of world spirituality, a visionary of superlative wisdom and compassion. Known as the 'Greatest Master' (al-Shaykh al-Akbar), he led an extraordinary inner and outer life. He travelled huge distances, from his native Spain to Syria and Turkey, writing over 350 books on the mystical path. His whole life was dedicated to exposing, at the deepest level, the primordial Unity underlying all human and natural existence, and the true degree of human dignity. The book presents a unique portrait of Ibn 'Arabi "from the inside", using his own writing to tell the story of his life and teachings. The biographical chapters, supplemented with photographs and maps, give a vivid picture of his life and times during the height of medieval culture. These are interwoven with a series of chapters that portray the central elements of his thought, and highlight their relevance in today's world. This unusual approach gives a direct flavour of Ibn 'Arabi's genius, whose life and thought are inextricably linked. Above all, his deep insights into what it means to be truly human are applicable to people of all times and places. This highly readable and lucid book will appeal to anyone interested in the heart of Sufism or the mystical path and has a unique arrangement of biographical chapters alternating with chapters on major themes in his work.