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An Analysis of Ibn al-'Arabi's al-Insan al-Kamil,

Comparison

to the

Thought of Sir

the Perfect Individual, with a Brief

Muhammad

Iqbal

Rebekah Zwanzig, Master of Arts

Philosophy

Submitted in

partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts

Faculty of Philosophy, Brock University

St.

Catharines, Ontario

May, 2008

JAMES A GffiSON LIBRARY

BROCK UNIVERSITY
ST. CATHARINES ON

'I

I,,

>-

Abstract:
This thesis analyzes four philosophical questions surrounding Ibn al-'Arabi's concept of
the al-iman al-kamil, the Perfect Individual.

Sufism, and

it

The Introduction provides a

situates Ibn al-'Arabi's thought within the broader context

philosophy of perfection. Chapter

Perfect Individual.

One

definition of

of the

discusses the transformative knowledge of the

analyzes the relationship between reason, revelation, and intuition,

and the different roles they play within Islam, Islamic philosophy, and Sufism. Chapter

Two discusses the

It

ontological and metaphysical importance of the Perfect Individual,

exploring the importance of perfection within existence by looking at the relationship the
Perfect Individual has with God and the world, the eternal and non-eternal. In Chapter

Three the physical manifestations of the Perfect Individual and their relationship to the
Prophet Muhammad are analyzed. It explores the Perfect Individual's roles as Prophet,

and

The

compares Ibn al-'Arabi's Perfect Individual to

Muhammad Iqbal's in order to analyze the different ways perfect action can be
conceptualized. It analyzes the relationship between freedom and action.
Saint,

Seal.

final chapter

Sir

^1

Table of Contents

"i

I.

Introduction

II.

Chapter One

..

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17
..

III.

Chapter

Two

38
."i^Ti

IV.

Chapter Three

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57
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V.

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Chapter Four

75

VI.

Conclusion

VII.

Bibliography-

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Introduction

The goal of this

thesis is to articulate a detailed picture

- 638/1240) concept of the

of Ibn

Perfect Individual {al-Insan al-Kamil)

philosophical questions surrounding

who and what this

figure

is.

'Arabi's (560/1 165

al-

by addressing the core

Scholarship thus far has

produced no detailed, philosophical, reading of this concept. In order to do

concepts must be clarified: Firstly, what

Sufism?

is

Not only

implications of calling Ibn al-'Arabi a Sufi.

background

for this study in particular, but

it

how Ibn al-

important to understand the

will this

answer provide

essential

will also situate Ibn al- 'Arabi's thought

within a specific "philosophical" school. Secondly,

perfection means, and

It is

some key

so,

it is

important to understand what

'Arabi specifically defines

it.

It is

important to not

only give a general definition of "perfection," but also to present some of the varying

of this concept within different philosophical schools. Only

details

after "perfection" is

understood in this context can any discussion about individual perfection in Ibn
begin.

al-

The purpose of this introduction then

is to: 1)

'Arabi within a specific school of thought; 2)

perfection, both in general philosophical terms

'Arabi

Define Sufism in order to place Ibn

To provide an understanding of

and

for Ibn al- 'Arabi; 3)

the key questions and themes that will be addressed in the

Sufism

al-

body of the

and

*.

to outline

thesis.

Sufism

is

commonly

referred to as Islamic mysticism, yet this definition remains

obscure and unsatisfactory, lacking the detailed, concrete characteristics

vital for

adequate definition.' There are three points that need to be clarified for anyone

an

who

Clarilying this by defining mysticism, the experience and belief in unity or oneness with the divine,
provides more backgroimd, but it still lacks any specific historical contextualization. It is knowledge of this
historical

background

that allows

one

to

form a complete picture of Sufism.

:mni: v:

Aii

m\

;i!??*t

:tM-'f

wishes to understand Sufism:

whom

it

has been and

Most

scholars

suf, 'wool,'

is

1)

The

historical

itself,

now agree that the

which was adopted

origin of the

word Sufism

in reference to the coarse

this explains

is

derived from the word

woolen clothes Muslim

it is

in the oldest extant definition as 'the apprehension

of the divine

are fond of calling themselves

it

is.

To

helpful to analyze various scholarly

R.A. Nicholson says: "Sufism, the religious philosophy of Islam,

Real.'" Nicholson describes

ascetics

nothing about what Sufism itself actually

gain a general understanding of the term,

Mohammedan mystics

2) to

applied, and 3) Sufism's relation to Islam.

commonly wore; however,

definitions.

development of the word

realities,'

Ahl al-Haqq,

is

described

and

'the followers

as a "religious philosophy" seeking the Real.

The

of the
Sufi

is

concerned with finding the relationship between creation and God, and understanding the
true nature

of existence. William Chittick explains

that:

Those who used the word [Sufism] in a positive sense connected it with a broad
range of ideas and concepts having to do with achieving human perfection by
following the model of the Prophet Muhammad. Those who used it in a negative
sense associated

it

with various distortions of Islamic teachings.^

And: "In a broad sense, Sufism can be described as the

of Islamic

faith

and

for perfection, as

practice."'* Chittick's

passages infer that Sufism

modeled by Muhammad, and

intense inner practice of Islam.

interiorization

However not

all

Muslims recognize

form of worship. Labeled as heresy by some, Sufism, for

distortion

of key tenets of the

^
'

the inner striving

this perfection is attained

legitimate

definitions have

is

and intensification

faith, specifically that

through an

this path as

this

group, refers to a

of absolute monotheism. These

one thing in common, namely, Sufism being described

in relation to

Reynold Nicholson, The Mystics of Islam (London: Arkana, 1989), 1.

William Chittick, Sufism: A Short Introduction (Oxford: One World Publications, 2000),

Mbid., 18.

2.

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Islam.

Both scholars seem

exist.

"lb .'

to agree that without the practice

'

of Islam, Sufism would not

,..'->'

'
,

modem scholars.

These definitions have been deduced only fi-om statements made by

How did the early Sufis themselves describe their practice? Al-Sarraj

378/988),

(d.

explaining the difference between a real Sufi and an imposter, says:

They

[the early masters]

had severed

when

."

.''.

their connection with the materialistic

world, had chastened themselves through long and austere prayers, practices, and

and had arrived at the clearest knowledge of reality, which knowledge

and necessary expression in their honest, sincere, and truthful
Such early masters used to be models of men who having burnt their

discipline,

found

its full

actions.

boats of worldly affairs lived in constant contact with the Almighty.^

Just as Nicholson claimed that Sufism

the search for the Real, so too

is

is

al-Sarraj

claiming that the early masters of Sufism practiced asceticism in order to live in a
sustained unity with the Divine, the Real. Just as Chittick categorized Sufism as striving
for perfection, al-Sarraj claims that these early masters

Real.

Through personal

discipline, the practice oidhikr^,

become models of perfection

individuals

of this perfection for

became

for humanity.

active receptacles for the

and iimer prayer, these

One of the most

important aspects

al-Sarraj is the fact that these individuals live in continual contact

with God. In relation to this M. Hamiduddin says of al-Qushayn:

One of the

first

things that Qushairi emphasizes regarding a Sufi

absolutely convinced that of all the paths of life open to a

how Qushairi

is

that

man his path

he
is

is

the best.

it: "And the grounds on which their path was built

were stronger than the grounds on which the paths of others were established, be
they men of tradition and culture, or men of thought and intellect."^

This

'

is

Al-Sarraj quoted

ed.

M.M.

This

is

in,

expresses

M. Hamiduddin, "Early

Sufis: Doctrine," in

Sharif (Kempten, Germany: Aligauer Heimatverlag

History of Muslim Philosophy,

1963), 312.

GmbH.,

the practice of "remembrance", usually the recitation of a specific

passage from the Qur'an,

Hamifliif4Hin 316.
11
Hamiduddin,

it is

meant

to

draw the

practitioner closer to

God.

Name of God, prophet or

vol. 1,

lomniun

,1.

The

Sufis, for al-Qushayn, believe that theirs is the best

knowledge

that the paths

it

opens a realm of

of reason, theology and/or tradition cannot open. Having these

passages as a guide, Sufism can

Islam, that seeks to attain

of all paths;

now be defined as:

human

A school of thought, stemming out of

perfection through intimate contact with God. Islam

declares the oneness of God, tawhid, and the Sufis specifically stress the importance of

understanding and experiencing this Oneness. This

disciplines,

Earlier

is

achieved through ascetical

such as dhikr, and through intuitive knowledge/gnosis.

it

was

stated that

many Muslims view Sufism

as a heresy, therefore a brief

discussion concerning the relationship between Sufism and Islam

aims

at

is

necessary. Sufism

embodying Muhammad's experience of revelatory knowledge. On

ascension,

Muhammad received

a direct communication from God, and Islamic mystics

desire to experience this intimacy.

also to experience

it.

They

They

desire not just to follow the edicts of Islam, but

Chittick in his introduction to Sufism explains that:

In general, the Sufis have looked

seriously

the night of

God's

call to

upon themselves as those Muslims who take

perceive His presence both in the world and in the self

inwardness over outwardness, contemplation over action, spiritual

development over legalism and cultivation of the soul over social interaction.^
stress

While most Muslims are concerned with the outward aspects of the

religion, saying the

daily prayers, following the social and religious laws, etc., the Sufis strive to cultivate a

personal cormection with God. This

are three

main aspects of Islam:

the beautifial.

The

first

two

1)

is

not a totally foreign element within Islam. There

w/aw/submission, 2) /wan/faith, and 3) ihsan/domg

are familiar terms to

implies submission to the laws and will of God.

lends

its
-

name
-J

Chittick, 19.

to the religion itself

-

anyone conversant with Islam: islam

Commonly translated

Every Muslim

is

an individual

as surrender,

who

surrenders

it

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him/herself to the will of God.

Qur'an:

i.e.,

is

by following the

cultivated

dictates outlined in the

saying prayers and studying the Holy Scripture and the books of tradition.

Ihsan, then, as "doing what

is

beautiful,"

means being a virtuous person by performing,

or striving to perform the other two. All three of these are important to devoted Muslims,

and the Sufis put particular emphasis on the

They do not

overwhelming desire

for the beloved.

of Sufism have sought to exemplify

"mad" mystics who would give up

it

was

all

also a position that

Sufis, because, instead

Sufi.

live on.

Many

up

all

- /

for this is

thought for him/herself

individuals throughout the history

this in their religious life. Early

on

this

produced

worldly possessions to wander aimlessly,

enraptured with love for the divine. There were

alms to

God.

The most prominent analogy used

the desire of the lover for the beloved, the true lover giving

practice, but

to

new

to experience this unity is to destroy the individual self, experiencing the

annihilation of the self in the Self of God.

in his/her

desire to create a

emphasize moral cultivation and personal connection

religion, but to

The way

last.

many

true mystics

who

followed this

was widely abused. Many would pretend

of physical labor, they could adopt

this

"mad"

state

be

and collect

This led to general distrust and loathing of anyone claiming the

Anne-Marie Schimmel quotes fragments

to

that relate to a saying that sprung

name
up due

to

the true Sufi's frustration with this state: "Poets have satirized the self-styled Sufi (S666),

and

in the eleventh century

reality,

but formerly

practice

it

it

was a

was repeatedly
reality without

said:

'Today Sufism

a name.

. .

unknown' (H44)."' The saying expressed the

is

the pretence

is

name without

known and

finstration that this

the

group went

through in becoming labeled. The group developed a collective belief in a set of ideals

'

Annemarie Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions of Islam (Chapel

Hill:

The University of North Carolina

Press, 1975), 20.

[ri^ktMi^/.

Af

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that did not

have any clear name. Eventually,

being successfully planted

this group,

within society, was labeled and given a popular definition, but one that did not
necessarily

fit

what the group's actual intentions were. With

this

happening

it

became

easy for others to mimic and bastardize the practices of the true followers. In so doing,
the essence of the group

someone

Ibn

like

al-

labeling oneself is

was

lost to the public eye.

this

it is

easy to understand

why

'Arabi would not necessarily label himself a Sufi; however, not

by no means a denial of the

can, without doubt, be labeled a Sufi, because

practitioners alike

From

have resolved

^i:

^i.-

of Sufism. Today Ibn

al-

'Arabi

modem scholars and authentic

this historical

:''-

Perfection

beliefs

problem.
inn^

;:.

yiU.

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-.<--u(i:-

Sufism has been defined as the attainment of human perfection through intimate
contact with God, but what

can be defined as the

state

is

meant by perfection

of faultlessness. What

is still

unclear. Perfection in general

this state entails

and

how it can be

achieved varies within different schools of thought. Three different "philosophies of

perfection" will be briefly analyzed. This

is

not meant as a basis for a comparative

philosophy of perfection, but merely to present some examples of how different

philosophies have dealt with and developed the concept of perfection. Presenting Ibn

'

Arabi 's

own definition of perfection along

side these other examples will provide a

philosophical basis to begin fi-om.

The

first

abstract, ideal

>

...

example comes from Plato/Socrates, the

They conceived perfection

al-

"father/s

of Western philosophy."

as the pure understanding of the Forms.

molds of all things and concepts

"beautiftil" or the "just" are given this quality

The Forms

are the

that actually exist. For, example, the

through the Form, in

itself,

of "beauty" or

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"justice." Perfection, then, is

relation to the perfection

complete understanding of the entire Form. Socrates says, in

of the philosopher:

vi-i

He will do

this [perceive the Forms] most perfectly who approaches the object
with thought alone, without associating any sight with his thoughts, or dragging in
any sense perception with his reasoning, but who, using pure thought alone, tries
to track down each reality pure and by itself, freeing himself as far as possible

from eyes,

ears,

and

in a

word, from the whole body, because the body confuses

the soul and does not allow

associated with

it

to acquire truth

and wisdom whenever

it is

it.'

This kind of perfect knowledge

Philosophical speculation

is

is

the goal of the philosophical or religious

life.

the best of all occupations because this perfect

knowledge

is

gained through pure abstract thought. The body distracts the soul from pure recollection;
therefore,

an individual must

strive to repress the carnal desires

pursue the "beautiful", the "just",

manner,

is

The

etc.

state

and free his/her soul to

of perfection for the individual, in

this

the arrival back to the soul's state of pure contemplation of the Forms.

A different articulation of perfection can be found in the Bhagavadgita, one of the

key Hindu

texts. Perfection in this

context

is tied to

the performance or completion of an

individual's duty. Krishna says:

A man obtains perfection by being devoted to his own proper action.

Hear

how one who is intent on his own action finds perfection.

By worshipping him, from whom all beings arise and by whom all this is
pervaded, through his own proper action, a man attains perfection.
He whose
intelligence is unattached everywhere, whose self is conquered, who is free from
then

he obtains, through renunciation, the supreme perfection of actionlessness.

Learn from me, briefly, O Arjuna, how he who has attained perfection, also

desire,

attains to

Brahman, the highest

state

of wisdom."

Just as Socrates advocated pure philosophical speculation, freed

from the desires of the

body, so to the Hindu system, as represented here, advocates the renunciation of all

Plato, Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito,

(Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing

The Essential Vedanta: A

Company,

Meno, and Phaedo,

trans,

and

ed.

G. M. A. Grube

1981), 102.

New Sourcebook ofAdvaita

Dalvi (Bloomington, Indiana: World Wisdom,

Inc.,

Vedanta, trans, and ed. Eliot Deutsch and Rohit

2004), 78.

10

ir.3H

'

earthly/bodily desires and attachments. Proper action, in this case,

the guidelines of an individual's specific role in the caste system.

also to strive to

become completely detached from

actualizing the true nature of existence, that all

means acknowledging
Perfection

is

The

Brahman. The

An

realization

perfection, has released him/herself from the chains of illusion, that

see past the multiplicity in the world and

One/Brahman. In

this state he/she

inaction. Since everything in the

is

an

accordance with his/her duty

is in reality

knows

and

fact

maya.

has achieved

is,

he/she

it

is

able to

contains, to the

in fact "non-action" or

illusion, all actions

illusions as well, therefore the enlightened individual

in

is

of this

illusion,

the desires and possessions

all

understands that "action"

world

an

who

individual,

to

individual ought

the world. This requires learning

that everything in the world, all difference, is

freedom from the confines of maya.

is

would be adhering

taken within

that action taken

"non-action" because

it

it

are

by him/her

does not affect the

Real.

The

final

example of perfection, before returning

to Ibn al- 'Arabi, is

from Gregory

of Nyssa. This example can be directly contrasted with the passage from the
Bhagavadgita. While the one equates perfection with emptying the self of the illusion of
multiplicity,

Gregory equates perfection to

a Christian an individual must actualize

This, therefore,

is

is

the attributes of Christ.

perfection in the Christian

participation of one's soul

Christ

all

"filling" the self with Christ; to

and speech and

life in

says:

my judgment, namely,

activities in all

the

of the names by which

eulogy of Paul, is

signified, so that the perfect holiness, according to the

taken upon oneself in "the whole body and soul and spirit,"
continuously safeguarded against being mixed with evil.'^

12

He

be truly called

[1

Thess. 5:23]

On Perfection in Saint Gregory OfNyssa Ascetical Works, trans, and ed. Virginia
Callahan (Washington D.C.: The Catholic University Press Of America, 1967), 121.

Gregory of Nyssa,

Woods

11

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Perfection lies in the total transformation of the individual. He/she must live, act and,
essentially

be

all that

Christ was, meaning that, as Christ

was God manifest

form, completely free from evil, so too the Christian individual must sever
his/her being.

Thus while the Socratic

thought, and the

Hindu

ideal

all evil

from

of perfection requires pure "abstract"

ideal requires sublimating difference into Oneness, the Christian

ideal requires cultivating the characteristics

like

human

in

of Christ and expelling

from oneself

non-Christ-

all that is

...

>

These three examples provide a general framework for understanding some of the
philosophical methods and spiritual practices whereby perfection

contemplation, sublimation, cultivation. Ibn

al-

is

achieved,

i.e.

'Arabi's idea of perfection can be briefly

He

contrasted with these other ideals to discover his general philosophical position.

in

The Bezels of Wisdom:

..rV

The image of perfection

says

complete only with knowledge of both the ephemeral

and the eternal, the rank of knowledge being perfected only by both aspects.
is

Similarly, the various other grades of existence are perfected, since being is

divided into eternal and nonetemal or ephemeral. Eternal Being

Himself, while nonetemal being

Cosmos.
being

is

It is

is

is

called ephemeral because parts of

it

are manifest to other,

manifest to itself in the forms of the Cosmos. Thus Being

whole movement of the Cosmos being the movement of love

understand.'^

The beginning of the passage

God's being

for

the being of God in the forms of the latent

which

perfect, the

for perfection, so

states that perfection requires

the material/non-etemal. Similar to the Socratic and

is

knowledge of the

Hindu examples,

this

eternal

and

knowledge

teaches the individual about true Reality, but unlike the earlier examples, this knowledge

does not negate earthly existence. In

fact, the individual

must

strive to

understand both

the eternal and the non-eternal, because both elements are required for the individual

" Ibn

al-'Ibn al- 'Arabi,

The Bezels of Wisdom,

trans,

and

ed. R.W.J. Austin

(New York:

Paulist Press,

1980), 257-8.

12

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attainment of perfection. "Being

of Being/God. The eternal

includes humanity,

Gregory of Nyssa,
is

is

God

is

who ought to
is

perfect."

Both the

in Himself,

eternal

and non-eternal are aspects

and the non-eternal

strive for the perfection

of the

is

perfection, seeking to transform itself into Being.

perfection for Ibn al- 'Arabi

is

From

this

it

It is

>.r-

mind

this in

>'

Key Questions and Themes

-.

,v

section

it

is

key

the

.:i( j

model was only

is

briefly

to the other philosophical models; therefore the goal is to

analyze the exact method involved in the transformation into Ibn

The key questions

Perfect Individual entail?"

al-

that will direct this undertaking are:

"How does

he/she act?"

"What

is

'Arabi's Perfect

"What does being

1)

type/s of knowledge are necessary to gain a complete understanding of the eternal

how this transformative knowledge

Individual as a level of existence, and

eternal

how the

leads to perfection; 2)

individual

fits

into the

The

cosmos, or what the transformation and embodiment of perfection

how this

what

and

Perfect

dichotomy of

and non-eternal; 3) The Perfect Individual as a reflection of the Divine

Individual as an active agent in the world, and

this

his/her relation to other

people?" To answer these questions the thesis will be divided into four chapters:

non-eternal, and

'

..,

understood that perfection of the individual

attained through a specific method. Ibn al- 'Ibn al-'Arabi's

Individual.

moving toward

complete knowledge of the dual aspects of reality, and

philosophical questions guiding this thesis can be outlined.

compared and contrasted

The Cosmos/universe

can be concluded that

complete transformation/embodiment into eternal Being. With

From the preceding

Cosmos, which

eternal. Also, similar to

the idea that perfection entails transformation.

moving, expanding and growing out of a love for perfection.

the

in the

entails; 4) the Perfect

individual, after reaching

13

?J'Xs-0f.i> fi'i6.>.

'}

M;^^,^Ja

b-ts*/Jt

m^

urtfi

Kyi

m\

^i'i

tj,'3ti Oi'!

f>} l

i35:

huH^

:--,

;:'"-,

'-y;

'K;i;;-Sjti'.

T:.,-i

;.:U io,vv''U;fgJi^'r9frraj iii.;'rjS"*&-

r7^<

..v>:. .^1 >!J>

jHf '..m

'K.::.'.

j:ii I*.'

si-

perfection, interacts with the world.

Some of the problems

that will arise in the

>.

proceeding chapters and the proposed solutions are outlined below.

The modes of knowledge used in becoming the Perfect Individual

What method of knowledge

leads to perfection?

knowledge employed by Sufism,

revelation, reason,

To answer this,

and

intuition,

the three types of

must be explored.

These three types of knowledge are also important for Muslim ^/aw/theology and
Muslimya/5q/a/philosophy; therefore,

and subsequently Sufism's, use of these

Perfect Individual. Analyzing

will

is

different

how this knowledge

important to understand

knowledge

important to understand

it is

how the

show why Ibn

al-

how

from the other two

Ibn

al- 'Arabi's,

factions.

It is

also

helps to transform the individual into the

three factions differ in their use

of these types of

'Arabi believes his method to be the most perfect.

Thus, only the head of the hierarchy, Sufism, attains true perfection.

The Perfect Individual as related to Prophets, Apostles, Saints and Muhammad

How is
Individual

status related to perfection? This question essentially asks

is

different

from the

rest

how the

of humanity, and what his/her function

Individual par excellence for Ibn al- 'Arabi

is

the Prophet

Muhammad. He

is.

'

Perfect

The Perfect

holds the

position of the "Seal of the Prophets," and, as such, marks the end of revealed religion.

Holding

this position

means

position he has complete

that

he was granted the

last

divine revelation.

Due

to this

knowledge of God and of the world, and thus holds a position

superior to the rest of humanity. This being the case, the most important questions to
v.

answer are whether or not there are true Perfect Individual's other than Muhammad, and
if there are

what

is their

wa/Z/saint, ra^wZ/apostle,

status in relation to

him? To answer these questions the ranks of

and nabi '/prophet must be analyzed

in their relation to

14

.; .

01

111

'.

ii^Jt.i

Muhammad.

This analysis will show that the ranking of the varying types of Perfect

Individuals, does not affect their initial status of perfection.

The Perfect Individual as a mirror

What
individual

cosmos? Ibn

a dusty mirror, but the Perfect Individual

fully reflects

al-

'Arabi says that each

a newly polished mirror that

God. Analyzing the various aspects of this analogy

'Arabi's ontological system.

God is

wu/ud/^'Bemg", while

or nothing. The analogy implies that individuals

that are dusty

is

and

less polished, are further

who

t^.u^'-

role does perfection play within the

is

will reveal Ibn al-

all that is

not

God

is

non-being

are closer to nothingness, mirrors

away from God/Being than those who have,

or are, polished mirrors. Also important to this investigation

is

Identity deals with the individual's being in relation to

A polished mirror shows a

reflection identical to the object reflected.

Individual) one and the

God.

the concept of identity.

Are the object (God) and the

reflection (Perfect

same? Analyzing the various aspects of the mirror analogy

will

reveal Ibn al- 'Arabi's ontological system, and will provide answers to the above
questions.

>.

r.

Iqbai's Perfect Individual

si

How does perfection act within the world? The Perfect Individual
being, and therefore

must

interact with his/her environment. In

interaction take place? In order to

perfect action will be

compared

answer these questions Ibn

to that

poet and philosopher from India,

is

of Sir

Muhammad

show

what manner does

al-

two

thinkers.

this

'Arabi's concept of

deeply indebted to the thought of Ibn

the links between the

an existential

Iqbal (1877-1938). Iqbal, a

look at his concept of the Ideal Individual (as related to Ibn

Individual) will

is

al- 'Arabi.

al- 'Arabi's Perfect

However

great the similarities

IS

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may be

it

cannot be ignored that Iqbal fiercely opposed what he called the "other-

worldly" Sufism of Ibn al-'Arabi and his school of thought.

To determine whether or not

Iqbal 's accusations leveled at Ibn al- ' Arabi are correct a thorough analysis

undertaken.

The accusations

are two-fold: the first is Iqbal' s claim that this system

thought leads to complete inaction; and the second, a subsidiary claim,

'Arabi's system supports the view of predestination and

will,

must be

again leading to inaction.

What

is

of concern here

is

is

of

that Ibn al-

is

devoid of any modicum of free

whether or not

this is

an

-;,

accurate critique of Ibn al- 'Arabi. Is Iqbal's criticism just a misinterpretation, or does

point to an inherent flaw in Ibn al- 'Arabi' s system?

The

these questions and a concise outline of what action

is

Individual.

;;,,-

These questions point

the Perfect Individual.

s,^ v^pf--^ o- kuo\~i.;sh:.>:

to

Any philosophical

his experiences as a mystic.

his personal

The

analysis will provide answers to

Hr

?:!^:?v!ri;iHji

fact that his

critique Ibn al- 'Arabi given the limitations

c;' e

v:i!r~?

!br

'^.!\

'

philosophy

is

inc

largely an attempt to articulate

of the

'hv,il.

barriers for

any

will attempt to faithfully interpret

7:^ '' k..MN

*,'.'

>>>,;.:;

analysis of Ibn al- 'Arabi has limitations due to

The proceeding chapters

.1

^-.^

inherent in Ibn al- 'Arabi's theory of

and mystical revelations received from God creates

philosophical analysis.

it

for Ibn al- ' Arabi 's Perfect

<:tX'i*

some of the problems

^j

intellect

y-y'j:': i'

MiT

and

<

and reason.

a- -"-^tlst^iur.

^'\ir''i,^

'/,%i

i\p,:~--.

fresher

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Chapter

1:

The most important question

an individual gain

The

'

Revelation, Reason and Intuition

to ask in regard to the Perfect Individual

this state? Perfection, in this context, necessarily involves

definitions of perfection

and

this is the further

how they

the relationship

knowledge.

what type or types of knowledge are important

contribute to the perfection of the individual. Implicit in

concern of how the Perfect Individual

modes of thought within

Islam.

To

is

related to

some of the

individual utilizes the various types of knowledge used by each faction to

The

different

address these issues two elements must be explored:

between kalam/theology,falsafa/philosophy and Sufism; and

Perfect Individual.

how does

from the Introduction were concerned with knowledge;

therefore, this section seeks to understand

for Ibn al- 'Arabi,

is:

how the

become

three factions, for the purposes of this chapter, will be

the

viewed as

each emphasizing a specific type of knowledge: wa/iy/revelation to kalam, 'aql/reason

falsafah, and ///la/w/intuition to Sufism. However, this does not

mean

to

that the other

two

types of knowledge do not hold an important role within each of the three factions.

The

emphasis given

in this chapter is not

meant

to suggest that this separation

of knowledge

an actual dividing point among these three schools of thought, but to emphasize

them

al-'Arabi understands

in a distinct

is

how Ibn

manner.

Definitions for each type of knowledge will be given, and the following discussion

will

show that no

Each faction
clarify the

and

faction can use one type of knowledge to the exclusion of the other two.

relies

manner

how he/she

on
in

all

three

modes of knowledge. Understanding

this will help to

which the individual should acknowledge the types of knowledge,

should use them to attain perfection.

17

.;

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O-d'O

Ui-f

;;?

"

jK\^k*

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'ilmi:

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Definitions of /Ta/am/revelation, Fa/5q/a/reason,

To begin the

and Sufism/intuition

discussion, the tenns and concepts being used

qualification will be given for each faction, followed

of knowledge. Kalam nominally

specifically be represented

refers to

by a brief definition of each mode

Muslim theology

by al-Ghazali, referring

must be defined.

to his

in general, but here

work On

it

will

the Boundaries

of

Theological Discourse in Islam. Falsafa, the Arabic rendering of the Greek philosophia,

envelops a diversity of Muslim, Christian and Jewish thinkers

who

flourished in the

regions associated with the Near East. Although the term does not represent
philosophical thought within Islam,

it

does represent those thinkers

all

who were concerned

with understanding and interpreting the Greek philosophy they came into contact with.

These are the philosophers

this chapter will deal with,

by Ibn Rushd and Ibn Tufayl. Sufism

and they are primarily represented

will refer to the thought

of Ibn

Wahy, Revelation, can be defined as the knowledge or wisdom

God to the prophets,

culminating in the final revelation given to

Qur'an. This definition

is far

from adequate,

for

it

al- 'Arabi.

that

was given by

Muhammad,

clear or

the

requires a deeper understanding of all

elements involved. Revelation implies that something which was hidden or

became

i.e.,

known. The prophets were chosen by God

to transmit a

unknown

message

to

humanity, a message that was previously not understood correctly, thus the Torah and the
Bible.

The sum of all

up as follows:
there

is

revelatory knowledge, as expressed in the Qur'an, can be

a) there is

a gulf between

last is the

one God; b)

this

God created the world and

God and humanity; and d) there

core of this revelation. This knowledge

amount of human

effort

is

is

way to

summed

everything in

it;

c)

breach this gulf The

supra-human, which means that no

can enable one to deduce on his/her

ovm the truths that God gave

18

it>l

to

Muhammad and

the prophets.

It is

through any effort on the individual's

'Aql, reason, as distinct

and

to

saw

is

The

the mind's ability to explore the world

Ilham, intuition

means

are universal,

especially Ibn Tufayl as will be explored

were concerned with the

ability

fact,

it

of the human
,

'

is

Reason

collects.

a means, outside of revelation, to reach Truth. In

clear that these philosophers

to gain Truth.

it

truths gained through these

The philosophers,

rational reflection as

become

mind

an individual, by God, not

own part.

from revelation,

critical analysis.

not subject to time or place.

will

to

form abstract concepts and categorize the empirical data

employs logic and

later,

knowledge given

one of the cornerstones of mysticism. Mysticism

is

generally

understood as the belief in and experience of the unity between ultimate Reality, the One,

and the

finite

many, the individual

selves.

Margaret Smith explains

All Mysticism affirms that Reality, in

its

that:

highest form, cannot be understood by

by something above it, that inner sense which is called

by which a man can receive direct knowledge and revelations of God,
and perceive things hidden from reason.''*
intelligence, but only

intuition,

Intuition, like revelation, is

reason;

it is

knowledge

that cannot

be communicated or discovered via

an experiential form of knowledge. Just as revelation

handed down

to a

chosen individual by God, intuition

is

is

special

direct experience

knowledge

and knowledge

given to an individual by God. While revelation proper was given to only a select few
individuals, intuition

is

open

for

anyone

to experience.

The

individual "feels" the intimate

connection between his/herself and the Divine One, a "feeling" that cannot be adequately

communicated

to those

who have

not experienced such for themselves. With this basic

;.

Margaret Smith,
London, 1930), 4.

An

Introduction to the History of Mysticism

(New York: Gordon

Press,

\i

976; reprint,

19

KrfJ

>..-

32

>

f'::^

*?

,W'^..VM':.

i:..-'

'

i.^

understanding, the use of these forms of knowledge by the different factions can be

explored in greater

detail.

i,^,

Revelation

Kalam

k^

relies

on revelation

-^

,.ut

,t

<

.^

...

to the extent that

any particular theology

on

relies

religion's "divine" message. Revelation, as defined above, claims to be a divine

its

message

given to an individual apart from any intellectual or physical striving. However, the exact

means through which

this is

done was unclear. Oliver Leaman claims

understood through the faculty of the heart

^-.

(q'a/ft):

that revelation is

;i
,

There are two kinds of knowledge: 'Urn, which describes the 'alam al-shahada,
the world with which we are familiar and which is described by natural science,

and

ma 'rifa, which describes

the 'alam al-ghayb, the hidden world, and

more than propositional knowledge. The way

revelation,

and the relevant faculty

The physical world

is

is

to attain this

the heart.

more than

propositional knowledge,"

The content

which means

God imposed on the

realm of finite human understanding.

By merely

cannot discover the cause (God); for example,

universe are

all

when

together the characteristics or purpose of the painter.

looking at a painting the observer

is if they

may deduce that

amount of certainty, piece

The only way

the observer can learn

are given a picture of the painter along side the painting, or

the painter leaves behind a statement of intent for the painting.

cannot be

observing the effect (creation) one

created the painting, but he/she cannot, with any

Oliver Leaman,

it

that

things outside the

cannot discover the physical characteristics of the painter. The observer

"

that

o-

any proofs formulated from demonstration or experience. The

being of God and the order that

any of these things

is

through

understood through science and reason, but the knowledge of

logically derived fi-om

some agent

which

is

'^

revelation deals with something science and reason cannot access.

revelation reveals "is

knowledge

Now imagine that this

Brief Introduction To Islamic Philosophy (Cambridge: Polity Press, 1999), 58.

20

ri

1.

.,".&? urtfvii'^'k

:;<

:Ai

i'^jflwo<?M

''

-.,.-,.

ti'!

ji''-e- :,u>

iti'-ibi',

'.:.-'

f,i

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-.; ,!7'.

^;,>.!"oaA-;n>.r*

si^..,-.^; W'i

'V ;

H}

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ir

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i[v

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,'-1

i';

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V:"

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statement of intent

on

its

own

is

was only

verbally given to one person.

God by

the intellect trying to discover

use of the picture and statement of purpose

is

The observation of the

painting

rationalizing empirical data, while the

analogous to the heart being given

revelation to understand the purpose of existence. Revelation

is

not a knowledge that can

persuade people through rational argument, but through a deeper "knowing," for faith

based on the assurances of the heart/soul.

Revelation

is

important for kalam because

measure of truth. Rivaling schools of theology

schools

still

schools

is

its

but as al-Ghazali points out,

its entirety.

is to

deem anything

all

The animosity between

based on a misunderstanding of what true unbelief is.

"Unbelief (A:w"

knowledge contains the ultimate

arise,

accept the message of the Qur'an in

.v..

,1'

is

He

'

says:

the Prophet brought to be a

the

'

lie.

And "faith

deem everything he brought to be true. Hence, every Unbeliever

deems one or more of the prophets to be a liar. And every one who deems one or
(iman)"

is to

more of the prophets

to be a liar is an Unbeliever. This

be applied evenly across the board. '^

is

the criterion that should

Every theological school that accepts the entirety of the Qur'an and
the Prophet

Muhammad

is

a Believer.'^

Any

school that

fits

all

of the sayings of

into this category cannot

labeled with "unbelief simply because of a disagreement about interpretation.

it

can be gathered that revelation

interpretation, gives a core set

truth lies

is

a source of truth

that,

this,

although subject to

of values and propositions that are

beyond any arguments of the

From

be

true.

Therefore, this

intellect.

Al-Ghazali, Faysal al-Tafriqa bayna al-Islam wa al-zandaqa quoted in Sherman Jackson, On the
Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam: Abu Hamid al-Ghazali 's Faysal al-Tafriqa bayna al-Islam
wa al-zandaqa (Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2002), 92- 93.

Al-Ghazali went on to outline the proper method for interpretation, with the aim of ending all discord
rival schools. He was also concerned with eradicating wrong interpretations that would lead the

among

masses

astray, but this will not

as the certain foundation for

all

be analyzed here. What

is

important

is

the fact that he identifies revelation

theological truth.

21

lu

>.:{it

I'f

M"

rmy

Where does
concerned with

this truth

how pagan philosophers, coming

revelation of Islam,

truths

which

of revelation stand for falsafa? These Islamic thinkers were

first

were able

a foundation for

deduce certain truths

to

became known

revelation. For these

its

to the

that are inherent within Islam,

Arab and Persian people through the Qur'anic

Muslims, philosophy,

at its roots, relies

on the

truth

The goal of the falasifa was

exploration and enquiry.

how knowledge of God and the

long before the final and ultimate

of revelation as
to formulate

world could be gained through reason. They read the

various Greek treatises that were available and adopted their tools of rational

argumentation and logic. Aristotelian and Platonic thought provided them with proofs of

God's existence, and arguments

The conclusion

that the

for the existence of a soul

Muslim philosophers came

to

was

from the same source. Seyyed Hossein Nasr expounds on

For the falasifah.

was one;

and the creation of the world.

that all rational truth

comes

this idea:

were certain that the truth,

wherever and whenever it might be discovered, would conform to the inner
teachings of Islam, simply because the instrument of knowledge for both falsafah
or hikmah and religion was the same, namely the Universal Intellect or Logos,
which plays such an important role in the theory of knowledge of the Islamic
.

the truth

therefore they

philosophers.'^

The

revelation of the Qur'an, according to this passage,

the philosophers.

universe,

is

The Universal

Intellect or

still

the guideline of truth for

God, as the Creator of the

is

the source of both revelation and rational thought. Thus, the argument of the

Muslim philosophers can be summed up

1)

Logos, that

was

If the

Qur'an

is

as follows:

the totality of Truth, then

all

'

truths

>

.\

.,,

come from

ji>.'

the source of this

Truth.
2)

If all truths

come from

the source of this Truth, then the truths found in ancient

philosophy are also truths found in the Qur'an.

'*

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, "The Meaning And Role

Jslamica 31 (\973): 75.

Of 'Philosophy'

.'.

In Islam," Studia

22

If the

3)

Qur'an

is

the totality of Truth, then the truths found in ancient philosophy

are also truths found in the Qur'an.

TheQur'anisthe totality of Truth.

The truths found in ancient philosophy

4)

.".

5)

The argument's soundness

relies

are also truths found in the Qur'an.

on the statements

one and

in premises

four.

backwards, the devout Muslim would accept premise four as (intuitively)

would be

the

most basic tenet of faith. The Qur'an

humanity. Since

it

comes from God who

not deceive humanity,

is true,

it

the

the completed

it

word of God given

the ultimate measure of truth,

most perfect source of truth

true, that is,

to

and God would

for the world. If premise four

then the consequent of premise one could be positively affirmed as valid due to

modus ponens, however

soundness
is

is

is

is

Working

relies

this still

does not prove premise one as

on the assumption

taken into consideration, then

that

now be

shown

is

The argument's

Truth are equivalent. If Nasr's passage

God is equivalent to

of all rational Truth in the world. If this

Revelation, having been

God and

true.

the Universal Intellect, the provider

accepted as true, the argimient

as the measure of truth for

is

sound.

kalam and falsafa, can

considered in relation to Sufism. Sufism as a branch of Islam necessarily accepts

the truth of Qur'anic revelation, but in what manner?

which revelation

is

The

communicated and understood, and

heart

is

is distinct

the instrument through

from the

intellect.

Sufism, being the interiorization of the revelation of Islam, also relies on the heart. Even
in the

Qur'an the opening of the heart was not asked solely of Muhammad, but

of every believer in the true Faith. The Qur'an, in the

first

Sura, says:

"And

is

asked

[those]

who

believe in the Revelation sent to you, and sent before your time, and (in their hearts) have
the assurance of the Hereafter.

their hearts.

"Qur'an

2:

In their hearts

is

As

to those

who

reject Faith.

Allah has set a seal on

a disease."'^ The "heart" was not just the instrument

God

4-10

23

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it

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iff:

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..m

**l

f.

used

speak and reveal Truth to

to

Muhammad,

communicate "revelatory" knowledge

hearts to this knowledge,

have a "disease"
believer of Islam

is

due

it.

is

relationship,

become

God uses to

the instrument that

to every individual.

in their hearts cannot relate to

Those who have opened

their

who

the chosen of God, but those

God. Whether or not one becomes a

to the specific condition

who have an open heart,

further transform

and

but

of one's

heart.

Sufism takes individuals

a heart that has accepted the truth of revelation, and seeks to

This

is

the transformation into the Perfect Individual, the mirroring

oftheattributesof God. The poet Farid Attar explains:

would glimpse the beauty we revere

Look in your heart- its image will appear.
Make of your heart a looking-glass and see
If you

\\\

-*

>

'

-.

i;

.;%

,<-:;

V.u

Reflected there the Friend's nobility;

Your sovereign's glory will illuminate

The palace where he reigns in proper state.

;.',.,

itself in

atoms of the

Search for this king within your heart; His soul

Reveals

:,

'

.-v.

Whole.'^'^

The transformation can only begin by looking

into the heart,

which requires a purifying

based on the truths found within revelation.

Reason
The reasoning offalsafah

is

create an intellectual hierarchy

philosophical reasoning, and

bom, but

is

created; this

between philosophy/reason and religion/revelation. Good

its

means

grounded by the truth of revelation. Some philosophers

necessary tools, must be cultivated.

that

it

God and

the hierarchy that this creates: "Falsafa

universally true, but accessible only to a small intellectual

^^

intellectual is not

takes particular types of education and enquiry to

develop the rational tools necessary to deduce truths about

Anne Druart describes

An

Farid Un-Din Attar, The Conference of the Birds,

Dick Davis (London: Penguin Booics, 1984), 54.

trans,

and

ed.

elite.

... is

the world. Therese-

absolutely and

The masses need

Aflcham Darbandi and

24

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I.

: A.J''..

I'j,

I'V J

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'i

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VAi-

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!i

'.

lU.i.'"'

;,

..

i'..;r'v...';

|tK^^1.^'

..;;;

Tr

"),.

something they can

relate to, that is religion,

which must be adapted

Reason's attainment of universal truth

cultures."

majority of people are not a part of this

means of accessing Truth,

Islam then,

is

the

the

means

an avenue open to only a few. The

group of intellectuals, yet they

elite

to this

is

to particular

is

religion.

The

have a

revelatory knowledge of

knowledge of true philosophical enquiry "watered down"

the average intellect can grasp. This implies that revelation

still

is

into a

form

a necessary form of

knowledge, since only a small percentage of humanity can gain access to philosophical
Truth.

clear that this is a hierarchy

It is

Philosophy

is

for the

most capable minds

by any guide other than

their

where philosophy

who

own reasoning,

can reach Truth unaided

while religion presents the Truth of the

i.e.,

individuals

who need

a guide. The

their

own

and "more capable" than the

rest.

arrive at this Truth relying only

capabilities are developmentally "better"

placed ahead of religion.

in society, those that

Qur'anic revelation for the weaker minded,

philosophers

is

on reason and

This belief, that intellectual enquiry can lead to the truths of religion,
illustrated

He

relies

on reason alone

When discovered by a Muslim/Sufi

civilization to teach

religious text.

to his island

A.

is

best

by Ibn Tufayl's Hayy ibn Yaqzan. Hayy grows up on an island completely cut

off from humanity.

^'

intellectual

hermit, he

is

brought to a

fictional,

and God.

Muslim,

them the irmer truths he has learned without ever reading any

The people do not

and

to learn about the world, himself,

listen to

him, and disillusioned by civilization he returns

solitary reflection.

Th6r6se-Anne Druart, "Philosophy in Islam," in The Cambridge Companion

S. McGrade (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), 104.

to

Medieval Philosophy,

ed.

Revelation
all

is necessary, because only a few can be true philosophers. The Truth of Islam was meant for
of humanity, not just a select handful of philosophers.

25

i.

'-

)mt^h

xAyOhi'^ !*

\.^^^V^

i ,r(( ;

:'...

'i\f

The argument
was

If revelation

in Ibn Tufayl's

the only

means

book

only means to Truth.

who

is

from

without

an example of someone

this:

"Some

thinkers... suggest that

is

who

not the

an individual

The famous example

is

the story

by ibn Tufayl of Hayy ibn

This well developed individual has the capacity to discover Truth separate

revelation.

all

aware of the Qur'an could

developed intellectually and personally can do without a guide-

indeed, can guide himself

Yaqzan."

is

as follows:

knowledge of the Qur'an. Therefore, revelation

Leaman affirms

sufficiently well

and God. Hayy

summed up

can be

to truth, then only people

arrive at truths about the world, the self,

arrived at these truths without

relating to reason

An Imam or Shaykh acts as a religious guide for most Muslims,

whom they could not obtain knowledge about God;

few who do not need such a guide,

In Ibn Tufayl's story,

Hayy

is

for their

one of these

own rational

latter

At

first, this

entails

faculties are

types of people.

begins to cultivate his reasoning capabilities. This

solitary empiricism.

however, there are a select

is

enough of a guide.

As Hayy grows

up, he

accomplished by adopting a type of

merely trying to stay

warm and have

full belly,

but as his experiences expand, he begins to reflect on death, self-identity, and creation.

Eventually

Hayy

is

led to postulate a

intense yearning and reflection, after

state

of spiritual

the Qur'an.

It

ecstasy.^"*

God and
many

begins a quest to reach Him. Through

long years,

Hayy

finally reaches

God

in

*,

Thus, he reaches the truths of Islam without ever having read

could be argued that Hayy did not actually reach the truths on his own,

because eventually he was introduced to society and the Qur'an, which told him that the

knowledge he had gained on

his

own was true.

questioned the truthfulness of his knowledge.

^'
"

Leaman,
That

section

This

is

not a

reftitation, for

He knew that it was

Hayy never

true through the use

of

58.

this is a mystical experience,

on Sufism and

and the true

verifier

of knowledge for Hayy

will

be discussed

in

the

intuition.

26

r^*--.

iXhM

ft!

2jyic.a

S T:

f'

/i^AiOjifi' .C;.

ii'

ii-:f>'

:;

...-ii;

'i^/van n^'i

icuvi (."! I4v:"

"j'f'tJ

it

*^ytjw^ .frn'-nf.

':/J lU't'"-''-^'' 'HT/^ ?a!!'

his

own reason,

verification,

and,

it

might be argued, through

and finding other people

<

The
Ibn

The Qur'an served only

al-

intellectual

power of reason

,.

in relation to

Sufism can be discussed by looking

'Arabi's autobiographical account of his meeting with the philosopher Ibn

Rushd. Although some scholars have disputed the authenticity of this encounter,
does not detract from

'

its illustrative

great philosopher's house

individuals.

this

importance. The supposed meeting between Ibn

Arabi and Ibn Rushd happened while Ibn

on both

as

he had

living this religion only affirmed the Truth

gleaned.

at

intuition.

on a feigned

al-

'Arabi

errand,

was

still

a boy.

He was

al-

sent to the

and the encounter had a profound impact

Claude Addas translates Ibn

al-

'Arabi's account of the event:

As I [Ibn al- 'Arabi] entered, the philosopher [Ibn Rushd] rose from his
came to meet me, showing me every possible token of friendship and

seat

and

consideration and finally embracing me.

Then he said to me: "Yes". I in turn

Then his joy increased as he saw that I had understood him.
myself became aware of what it was that had caused his joy, I

replied to him: "Yes."

But next, when I

added: "No". Immediately Averroes [Ibn Rushd] tensed up, his features changed
colour and he seemed to doubt his own thoughts. He asked me this question:
"What kind of solution have you found through illumination and divine
inspiration? Is it just the same as what we receive from speculative thought?" I
replied to him: "Yes and no. Between the yes and the no spirits take flight from
their matter and necks break away from their bodies". Averroes turned pale; I saw
him start to tremble. He murmured the ritual phrase, "there is no strength save in
God", because he had understood my allusion.^^
In this passage Ibn al- 'Arabi sets

gnostic, a true Sufi,

up a clear

distinction

between himself as a "knower" or

and Ibn Rushd as a philosopher. The meeting begins with Ibn Rushd

seeking affirmation that the great store of knowledge and

'Arabi possesses

by Ibn

^'

al-

is

identical to his

own as

wisdom

Ibn al- 'Arabi in Claude Addas, Quest

yoimg Ibn

a seasoned philosopher. The

'Arabi signifies the similarity of the knowledge.

ed. Peter Kingsley

the

For The Red Sulphur: The

It

Life

first

al-

"yes" given

can be outlined in the

Of Ibn

'Ibn al- 'Arabi. Trans,

and

(Cambridge: The Islamic Texts Society, 1993), 37.

27

jb\*->

i}-<-!

i^-rci^m' mQ*i^lt

.;>-

A,

^!

*Ml5i'^'

;??'

'

nimi^y

IV

.tA ybsM;')

,'Si

1,,

\;

V<':.

-^"

-.

,t-'V;n.jJ-d'fT^^W)^'"f n^!i';M4tefi>-I(&{3 b qti-i^im ?tilA*

;.;*HJi-'

',

::

'>':'}*-

'\\..>h

?>r

'iisQ

:i(*

V. .k'v

J,--^i'>'*

yt':

>'

.,, /'.:> -

''..'J'.

a>gir'i'fi.

ir-^i'ia

.gh-

following manner: Truth for revelation/Islam and reason/falsafah comes from the same
source; the unveiling of Sufism

is

Therefore, the Truth of unveiling

the personalization of the revelation of Islam.

is

the

same

as the Truth of reason.

does not end with

this, for the

also not the same.

The knowledge of unveiling stands in-between

the answers of "yes"

"no" that comes afterwards

and "no".

is that

'Arabi

it

the paradox caused

is

by

An earlier argument pointed out that although the Truth

means speak

and develop different characteristics or

"knower"

al-

likewise asserting that

is

revealed to philosophy (reason) and Sufism (intuition/unveiling)

are different. These differing

But Ibn

is

the same, the

means

to individuals through different experiences

The difference

qualities within them.

for the

he/she understands, or more properly experiences. Truth more intimately

and esoterically than the philosopher ever can,

that

is,

the

"knower" experiences

through intuitional encounters while the philosopher gleans

it

it

from his/her rational

deduction.

The differences between

the

"knower" and the "philosopher" become

analyzing the second "meeting" between the Ibn

al-' Arabi

clearer

and Ibn Rushd. Ibn

al-

by
'Arabi

says:

had the wish to meet him a second time. He was shown to meGod have mercy on him!- in a vision i^aqi 'a), in a certain form. A light veil had
been placed between him and me so that I could see him although he could not
see me and was unaware of my presence. He was so absorbed that he paid no
attention to me, and I said to myself: "This is not someone who is destined to
Subsequently

follow the same path as me."^^

Importantly, the "knower"

is

the one

who

-^

transcends physical limits and travels through

the world of imagination. Ibn al- 'Arabi sees Ibn Rushd, but the philosopher, absorbed in
his thoughts

^*

Ibn

al-

and contemplations, does not see Ibn

'Arabi

in

ed. Peter Kingsley

al- 'Arabi.

Claude Addas, Quest For The Red Sulphur: The Life

Ibn Rushd was so immersed

Of Ibn

'Ibn al- 'Arabi. Trans,

and

(Cambridge: The Islamic Texts Society, 1993), 107.

28

Wu.

j??axA*

-fai

^l

r'Jrta^^fb

t:.*f?'

^liWiri^

W#m

>i.j6:

la.

^"i -Hk

iv^^y.-ri:,

i'i.H1'?i':?KH

',i*.

"jTiSSi

tl

: ,V

''h.Z-jS'

,Tf*'^

:r'^^i/..

r.:

in the intellect that he could not transcend

it

and

attain the special

knowledge of the

"knower." The "knower" can see multiple layers of reality, leading to the unveiling in the
Presence of God Himself, but the philosopher
transcend

stuck in the physical world and cannot

is

this.

Intuition

Sufis,

such as Ibn

al-

'

Arabi,

saw problems within

the Islamic religious structure that

were detracting from the inherent message of the Qur'an. The theologians and authorities
of religious law were shaping Islam

Muslim was expected

to follow

into a set

and obey. Ibn

of strict rules and

al-

'Arabi

saw

every devout

rites that

this version

of Islam as

lacking the personal and experiential elements that define the Sufi goal of unveiling and

yaa '/extinction^

'^.

Ibn

al-

'Arabi's critique of the religious authorities,

summarized by James W. Morris:

The

essential motivation

of Ibn Ibn

al-

on

from religious (or

'Arabi

is

however,

is

not any sort of

which

is

the prerequisite of that responsibility

that are its inevitable consequences.'^^

not trying to undermine the religious institutions of his day, on the

contrary, he aims to

interpret

',

the individual's inalienable responsibility in realizing the spiritual intentions of

and the diversity and openness

al-

u..->

legal) constraints, but rather his consistent stress is

revelation, along with the freedom

Ibn

'Arabi's criticism of the assumptions

underlying the religious paradigm of the fuqaha

'liberation'

nicely

is

make them aware of the

necessity of allowing the individual to

and understand the Qur'an for him/herself To do

religious institutions or laws

must be destroyed,

for,

this

does not

mean that the

he explicitly says, those individuals

content to simply follow the prescripts of the religious authorities should be allowed to do
so.

But

this

does mean that the w/a/wa/religious authorities should be open to diverse

Both of which the individual must experience to become the Perfect Individual, and will be discussed
and in the later half of Chapter Two.
James W. Morris, "Ibn 'Ibn al- 'Arabi's 'Esotericism': The Problem of Spiritual Authority," Studia

in

the last section of this Chapter

^'

hlamicalX (1990):

56.

29

:.viU

.^

'o

:);;((>: i'.^!ji;>)

:i:i.,',

i)!y..

iv*'i;>t?'s;

Lt .'fHH^^

;tr' i:

jtU

.?*

'1

;. :iQy.>.

,;:,

iLV

;.i

v<

!\'

iKA-rr,

S?.,.v

_.,i

.-f.

-,1

i^r^yc'>

^Jt'""'

interpretations,

by giving

understand on their

all

own the

individuals the complete freedom and responsibility to

essence of the Islamic revelation. Ibn

the current mind-set hinders individuals from taking

on

al-

responsibility

'Arabi

is

saying that

and exploring

this

freedom. The attitude offiqh, or legalism, leads to conformism and solidification of

interpretation.

community

The

is to

have declared the "correct" interpretation, with which the

authorities

conform. Such an environment hinders the exercise of personal

The community views any divergence from accepted

theological interpretation as

blasphemous, thus any unique interpretation or perspective of the individual

suspect. In sum, Ibn al- 'Arabi

is criticizing

faith.

is

viewed as

the religious authorities for suppressing the

individual's responsibility of interpretation.

How is religious authority supposed to be esoteric, the responsibility

individual?

The

heart/qalb

is

the

means by which

which the individual accepts revelatory

truth.

Ibn

of the

the prophets received revelation and

al-

by

'Arabi emphasizes this to support

the individual's responsibility for understanding revelation. In one of the appendixes to

Ibn

al-

'Arabi's Contemplation

He

of the Holy Mysteries, Twinch and Beneito

explain:

"When the High God wishes to grant his servant some of

knowledges. He disposes the mirror of his heart towards success.

[Ibn al- 'Arabi] says,

these [special]

He looks at it with the eye of benevolence (lutj) and help {tawfiq), and supports it
with the sea of strong backing {ta 'yid)."" He then describes how the various facets
of the heart are each polished in turn, so that the mirror of the heart becomes clear
and free from the rust of otherness. Then the revelation which appears in the heart
varies according to the heart's readiness to receive forms.'^^

According
that

to this passage, Ibn al- 'Arabi believes that the heart is a transformative tool

becomes open

Ibn Ibn

to personal "revelation".^"

The transformation of the

in the

heart,

when

polished,

'Arabi, Contemplation of the Holy Mysteries and the Rising of the Divine
Twinch and Pablo Beneito (Oxford: Anqa, 2001), 118-9.

al-

ed. Cecilia

The

heart

is

is

"free

from the

Lights, trans,

and

explained as analogous to polishing a mirror, and will be expanded on

next chapter.

30

4iiU

.:

...^

xiJ'Jfj

...

...

.<:

:'i:-\

^iiiifiiuvxj^..r

iOffi:..

yt^'i

.>rf^i^>?^

*-^~nr. jtii 1 '\

...'.T^

ad

ir-

lMrt"y}<*-i? s(i5c;fik.

'<

rust

of otherness;"

detachment

it

becomes detached from

realized

is

by

fully

all selfish

desire and egotism. This

embracing the tenets of Islam, seeking knowledge of the

self s connection to God, and using this knowledge to actualize the attributes associated

with God. The

by Ibn
al-

way

this transformation is

al- 'Arabi; in

for every

in another

human

(May God

bless and keep him!) established the

being in himself, making him one

who

is to

be rightly Sought,

both in the World of his transcendent [being] and of his sensual."^' This
the poem,

"Be Your

passage

one of his early works, about saintship and religious authority, Ibn

'Arabi says: "Thus, [the Prophet]

Imamate

accomplished can be found

Own Ruler", which further explores this idea.

Ibn

is

al-

followed by
'Arabi here

points directly to the problem between systematized religious authority and the differing

understandings by the individual. Ibn

own Imam, meaning that only the

he/she, other than

mirror.

al-

'Arabi claims that every individual

is

his/her

individual can truly guide him/herself because only

God, can see within him/herself and change the

Only the individual can improve

status

of his/her heart-

their spiritual self and actualize the essence

of

revelation.

The emphasis
utilized?

As

in

Sufism

illustrated

is

personal understanding.

To what

extent then

by Hayy Ibn Yaqzan, the philosophers believed

lead an individual to a perfect understanding of the world and God.

"

is

reason

that reason could

Near the end of the

'Arabi quoted in Gerald T. Elmore, Islamic Sainthood in the Fullness of Time: IbnAl-Ibn al"Book of the Fabulous Gryphon" (Leiden: Brill, 1999), 241.
Although, this was later qualified, saying that only some individuals could use philosophy. An example

Ibn

al-

'Arabi's
^^

in Ibn Tufayl's text:

When

he [Hai]

finally

understood the true nature of people and that the majority are

similar to that of dumb animals, he realized that

success

all

wisdom and guidance and

in a state

the only chance of

what the messengers have conveyed and what the religious law has provided and
more is possible.[lbn Tufayl, Journey of the Soul, trans, and ed. Riad Kocache

lies in

that nothing

(London: Octagon, 1982), 59.]

31

Vi.

'i

'>

i'f-'i :}.i

jkiis.^-,:

j.'V:.

fi!'vv-!':

book, however, there

an

intuitive

fhistrating,

evidence that Ibn Tufayl beHeved that the mystical

is

knowledge

that

and the reader

outweighs the

rational.

is told:

Hayy
<

finds teaching the

state

provides

community

But although they were a people who loved the good and wanted the truth, Hai's
teaching seemed only to induce more and more discord among them. Owing to
their lack of native good sense, they did not want to seek the Truth in the way He
had indicated nor by experiencing Him nor entering by the door He had provided.
They did not want to come to Him through His exponents.^''

The majority of people, who may

themselves in the search for

it.

personal striving, and follow

desire to understand truth,

They would

its dictates.

rather have

What

is

it

do not want

handed

of special

to discipline

to them, without

interest is the idea

any

of

"experiencing Him[God]" that Ibn Tufayl places in the passage. This can be interpreted
as referring to mystical experience. If this

also a mystic,

i.e.,

a Sufi.

W.M. Watt

For Ibn-Tufayl philosophy

inhabitants of the state.
felicity,

Reason, although

it

which can also lead

intuition

'*

it

life.

In other

truth,

words the
^

cannot necessarily be

can be considered to parallel mystical

intuition,

and which also cannot be concretely shared with another

mechanisms relying on

the capacity of the individual.

utilized to the capacity the individual has

developed his/her

intellect,

can be utilized to the extent that the individual has developed his/her

insight or awareness.

"

can only lead a few selected individuals to the highest

many ways

are both internal

Reason can be

seen to be incapable of directing the lives of the

can lead an individual to the highest

to Truth,

is

supports this interpretation:

of the philosopher has become mystical ecstasy.

taught to every person. In

They

then the philosopher for Ibn Tufayl

but to reach this they must retire from active

summum bonum

person.

It

is

is so,

Any knowledge

given to the individual from either

and

spiritual

mode

then

is

Tufayl, 60.

W. M.

Watt, Islamic Theology and Philosophy {Edmburgh, 1962), quoted in Michael E. Marmura,
Probing In Islamic Philosophy: Studies In The Philosophies of Ibn Sina, al-Ghazali And Other Major
Muslim Thinkers (Binghamton: Global Academic Publishing, 2005), 421.

32

it

tini^

Ah,--

?>!'fi,

.Ui^/f

./.(.

tailored to suit the capacity

of the individual; and therefore cannot necessarily be

meaningful to anyone

Watts, however, suggests that there

that the philosopher

else.

becomes a mystic. Since the

is

true philosopher

not just a parallel, but

must divorce

him/herself from society in order to practice philosophical contemplation, and the

mystic/Sufi, in solitude,

the

same

must seek God through

goal. Thus, the philosopher

Intuition, like reason, is

internal reflection, then both strive for

and the mystic/Sufi become the equivalent.

a "tool" that can be utilized by only a select few. Both sets of

individuals have attained the highest

direct access to Truth, or

knowledge available

to humanity.

They

are given

God.

Philosophy/reason coupled with Sufism/intuition leads to God. However, what about

those philosophers

who

are not mystics/Sufis, such as Ibn

Rushd? Ibn

al-

'

Arabi says of

these individuals that:

and thinkers among the ancients, as also the scholastic

theologians, in their talk about the soul and its quiddity, none of them have
grasped its true reality, and speculation will never grasp it. He who seeks to know
^
it by theoretical speculation is flogging a dead horse.

As

The search

for the theorists

for

reason. There

intellect.

Ibn

knowledge of the

is

al-

some

divine, the eternal,

and the soul cannot rely solely on

transcendental truth in these that lies beyond the limits of the

'Arabi says the people

who

look for such only from within the confines

of reason are "flogging a dead horse." They are looking

at

never reveal the inner essence of the matter. Ibn Rushd,

who

existence and

commune

but never the inner; this

with Ibn

is

why

something

al-

could not see past the veil of

Reason can show the

outer,

'Arabi says complete knowledge can only

come

al- 'Arabi, illustrates this.

Ibn

lifeless that will

from personal revelation. He says:

"

Ibn

al- 'Arabi,

153.

33

yj'M:

hi

'!>

;.;>':

riiul^ ,v/3^ Yj.^'^M

V;:

:\:---i

!;n

'-..^

1'

'!;(1'

'tyr<f,

i.

!*({;;>

^?j

'

Mi

'snt

Thus, perfect knowledge

had only through a divine Self-revelation or

from Hearts and eyes so that they might perceive
things, eternal and ephemeral, non-existent and existent, impossible, necessary, or
permissible, as they are in their eternal reality and essentiality.^*
is

when God draws back the

to be

veils

fi.

The knowledge

that is "unveiled" to the heart

shows the individual the

spiritual,

transcendental nature of things, which reason can never ascertain. This unveiled

knowledge

is

the very

knowledge of God.

intuited experience. That

that Ibn al- 'Arabi

Ibn

al-

is

why

It

can only be understood through direct and

Ibn Rushd could never fiiUy understand the "knowing"

had been given.

'Arabi believes that every individual should be allowed to interpret and

understand the Qur'an and hadith on his/her own. But what

knowledge proper of intuition/unveiling

conclusion

is

is

of all revelation, that

is

way

to reach this

communion

is to

"re-live"

first is that

God, and

with the source than the knowledge or revelation

the

the basis for this? Sufism's

the personalization of revelation. This

reached through two premises. The

directly with the source

is

itself.

is

the Sufi desires to

more concerned

therefore

Secondly, the Sufi believes that

Muhammad's "Night of Ascension," to

experience the revelation for him/herself. Martin Lings illustrates this

the relationship between Sufism and Islam in terms of waves

of water

left

behind: "The mystic

is

one

ebbing wave than by the water which

coming from God,

case, the

it

who
has

is

left

when he

describes

on an ocean and the pools

consequently more preoccupied by the

behind."^^

The wave

is

the revelation

the pools of water left behind are the form the revelation takes, in this

Qur'an and Islam as a whole. The ocean, the source,

with the revelation

commune

left

behind,

how to

interpret

it

and

how to

Sufism views the revelation as a "drop from the Ocean"

is

God. Islam

follow

its

occupied

is

dictates,

that is a path leading

while

backwards

'*Ibid., 166.

"

Martin Lings, What

is

Sufism,

2"''

ed.

(London: Unwin Paperbacks, 1981),

12.

34

ft'Wrto.'

ti

b-^^/^^A:.

'>.

!f,'!il

^1,'

'

i)ZiKv::^ft>^'^. *1t.v;..

.y.'.,'!.^

:ti

yi ^''if^k

rh

^t{;j[5\

'iT:

'i;^

-.t iSft ^-,r...

,:'-"'
.

;.)?,'

.^

>:i^.'cA

;-*'

'^-yiXfyt (rt w>sri

Ui

f'

i3P'p;4>

to

its

analogy, this

what

Keeping with the wave, pool, and Ocean

source, God. Sufism seeks this source.

it

means

that Islam is focused

means, while Sufism

the source, the Ocean,

the effect.

Kalam

i.e.,

is

on the

effects

of the revelation, the pool and

concerned with finding the wave and understanding

God,

is;

that

is,

Sufism wants

seeks to interpret what the waves

left

to

know the

who

cause rather than

behind, the message of the

revelation that has been given. In contrast to this, the Sufis seek to go back to the source,

to experience the process

of the wave as

it

returns to the Ocean.

The second premise regarding communion suggests

go from pool,

to

wave, to Ocean. This means

the one given to the Prophet

need not be followed

Mount Qaf and wait

way

or duplicating this experience

of the Qur'an. Rather,

the exemplification or duplication

"embodiment" of the knowledge of revelation.

of Sufism in relation to Islam

the Sufi can

each individual does not have to travel to

in solitude for the revelation

this

means whereby

the re-living of the revelatory experience,

Muhammad. Exemplifying

in its empirical sense,

done metaphorically. In
intensely personal

is

the

illustrates this:

"Sufism meant,

this

means

should be

striving for

an

Schimmel's definition

in the formative period,

mainly an interiorization of Islam, a personal experience of the central mystery of Islam,

that oitawhid, 'to declare that

God

prescripts of the faith, but strives to

is

One.'"^^

The

Sufi does not merely follow the

embody them.

,5.

Conclusion

\i:

'*

It

can be argued that Islam

itself fosters, or at least

claims to foster, an individualized relationship with

God. This could be called a type of "personalization" similar to that advocated by Sufism; however,
constructed under the auspices of a rule-based, systematized religion. Sufism, and especially Ibn al'Arabi's philosophy (as will be discussed later), is not a static system that applies uniformly to all.
^'Schimmel, 17.

this is

35

In conclusion, the

above explorations can be used

the Perfect Individual utilizes the

to determine the

knowledge of revelation, reason, and

manner

in

intuition.

which
Ibn

al-

'Arabi says of the Perfect Individual:

The

Perfect

Man- who denotes

his

Lord by

an a priori manner
the Crown of the King.
He

his very essence in

{min awwal al-badiha)- and only the Perfect Man,

is

gathers together nature (al-tab) and intellect (al- 'aql), so within

him

are the

grossest (akthaj) and subtlest (altaj) of compositions in respect of his nature, and

within him

disengagement {al-tajarrud) from substrata {al-mawadd) and the

faculties (al-quwa) that govern bodies.
Through the Perfect Man the Divine
is

Judgment {al-hukm al-ilahi) concerning reward and punishment in the world

becomes manifest. Through him the order {al-nizam [i.e., of the universe]) is
established and overthrown; in him God decrees, determines, and judges.""^

The

first

thing Ibn al- 'Arabi explains

achieves perfection,

essence

al-

i.e.,

as a normal

is

that the Perfect Individual, before he/she

human

therefore, perfection is achieved

being, already signifies

God

by gaining knowledge of this

within his/her

state.

Next Ibn

'Arabi explains that the Perfect Individual combines nature or creation and intellect or

reason.

He/She

him/her.

The

is

a rational being, and as such he/she analyzes the natural world around

Perfect Individual uses rational knowledge, philosophy, to explore and

understand the world. However, the Perfect Individual also disengages him/herself from
the physical world, he/she practices ascetical renunciation

This individual

reflection,

i.e.,

is

similar to Ibn Tufayl's philosopher

and mystical contemplation.

who must

leave society for solitary

mystical intuition, but unlike Ibn Tufayl's philosopher the Perfect

Individual returns to society. He/she, as denotative of God, manifests the knowledge of

revelation within the world.

right

truth,

Not only does

the Perfect Individual need to practice the

combination of the three modes of knowledge, using revelation as the foundation for
reason as a limited

mode of discernment, and

intuition as the transformative

al- 'Arabi, The Meccan Revelations: Volume I, trans, and

and James W. Morris (New York: PIR Press, 2002), 43-4.
This will be analyzed in Chapter Three.

Ibn Ibn

ed.

means

Michel Chodkiewicz, William C.

Chittick,
""

36

-'fc

"*;

'

i^

-i:

.jif,]^ 4-ia^'u

ii

-/.'i

:<^l/4.VMa/

'>r'

h%

..'ii;.

i""^!. ....''.

--.'i

;i/l-^.''

'^

;!

uiv;-:.-'..

jtb

'i^

(;n*;'i!;i

-w(.

.rijfi'

r^^rni, y, 5T*>rlci^-^:}

of understanding, but he/she must also use these three in his/her capacity as the Perfect
Individual. Thus,

knowledge

is tied

to the attaining

of and the sustaining of perfection.

"

.f

.fi'

^.

^''

.!'!

:'''

:,'?

,(*,.

},V

;'

:i,

'>-

ll-

..< <-<H.'

^'-S

ll

37

Chapter

2:

The

Muhammad

Perfect Individual's relation to

Perfection implies the

embodying of an

ideal state. Socrates equated perfection with

"disembodiment", pure contemplation; in the Bhagavadgita

it is

the sublimation of all

difference within the "body" of the One; and finally, for Gregory of Nyssa

who

it is

equated

with embodying the attributes of Christ.

What

embodying? The answer

can be found by analyzing the relationship

to this question

or

is

the al-insan al-kamil

between the Perfect Individual, the Prophet Muhammad, and the haqiqa muhammadiyya,
the Reality of Muhammad, that

is

the metaphysical essence of perfection for humanity.

Islam acknowledges the Prophet as the exemplary

human

being; this

for Ibn al- 'Arabi, as the Prophet is considered the pinnacle of creation,

model of perfection. Ibn

al-

'Arabi says of the Prophet: "His

wisdom of singularity because he

which reason the whole
case,

the

al-

everything and

at

the degrees of the

every level, since

that Perfect Individuals are not

is this

what role does

not necessary for one

men of the

Spirit

is their [sole]

Muhammad play in

it?

how does

it

is

an

the

the

passage

to

precedence in

This passage suggests

aim."

at

earlier

is

for

perfect to be superior in

have regard only

every level; and, secondly,

concerned with superiority per

and

lies in

who

does not entail superiority

superiority then,

is

begins and ends with him."'*^ If this

knowledge of God, which

things. First, that perfection

God. What

is

and thus the

most perfect creation of this humankind,

affair [of creation]

'Arabi that states: "It

no exception

[Muhammad's]

can any other individual embody perfection? The answer

from Ibn

two

is

is

se,

only with knowledge of

function? And,

more importantly,

What type of superiority does Muhammad have

over the rest of humanity? These are the questions that this chapter seeks to answer, and

"^

Ibn

^'

Ibid, 66.

al- 'Arabi, Bezels,

272.

38

t.-l

..

w'lksi

'.^i;\!v5-A' .''f'

.'iV.

,.^^\\J'iyuy-^\^,i-Auh

.'h.-.b(imi'mi!:.--'>

.rrfi

^:

Am.'' '*/''

'

''

/;!

rt

-ifl^:'K^ 'fPi

^f'"*:!

'

'^

?f

'

i-s

nyr^i:

Ir

'v

-fi

,no-5

;"\'4rf;>

<

.-?

>..

^'

>ji;t

(S^iXl -Vtlfc

'I.

?"--fV .:,*n!ff *?r: wvift" '/-ttnUxiii"'t; r-

will

do so

in the following

actualized

Muhammad will

relationship

A'iaft/

manner:

1)

The Haqiqa muhammadiyya and

be analyzed in relation to one another. This will make the

between Muhammad, the world, and the Perfect Individual

clearer. 2)

'/Prophethood will be explored as a role of the Perfect Individual. The function of

prophethood, and

its

completion in

element to be identified.
ra^wZ/apostleship,

Muhammad

as the "Seal of the Prophets"

which

in

many ways

is

directly tied to prophethood,

"Heir of the Prophets" will be analyzed. Sainthood

Individual.

Each of these sections

not simply an appellation for

human

is

the

the first

and
its

is

the second

pinnacle in the

most basic type of Perfect

will help to clarify the being of the Perfect Individual

Muhammad,

but as a reality that remains open for every

being.

Muhammad

is

A subsidiary exploration of this section will be the concept of

element in the hierarchy. 3) Finally, the concept of wa///sainthood and

as,

the historically

.,

as the prototype for the Perfect Individual

Clarifying the relationship between the haqiqa

muhammadiyya and

;\

the historical

Muhammad aids in understanding the connection between Muhammad and the Perfect
Individual. In order to

do

this the process

must be analyzed by looking

Muhammad," how

it

came

from primordial

specifically at Ibn al- 'Arabi's description

to be,

and what

its

function

Muhammad as the concentrated manifestation of this

Claiming

Muhammad to be the most perfect of all

that the category

of Perfect Individual

of Perfect Individual

is

reality to actualized

is

is.

And, the

'Reality'

person

of the "Reality of

historical

person of

must be examined.

individuals does not necessarily imply

closed to everyone else, only that a specific type

sealed off; in this rests

Muhammad's

superiority over the rest

of

humanity.

39

,'

-J

r:il

'-f

-b-JWi ':-.-

J^'si.

'_;>>"! uy-j/fff:

ii

>.,;i''i h'.')

!fii:\r, r.'.'^rvr-jn i$<y_

C.','^'"

^1

'.,;;

''''

.'.,---

;ifi

iiK

'I"

(:>!V -:>>

it^H'

,..l-t'V'

,'Vto

"

.).,

M ''h
:l.'''5I

h-,fTU'^-%(^.!jl''

?rj* .-jO'tiit"

-;'

Ibn

al-

'

Arabi describes the primordial beginning in a distinctly Platonic fashion.

begins by stating that

"God manifested Himself in theophany through His Light to

Dust... within the Dust

was

the entire world in potentiality

(salahiyya).''^ Ibn al- 'Arabi

that "arose

from

had described

this

Dust as a

He

that

(quwwa) and readiness

plaster, or as the

that sacred Desire [the desire for the existence

prime matter

of the world contained

within his knowledge of Himself]- through one kind of theophany of Incomparability;"'*'

this material

can be molded and shaped into any form. From these two passages a picture

of the beginning of the universe can be formed:

1)

God revealed Himself to

"matter." 2)

This revealing came about through God's Light, His Self-Consciousness. 3) The Light
then shone on the Dust, the prime matter of otherness that

God created through

another

theophany, and this Dust was pregnant with the yet unformed universe.

The movement
accordance with

room

its

after this

is:

"Each thing

own preparedness

(isti

in the

'dad)

Dust received from His Light

and

potentiality, just as the

in

comers of a

receive the light of a lamp and, due to the degree of their proximity to that light,

increase in brightness and reception {qabul)."'^^

The Light showed

Itself to the Dust,

God

revealed Himself to nothingness, analogous to a lamp shining in a dark room. Just as a

lamp

will best illuminate the parts

brightest in the parts of the

ftill

of the room that are closest to

Dust most open and ready for

It,

it,

the Light shone

those closest to the Light, or

of the Being of God. "According to their preparedness and potentiality" means

"according to their realizable reflective capacity". Just as light from a lamp does not
equally illuminate

'*''

"

**

Ibn al- 'Arabi,

all

Meccan

objects,

some not being

able to reflect light as well as others.

Revelations, 35.

Ibid, 34.
Ibid, 35.

40

uH

i.'.WiJaW

,fi!>s;i>{jit

()i'-,^iiis.iir

m ^,

mm!&i)

':U4(^

Ri

B to

'ri.

u>n/> -^^'^i

<l3iJ;;;J4SS/|

?>;-;^;

'i-h' s,i

-:J

isvj

'J 'fiijfJsa^-T

'-ityl >:<: '*i'''

'aflti 3-ii

:.*

"

'

'

'

itt):|;rj^|

('.i-*^'^

..?ij^^?ife.n^

^H.

>

'

jiS^.-'

-.i'

.u

(I

f?!.;

e^

mof'

'dli"

/.' 5R-;K.

."'yKr^^Siiao

!:'*'i

.;

M!>i:io

Us

atefOf:

likewise

some

objects of creation have less of a capacity to reflect the Light. Ibn al-

'Arabi elaborates on this

when he

Within the Dust nothing

Muhammad, which
and the

entirety

is

first

says:

is

nearer to the Light in reception than the Reality of

called the Intellect.

So he

is

the lord of the world in

become manifest within

thing to

existence.

Hence

its

his

existence derives from the Divine Light, the Dust, and the Universal Reality,

while his entity

'ayn)

comes

into existence within the Dust; then the entity

of the

world stems from his theophany.'*^

The Reality of Muhammad, or

the First Intellect,

closest to the Divine Light; therefore it/he

is

the

was

the configuration of Dust that

most perfect and all-comprehensive

component of creation."** Perfection here can be defined

intensity /brightness

as the possession of the

locus of manifestation for the Divine

Names

fiill

of the Light. This means that as the pinnacle of perfection within

creation, and, as the all-comprehensive reflection, the Reality

the other

was

Name Allah.

This

of Muhammad became the

Name combines

or Attributes of God/Being within itself

within itself all

The Reality of Muhammad

contained within itself all the other Names, which separately became the other varied
parts

first

of creation. Earthly existence then

the Reality of Muhammad

was

is

created indirectly from the Being of God, for

created,

and then out of it individual existents were

formed.

What

is

the historical

two passages

Muhammad's

in the Bezels

relation to the

of Wisdom where Ibn

al-

haqiqa muhammadiyyal There are

'Arabi explains

from the chapter on the prophet Seth: "Every prophet, from

"'

Adam

this.

The

first

until the last

comes

of the

Ibid.

"A

existence, they all

made here between Ibn al- 'Arabi and Plato's Phaedrus. In the Phaedrus Socrates
come into the world in various states. Before souls become placed in bodies, or
must make a journey to the Forms. The journey upwards to the Forms is long and

strenuous and not

all

parallel

explains

could be

how

souls

it. Depending on where a soul falls along the journey dictates

be given. Those that are closest to the goal, that catch a glimpse of the
Forms are given a human body, and are the best and most "perfect" according to how much of the Forms
they saw. In a like manner, the Reality of Muhammad is all-comprehensive because it reaches the highest
intensity of Light, and thus sees, knows, and reflects all of Being.

the souls will complete

the type of bodily existence

it

will

41

-*''

J.

I.

prophets, derives what he has from the Seal of Prophets, even though he

comes

last in his

temporal, physical manifestation, for in his [essential] reality he has always existed."'*^

And the second comes from the

final chapter,

Muhammad:

<-

'

His [Muhammad's]

which discusses the wisdom of the Prophet

f,

f--

wisdom of singularity because he

is the most perfect

which reason the whole affair [of creation] begins
and ends with him. He was a prophet when Adam was still between the water and
the clay and he is, by his elemental makeup, the Seal of the prophets, first of the
three singular ones, since all other singulars derive from it.
is

the

creation of this humankind, for

These passages mention two things

(first)

and end

(last)

two passages a

link

the beginning

He may be the

he has always been in existence. There

Muhammad that places him

above everyone

this

he

is

the

between the physical person of

Reality of Muhammad can be inferred.^'

to arrive, but in his essence

in

Muhammad is

of creation and the prophets; and secondly, that due to

Seal of the Prophets. In these

Muhammad and the

in particular: first, that

else.

Muhammad

is

is

last

prophet

something inherent

the physical

manifestation of the Reality of Muhammad. Elsewhere Ibn al- 'Arabi affirms this

connection:

given the

"He [Muhammad] was

totality

the clearest of evidence for his Lord, having been

of the divine words, which are those things named by Adam."^^

Muhammad,

as a created being,

given

names of God within himself

all

the

was given

Further proof of this cormection

is in

the totality of the divine words, that

"'
'"

Ibn

al-

Ibid.,

all

other

he was

a passage where Ibn al- 'Arabi states that the

essence or nature of Muhammad was replaced by the

encompasses

is,

Names. "He [God] negated

name

Allah, the

Name of God that

the engendered existence (kawn) of

'Arabi, Bezels, 67.

272.

" His role as the Seal of Prophets will be discussed in detail later on, what
moment is the idea that Muhammad is the all-encompassing prophet.

is

important in this passage at

the

"

Ibn

al- 'Arabi,

Bezels, 111.

42

Muhammad and
Allah."

Ibn

al-

affirmed Himself as identical to

'

Arabi here indicates that

God

Muhammad,

giving

him

the

Name

created the most comprehensive

knowledge and perfection within the person of Muhammad, and

that

personhood of Muhammad was negated and

the

in its place

was put

due to

this the

Name Allah,

the perfect understanding of God. This process proceeds in a circular manner: 1)

that

is,

God's

Light became manifest within the perfect reflection that was the Reality of Muhammad;
2) the entire world of created existence

the creation of the

partial likeness

likeness. 4)

most perfect

existent,

manner perfection

is

Muhammad's

to be the seal

which culminated

All the rest of creation

Muhammad as

Muhammad,

but this

position as the Seal of the Prophets needs to be explained

of prophecy?

What
.

a prophet, and what does

is

it

,.

,*

'.

'
'

how an

what a prophet

is;

relations are to

Muhammad as the

individual

becomes such; and what

Seal of the Prophets.

before the creation of the world, but this

'Arabi says: "The Prophet

[Muhammad]

is

Meccan

who and

the other prophets'

Muhammad was

said,

'I

"^

given this role

not the case for the other prophets. Ibn

al-

was a prophet when Adam was between

water and clay,' while the other prophets became such only

al- 'Arabi,

in his

such can be labeled the Perfect

There are three things that need to be discussed concerning prophethood:

Ibn

was only a

God put

Prophet

"

in

Muhammad himself was a complete

manifested on two levels within

before any claims about perfection can be made.

mean

Reality,

as a Perfect Individual had his self negated and

does not concretely establish that only

Individual.

Muhammad.

of the Reality of Muhammad, while

Muhammad,

place. In this

was bom out of this

when they were

sent forth [on

Revelations, 138.

43

!>*

'!'" i""it-

'v'ii"

'

if.-'-^:n~

yv

nr-'^

i',

.:

,i'

'VrH

VSiij fX

No

their mission]."^

Muhammad,

other prophet holds the

same place

Muhammad does.

that

equated with the haqiqa muhammadiyya, was created before any other

However,

existent. This is not the case for the other prophets.

this is not to suggest that

these other prophets acquired their positions due to personal achievements. Ibn al- ' Arabi

says:

Know that since Prophecy

and Apostleship are a special divine favor, there

mean

question of any acquisition [of merit].

Prophecy. His favors to them are pure

gifts

is

no

[particularly] the legislative

and not in any sense rewards for

which any compensation will be asked of them, His bestowal on them being a
55
matter of favor and selection
Prophets are not given this appointment because they

because

God has chosen

to favor

them with

be argued that any prophet, particularly

somehow merit

Muhammad,

to the individual

What
first part,

is

al-

'Arabi says:

He

Apostleship,

came

it

it

cannot

is,

the gift of prophecy is not

gift,

and why does

t:.)

it

come

"By prophethood I mean the

a gift of "revelation," a special message that the individual

his/her people.

mind,

embodiment of perfection.

the purpose of this

Ibn

this in

also says:

to

"As

an end in

to

After

him

an end? In answer to the

bringer of Sacred Law."^^

is

for the legislative fiinction

Muhammad.

but

received this appointment because

of some internal or external virtue that they developed, that

due

With

this appointment.

this appellation,

It is

required to present to

of Prophecy and

there will no longer be

any law-

bringing prophet or

community

Their ftmction

teach a particular aspect of divine knowledge, or to explain a specific

is to

divinely ordained

'"

"
'*

Ibn

to receive such, nor

Law to the people.

al- 'Arabi, Bezels, 67.

any apostle

to bring divine law."^'

Chittick in this vein explains:

.'St'('j.

'isT

J.

,".

-^V'

.y' {t'i_-.:iLifti.

i.

Ibid., 199.
Ibid., 66.

"Ibid., 168.

,>?

44

vts-f"'3

ns>& ,niiii,

'm'SfJb^

,r,.

The prophets and

human beings, manifest the name Allah

Then, in their specific functions, they display one or more

great friends of God, as

in its relative fullness.

of the Most Beautiful Names. They are exemplars

of the human theomorphic

Each

state.

is

who

disclose the possibilities

a model of perfection.

^^

Further on he writes: "Each prophet himself becomes a kind of divine name, manifesting
the Divine Presence through his earthly career."^^ According to Chittick each prophet, not

just

Muhammad,

passage from Ibn

manifests the

al-

'

name

Arabi where

Allah. This

is

puzzling considering an earlier

God gave Muhammad the name

Allah, that

taking Chittick's phrasing of "relative fullness" in relation to manifestation to

the prophets leading

up

to

Muhammad,

is,

unless

mean

that

insofar as they are individual aspects of the

Reality of Muhammad, partially manifest the

name

can be found in the Bezels of Wisdom when Ibn

al-

Allah. Proof for this interpretation

'Arabi describes the divine names:

The Names of God are infinite because they are known by all that derives from
them which is infinite, even though they derive [ultimately] from a [known]
number of sources, which are the matrices or abodes of the Names. Certainly,
there is but one Reality, which embraces all these attributions and relations called
the Divine Names.^*^

While the Divine Names are many,

of the

infinite

Divine

Names

Names, embodying one

is

their

Essence and Reality

One, they are

distinct relation to

all

One. Since the Essence

is

connotations of God. These specific

God, also denote the complete

Reality/Essence of God. Thus each prophet was given a specific revelatory

and with

that

came

the distinction of being the

pointing towards the Being of God. However,

distinction, being the last

embodiment of a

Muhammad was

specific

Law/Wisdom,

Name, each one

given the added

of the prophets, to fully embody the all-comprehensive

Name

of Allah.

'*
William C. Chittick, The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn Al- 'Ibn al- 'Arabi 's Metaphysics of Imagination
(Albany: State University of New York Press, 1989), 28.
^'

Ibid.

^ Ibn al-

'Arabi, Bezels, 68.

45

!T<)tf"iV/'''SJ

r:-

i-<i^\Wi\\,X^^

\l\

VJ

il..-ii-

The Seal of the Prophets

signifies the

completion of the Divine Law.

being given the revelation of the Qur'an, completed the

All the prophets prior to

Muhammad,

Law meant to

in the

World of Spirits

perfection,

and

all

. .

is

until

he

who gave

all

the prophets

As Ibn

al-

and messengers

is

not achieved by personal effort;

on the prophets? That

words of M. Chodkiewicz:

it is

gift

their stations

finalized in

from God.

Is

is

the ultimate and total manifestation of the haqiqa

on the other hand,

is

this is not the case is best

Properly speaking, this perfection [of the Perfect Individual]

Muhammad,

'Arabi says:

he was sent in the body."^' All the prophets are models of

perfection then merely a gift bestowed

clarified in the

guide humanity.

prophets stem from the Reality of Muhammad, which

Muhammad. Prophethood

possessed only by

muhammadiyya.

and the very

definition oiwalaya. Hence, the walaya of the wali can only be participation
the walaya of the Prophet.^^
Yet,

Walaya

is

in

bringing only parts of the whole, in essence were

partaking in pieces of the totality of Muhammad's prophethood.

"Know that Muhammad.

Muhammad,

it is

equally the goal of all spiritual

life

in

generally defined as "sainthood," but wali, saint, can also be translated as

"fiiend of God."

It is

one of the closest relationships an individual can have with the

Divine. This relationship even competes with prophecy. Ibn al- 'Arabi says: "Prophecy

and Apostleship constitute certain degrees of Saintship,"^^ for "the prophet

is

a special

kind of saint."^ Izutsu clarifies this by saying that prophethood, as added to sainthood,

Ibn Ibn al- 'Arabi, Journey To The Lord Of Power: A Sufi Manual
Harris (Rochester: Inner Traditions International, 1989), 56-9.

"

On

is

Retreat, trans, and ed. Rabia Terri

Michel Chodkiewicz, Seal of the Saints: Prophethood and Sainthood in the Doctrine of Ibn 'Ibn

al-

Arabi, trans, and ed. Liadain Sherrard (Cambridge: The Islamic Texts Society, 1993), 71.
" Ibn al- 'Arabi, Beze/5, 169.
'

Ibid., 170.

46

!{.

...>'.,'' ^i

;i

''

"jiilH ."

;..'

./<n

;.'ji^

ir:--

,f.,^

'

'tf

,1

'.H)i\

:i;

''^'v 'qfv;^

.,wV

)>;.

Mf,

."

'ikl;

yfi

r''j

;'

Tie.

t>->voi%if*

flf)j

"a particular knowledge of things

gift

added

is

to sainthood.

If prophethood is

gift

added

to sainthood

saint? Apostleship is also a position

although they are both saints. Ibn

Of Wisdom,

in the chapter

Muhammad's

mission.

He was

distinction implied here

insight into the Truth

who and what

added to Saintship. Not

al-

'

Arabi makes

is

all

this clear

an apostle in relation to a

prophets are apostles,

when he

says in the Bezels

on the prophet Khalid: "Although Khalid was not himself an

apostle, he sought to acquire as

The

unseen. "^^ Therefore, prophethood

unknown and

much

as possible of the [all-encompassing]

mercy of

not himself commanded to deliver God's dispensation."

seems

to

be that while a prophet

of God, the apostle

is

given special

is

given a special Divine

the people. Ibn al- 'Arabi says: "the Apostle

is

a Saint

who adds to

wisdom and

command to

dictate to

his 'saintship'

and

'prophethood' one more characteristic; namely being conscious of the mission and
capacity of conveying Divine messages to the people

apostle

is

follow him."^^ Although the

a prophet, the apostle transmits a message or law to the community; this

necessarily the job of a prophet. This distinction

Seth and Job to the prophet-apostles Jesus and

specific

who

wisdom

carry with

it

to

is

illustrated

by comparing the prophets

Muhammad. The

first

be shared with their respective communities, but

an explicit instruction to teach the community a

two were given a

this sharing did

new law or

worship. The second two figures were specifically given a message and
teach their communities. In the case of Jesus, this was, or what

message of Christianity. Muhammad, as the

Toshihiko Izutsu,

(Tokyo: The Keio

^
67

Ibn

last

not

is

not

order of

new order to

was misinterpreted

as, the

prophet and apostle, taught his people

A Comparative Study Of The Key Philosophical Concepts

Of Cultural And Linguistic Studies, 1966), 255.

In Sufism

And Taoism

Institute

al- 'Arabi, Bezels,

268.

Izutsu, 255.

47

'}&

j'.-i

:-':i^

.it'.

>"..
'

,^?.

'.V

hv<

the final revelation that

the

was

the Qur'an and Islam. This however, explains nothing about

embodiment of perfection.
Ibn

al-

'

Arabi stated that both Prophethood and Apostleship are types of Saintship.

This means that there

Individual,

which

"Saintship.

where there

is

is

is

another important aspect for

more enduring than

that degree

which remains

no occasion for lawgiving

is

it

remains to be seen

In relation to this,

Muhammad's

of prophet or apostle. Ibn

to the prophets

to

given the

who and what the

saint

of Perfect

'Arabi says:

in the Hereafter

to

an end, sainthood

is.

superiority can be discerned to lie in the fact that as

prophethood stems from him and culminates in him, therefore

As

the Seal, all

Muhammad,

absolute prophethood, gained complete knowledge of the Divine, thus

more

title

any of God's creation once they have entered

the Seal of the Prophets he closes both prophethood and apostleship.

superior, but not

al-

and apostles

While prophethood comes

either into Paradise, or into the Fire."^*

remains, therefore

that

who can be

through his

making him

perfect than the rest of humanity.

Saint: Heir of the Prophets

Sainthood

is

the key to understanding the Perfect Individual in relation to

Muhammad. According

to Ibn al- 'Arabi:

universal function that never

communication [of divine

comes

truth].

"^'

to

"Know that

Saintship

an end, dedicated as

it is

is

an all-inclusive and

to the universal

Unlike prophethood, which ends with

Muhammad,

sainthood will continue until the end of time. Sainthood provides the key to

understanding

**

Ibn

al- 'Arabi,

*' Ibid.,

how there

are Perfect Individuals other than the Prophet

Muhammad. The

Bezels, 170.

168.

48

:?v.

>

j'>:mi

fwh

;..'

vo

.A

jsi^ %*ij g

];rjrt.,

^it

.'.'R

',.>

tef'^i ir^i^

4.

*4w

->?

'<^

i??t4fit3

an

'OT'f

I'

discussion will be divided into three parts: 1) the saints as the heirs of the prophets; 2) the
saint in general; 3) the

Ibn

al-

two

seals

of sainthood.

'

'

'Arabi describes the saints as the heirs of the prophets in the Bezels of

Wisdom. He outlines the various types of knowledge associated with twenty-seven

specific prophets. (The exact

number of prophets according

to Ibn al- 'Arabi

down to

the

God as their only guide,

the

twenty-seven thousand.) The knowledge given to the prophets can be handed

saints, but

saints

while the prophets were given the knowledge with

must follow

in the footsteps

of these prophets. The saints are guided by the

prophets as well as by God. Chittick explains:

understand their

own innate

made

disposition,

"[I]t is utterly

in the

The prophets-apostles

come

to the

help.

to reach perfection is to follow the

left

laws for humanity to follow, and

the prophets left behind stories and their lives as examples.

people

impossible for people to

form of God, without God's

way

This help comes as prophetic guidance. The only

authority of the prophets."'"

numbering

Through

this inheritance

knowledge of God. This "inheritance" comes from

directly

experiencing the station of a prophet.'^ The experience of the prophetic knowledge and
the specific station corresponding to this

knowledge

is

different

from the experience of

the prophets. According to Ibn al- 'Arabi: "[T]he Station of his Lord

Muhanmaad] had witnessed cannot be witnessed by

fi-om behind his Mantle.

Were that not

so,

[his]

" Every
world.

we would have

Prophet

revealed what he revealed

al- 'Arabi

Cosmology

's

xxiii.

God and the structure of the

knowledge refers to the actualization of the form
where the individual learns how to understand

Prophet was given a specific type of knowledge or wisdom about

The

stations

where the individual Saints

inherit this

of this wisdom. A station then is a spiritual place and state

the world from the perspective of a specific prophet and his mode of knowledge. Staying
station

[the

Heirs {al-warathah) except

William C. Chittick, The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn Al- 'Ibn

(Albany: State University of New York Press, 1998),

which

means understanding God

in

a specific manner,

i.e.,

in the

manner of the Prophet

in

a particular

in question.

49

:\'>;j

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'^l!

i*

r-.,v,

('

ijf^v ii i<l}'' :t(vm\ritjj

> Riiiv^i^3'iiTs*^j i*M<,r'

'sjC: .Ja^Si^iii

7.

^i>\-'

tmi

os^'O'T^

f!.$*M;i

J'

-/"^ y^r-o

..:'-'+;i:s

^cq'.i'j X''

>.

c:.!

'-o

';=?f{

vf^ ^?"-f'J

;;>fej'''''-'

"

j, w.

'

?;;i'

'

:'.;

-'^

'

-,

vvv

;<>

'i;*;^ trjf! '<sr

:j;u

.r' -ri'l

.-v;^

/y5<ii>ui jl&ite|ffi'

and made known what he made known."

79

This passage specifically refers to knowledge

given to the Seal of Muhammadan Sainthood; however, in general terms

that

it

can be posited

any prophetic station has to be viewed behind the mantel of the appropriate

prophet

meaning

that the saints are

dependent on the prophets. The prophets were

given a specific knowledge or wisdom, and

handed down

it is

through their "eyes" that this wisdom

to the saints. In this vein, Ibn al- 'Arabi says:

"He [Muhammad] saw,

example, a level ground without any distinguishing marks, and he walked upon
you, [following] in his tracks, see nothing but the trace (athar) of his

is

given knowledge that no one else has yet achieved or actualized, and

walking along a path that no one has yet traversed. The

footsteps of the prophet, and this

is

feet."^'*

means

there to guide him/her. This guidance

The
and

inheritance

abilities are

is

that the

is

saint,

wisdom

it;

it

for

while

The prophet

this is like

however, follows in the

already gleaned by the prophet

also physically transformative.

not merely intellectual or spiritual, but also certain character

adopted. In this manner,

is

is

traits

both spiritually and physically

transformative. Chodkiewicz explains:

The relationship which is established between the saint and the prophet who is his
model is not a vague "patronage", but may rather be compared to the transmission
of a genetic inheritance. It confers a precise and visible character on the
behaviour, virtues and graces of the wali.^^

The prophet

acts as a type

of father for the

particular prophet, he/she in a

'^

Ibn

al-

way

is

saint;

with the saint's

new

station

of a

re-bom, physically exhibiting characteristics of this

'Arabi quoted in Elmore, 592.

''

The prophet who first attained the station in question was like the discoverer of an unexplored island.
This was a special gift fi-om God. The saints, are not given this gift, and must view the station fi-om behind
the understanding and experience of a prophet. In Sufi schools the teacher will give the student a mantel

symbolizing that the student must proceed along the Path through the guidance of the teacher. The mantel
analogy here symbolizes the fact that the saint must view the station through the eyes of the prophet in
question.

Ibn

al-

The prophet

acts as a guide for the saint in understanding a station's specific

wisdom.

'Arabi quoted in Elmore, 592.

" Chodkiewicz,

75.

50

y hio

?.<]

;.(h ^i

jy-ii:A'>

mtU'Mri

-.'.r^,'

/..>

;-v::

4^:'^'-;

>. i* ,,v

:'

.,;'

.,]:''/<,''.<.

>ir

'xh

rA"- -'it<i:^i

;>,.t;.i<r-

^A''J'^^'^H'^\

SWiJ b

'

fi.^t,,"1 '('IS

-"

i:j

:vj.:'.;^/'?^ .H//^!t.jrr

bn-.'

';(.-

).w.''

C;?ri:'-.:

m-^

i'':^;^',

;<

...

vrrt.?

new parent. Chodkiewicz also

writes:

"The same wali may, during the course of his

existence, accumulate several prophetic heritages,

which of necessity obscures the

distinguishing features of each and effectively prevents us from mechanically employing

the

Shaykh al-Akbar's typology. "^^ What

this

means

is

that a saint

can inherit from more

than one prophet during his/her lifetime, thus the genealogical inheritance becomes

muddled;

it

becomes impossible

to separate the traits into different prophetic categories.

How is this "inheritance" linked to Muhammad? The answer parallels Muhammad's

relationship to the prophets. Just as all of the prophets ultimately derived

of Muhammad, which was completely manifest in the Prophet

saintly inheritances ultimately

Among

come from

the saints of the

from the Reality

Muhammad,

so to

all

the Reality of Muhammad. Ibn al- 'Arabi says:

community of Muhammad- the Gatherer of the states of

upon him- there may be an inheritor of the

the prophets, peace and blessings be

states

of Moses, but he inherits from the Light of Muhammad, not from the Light
state is from Muhammad, just as the state of Moses was from

of Moses. His

Muhammad.
The

saint

77

does not inherit directly from the prophet; the specific prophetic inheritance

is

given to the individual via the all-encompassing Reality of Muhammad. The Reality of

Muhammad acts as a link between the Perfect Individual

and

saintly inheritance

and

knowledge. Saintly inheritance comes from parts of the Reality of Muhammad. The
Reality of Muhammad

that the Reality

is

the

most perfect

of Muhammad

is

reflection

of God's theophany, which means

an exact mirror reflection of God. The pieces of this

exact mirror reflection are given to the saint through the inheritance from the prophets.

Put more precisely, the inheritance of the saints

God.

^'

"

is

knowledge of a particular

ti'iMioi-.!

.-,.,:.

,...

^ ''-

attribute

of

V:'

Ibid., 80.

Ibn

al-

'Arabi, Journey, 56.

51

'^t.

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'h'jr'\-iui

/'.

._.

..

':^"--i;'

};.i

;?

Ji/,

-iifi ,k--.' 'f

^'!'.g^J?

How does an individual become an heir of the prophets? The path to

identical to that

of the Perfect Individual, for the saint

Izutsu explains:

"The highest of all human degrees

{waliy)

is

Ibn 'Ibn

is

sainthood

is

the Perfect Individual in general.

is 'saintship'

(yvalayah).

The

Saint

the highest 'knower' of God and consequently (in terms of the world- view of

al- 'Arabi)

of the essential structure of Being."

From this

it

can be posited that

the appellation of saint, in one sense, ranks higher than that of prophet. Saintship, an

eternal attribute, implies

knowledge of the complete

There are two parts to the Path of the Perfect Individual:

cultivation of the individual,

of Being or God.

structure

1) the moral/spiritual

and 2) the experience of unity with God. R.A. Nicholson

describes these as follows:

The

Sufi's "path" is not finished until he has traversed all the "stages,"

: u^

v;

making

himself perfect in every one of them before advancing to the next, and has also
experienced whatever "state"
then,

is

it

pleases

Gnosis" {ma 'rifat) and "the Truth" Qiaqiqat), where the "seeker"

becomes

the "knower" or "Gnostic"

^^
and known are One.

( 'arif),

and realizes

stages can be defined as ethical submissions that

individual,

and the

The

must be

that

fully

The

{talib)

knowledge, knower

embodied by the

states are the psychological or spiritual feelings that

seeker in the various stages.

states are not.

Then, and only

he permanently raised to the higher planes of consciousness which Sufis

call "the

The

God to bestow upon him.

God gives to

the

stages are within the control of the seeker while the

stages are all aspects of ascetical discipline

embodiment of tawhid. After these stages have been

modeled on the

traversed, the seeker

becomes the

knower, which means that the individual realizes his/her essential affinity with God;
he/she reaches the state offana

'.

The

here, so, instead, the core concept

details

detail

offana (annihilation) will be analyzed.

'

i--:i

'*

of this journey cannot be described in

,;,,,! fit:

."?

J(,:-

.>,'

Izutsu, 253.

" Nicholson,

29.

52

'.
/

_,

.,*

tr-

'

VV/ 1,0

-Mtr:

/I '},;

i'

,'

ii"-.

:>f

-J-^

The concept offana

double lens; one looks

it is

all

the goal of the Sufi path,

From this moment onward

the individual self

that

',

at the

is

realized through the extinction of

the individual sees

world of difference, and the other sees the unity of Being,

a manifestation of God.

the complete negation of all selfhood within the

It is

individual. Ibn al- 'Arabi says of the individual's journey:

Me through that which I do not possess:

way

to achieve

has Being,

union with the divine

is

"God

said...

Lowliness and poverty.'"

lack within him/herself, becoming

This means that the

and possession. Only God

to negate all position

low and impoverished. Chittick describes

the spiritual journey involves discarding the specifically

'not He' with the ultimate

aim of identifying
Q

disclosures that are called 'He.'"

is

to

totally

human

"Hence

limitations that are called

self-

The only way

become empty of all

to

become a

vessel for the self-

qualities that cannot

',

be associated with

however

part process. Izustu identifies three stages in Ibn al- 'Arabi process

al-

this:

with the specifically divine

except for those of lowliness and poverty. The state offana

Ibn 'Ibn

'Gain proximity to

only has relative being, and therefore the individual must actualize this

all else

disclosure of God

and acts through a

is

not simply a two

of self-annihilation:

'Arabi distinguishes three stages in "self-annihilation." The

annihilation of the attributes...

The second

stage

is

God

called tahaqquq.

It

first is

means

the

that

and realizes {tahaqquq) in himself

his being one with the Absolute.
The third and last stage is called ta 'alluq. It
corresponds to what is more usually known as the state of "self-subsistence"
{baqa ') which comes after the state offana In this spiritual state, the mystic
regains his self which he has once annihilated, but he regains it not in himself but
inthe very midst of the Divine Essence.
the mystic has his essence {dhat) "annihilated"
.

'.

The

first is

what has primarily been discussed already.

identified as other

*"

"

Ibn

al- 'Arabi,

and

Meccan

self.

The second

is

achieved the

It is

the negating of all that

moment the

first is

is

actualized.

Revelations, 131.

Imaginal Worlds: Ibn Al- 'Ibn al- 'Arabi and the Problem of Religious Diversity (Albany: State
University of New York Press, 1994), 37.
,,
'^

Chittick,

Izutsu, 255-6.

53

H-tl

V'Jti,

>iU

'

^^\i

.;..

: ./ffc /VJi*tH'l*.^.

:)v-

I.

-!;j*'-.0-/v'i, ,.,.; \,tV. i<->in ^"'utr^.j-^'i :i

'<

>i;;t;;;/"';

'

,*5

r-J^v

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i:;-a'f,

,Vi

-^i;:;<fOT ^ifS! ?''^;/' J,'f '^"

!';

J'-rtiife.

/'

f:..-"-.

'''tjfTi:* *^'v

jtaitKjIu

Ij.

.V-'^d (,i

;.!

,k.,;-ifv.

.-ij-

'(,

\.-1j

.r

i(

'

li

:i

'j^ifj'y^

Mr

'\'rc twic

.rr<^

i'Sti-

-iu

The

individual in this state realizes that there

final state is the step

'

'.

individual, only

God. The

third

and

In this state the individual re-gains

merely a giving back.

It is

the full reliance

on God.

individual goes back into the world as a manifestation of God's Essence. Ibn al-

Arabi says:

Station

"And

of return."

Is this

shall describe absorption in

This absorption

this state that he/she

an eternal process? The

The Muhammadan

Seal,

from Muhammad. All

is

a station less than the

the state of the Perfect Individual, and

al-

Moses, and Jesus

it

is

from

*"*

prophets have a Seal. In

sainthood, and another to seal

fact, the Saints

Muhammadan

sainthood.

'Arabi identifies as himself, closes the inheritance

from the Light or Reality of Muhammad,

saints actually inherit

among

Muhammadan

all

saints, like the

which Ibn

this Seal closes off the

For, indeed,

is

Him, which

can begin to grow in the knowledge of the prophets.

have two Seals, one to seal

and

no

immediately following/ana

his/herself, but this regaining is not

The

is

most complete type of inheritance. Ibn

al-

'Arabi says:

who inherit from [the Prophets] Abraham,

may well be found to exist after the

the Saints are those

[etc.],

so that these

him there shall be no Saint belonging to the Heart of

meaning of the Seal of Muhammadan Sainthood.^^

Seal; but after

Muhammad... This

is

the

This individual seals the specific station of Muhammad; he/she seals off the

comprehensive knowledge associated with

directly

in

from Muhammad, sharing

who

partially inherit

The second Seal of the

who this

*'
*''

"

in his all-comprehensive

complete understanding of all the Divine

saints

Ibn

Seal

al- 'Arabi,

is in

Meccan

al-

Names of God.

from the haqiqa muhammadiyya

saints is the Seal

individual,

knowledge,

who
is

inherits

granted a share

Thus, after the Seal only

will

come

of general sainthood. Ibn

into being.

al-

'Arabi explains

Revelations:

Journey, 26.

This state will be analyzed in the

Ibn

Muhammad. The

last

chapter that deals with the actions of the Perfect Individual.

'Arabi quoted in Elmore, 595.

54

mis^

Si'

fi:

h,::-. ii^

.^.(fV"M'-fsrfaM''^ct Xul^'ruU '

'jii."ir

?i?n

i)ii;':

;^4s<^iyA

-is^i

,,',l^,sGhi%fvj.ii '.<>.:.>,,

ifn

cHirmi')

U;W

Um MiijiUim.

mm' ^hixini

vftoi^s gijtmH/-

jV^f*

ir;-5>,;i*^ftf>ii^

.v:\;;,-

.j''i

'''
.

':'^i

Vv

(-jfriiiiiiK

--i;

For [Jesus] will descend [from Heaven

end of time] as a Saint, possessor of

in which the Muhammadan
Saints shall participate with him. He is one of us; indeed, he is our Master
{sayyidu-nd). The first in this matter- 1 mean [this specialized type of Prophecy
{nubtiwat al-ikhtisas)]- was a Prophet- namely, Adam- and the last [will also be] a
at the

an Absolute Prophethood {dhu nubumat mutlaqut),

Prophet- Jesus.

*^

Jesus, as this Seal, will return at the

Just as prophethood

difference, the

end of the world and close off sainthood forever.^'

and apostleship had an end, so too does sainthood, but with one

end of sainthood signals the end of the world. With sainthood gone the

Perfect Individuals disappear, and the world caimot sustain

itself, for it

too must

QQ

disappear.

Conclusion
In conclusion then, the

levels:

embodiment of perfection

is

linked to

Muhammad on two

through the haqiqa muhammadiyya and the historical prophet. However,

perfection does not necessarily entail

haqiqa muhammadiyya
existential perfection.

is

embodying

the spiritual being that

Muhammad

is

all

is

the attributes of Muhammad.

The

the source of all creation and

the concrete manifestation of this, and as such he

holds the position as the Seal of the Prophets.

He possesses complete knowledge and

understanding of the intricate relationship between the world and God. All the other
prophets can only claim partial knowledge and understanding of them. This, however,

does not

mean that perfection

upholding prophethood

**

Ibn

al-

" Jesus

is

unattainable to any other than

exists, that

of sainthood. Sainthood

Muhammad, and
The

for a status

equated with the Perfect

'Arabi quoted in Elmore, 594.

in this role

should not be confused with the Mahdi,

Muslims and forming a united kingdom on

'

is

Muhammad,

earth.

who

The Mahdi

is

is supposed to come to earth unifying all

supposed to be bom from the lineage of

thus will be a blood relation.

Perfect Individual's role in sustaining the existence of the universe will be discussed in the next

chapter.

55

SrfTf.

*>/.1

'>:iyi~

M\

P'rsJJi!

<ti

)>,> nfi

fu

Individual in general and

is

the seat of perfection.

Becoming a

Perfect Individual or saint

requires the individual to have purified his/her self of all otherness and to have reached
the state offana

to

God, and

it

is

',

extinction in God. In this state the individual

here that perfection

is

obtained.

Once

becomes a mirror image

in this state,

however, the

individual can reach the stations of the various prophets and gain their knowledge. These
are the different degrees, or levels of superiority, within perfection; however, the Perfect

Individual

is

not concerned about the hierarchy between the Prophet, Saint, and Apostle,

for his/her sole desire

intimate

is

knowledge of God. Although sainthood must remain

the world for the continuation of temporal existence, there are

The

first,

in

two Seals on sainthood.

the Seal of Muhammadan Sainthood closes off the highest degree of sainthood,

the station of Muhammad.

The second,

the general Seal of Sainthood closes the status of

perfection and signals the end of the world.

How and why the Perfect Individual must

remain in the world will be discussed in the next chapter.

5'

^puvriijM ny:

f\

\.'\-

"

i;c.-

..f..

\: .Jis..

w.v/ii/.' yi.i :':

^
,

rti)

\i

'<'%

i',-\-:n.u

ul

-v

.'
1.

i,

56

,,l>;

JB,.,

yv

.yfS^O?!^--

,;.^;'fi'?ijij6Kt!f>

It:'

'^-^

v.-

-.fT

Chapter
The
world.

3:

The

Perfect Individual as a Mirror

Perfect Individual, as a perfect reflection of God,

The

Perfect Individual

is

given special status in the

the only creature that manifests

of God, and therefore

Attributes,

is

is

all

the

Names

the only creature that fully manifests Being.

question arises: "if the Perfect Individual perfectly and completely reflects

then

individual

is this

or

somehow more

'real'

The

God or Being,

than other individuals?" The answer to this

question will always be yes and no. The reason for this paradoxical answer/non-answer
evident within the mirror analogy employed by Ibn

The being of the

description.

Much

Perfect Individual

like radii

is

is

al- 'Arabi.

not conducive to a linear or systematic

extending from the center of a sphere, the different themes

outlined here could be discussed in any order, each one leading to and connecting with

the others.

A key concept within Ibn al-

unveiling,

which

unknown

level

refers to the process

of existence or

but hidden under a

veil.

truth.

'Arabi's school of Sufism

by which the

initiate is

The knowledge was already

it

is

lift

of this person,

granted a

away

veil after veil

of the Perfect Individual's ontological and metaphysical

1)

status.

discussing and analyzing the specific elements within

the mirror analogy as a rhetorical tool used

implications

in front

Through various unveilings, the individual

This will be accomplished by:

the Ibn al- 'Arabic term

the idea of

made aware of a previously

progressively clearer vision of true Reality. This chapter seeks to

to present a clear vision

is

wujud and

its

by Ibn

al- 'Arabi; 2)

Analyzing and exploring

two meanings of "being" and "finding," and the

has for the Perfect Individual; and finally, 3) using the conclusions from

the previous sections to form a picture of how and

why the

Perfect Individual exists in a

paradoxical state of being.

57

>vkif\

^r^'r;nil

>-

i.'

.>':"'-*'

":'^

'in '''''

^>'';

^iti't..^,'

'

-.'v

*JV/';^i

*'..

!'"'

i.l'-.

*'

t!

% k(i

;""

-U''

).i '.'

J.:>ir

};:

It}

i'^jGV

ii'c-

5i;<.<

'

:iH!0" J("

*rf;;

v'UK.-.f^i-o

'J-

:/c

.)'',./

:i-''i

.'

;'-'.';

hr.i-

X.i

''':,i);vijr!-(i

%;r-^.'

!<-'-

'

'i-^-'^

H.'i

r^;iJiVrtl\>i'<i rtvj&l

>'.

^-^Vio'

"^z^!

'=/

rn

.'r,-:<.-

'^iu

>

'f} i.

.trK^

Mirror

The mirror plays a key

of Ibn

al- 'Arabi.

mirror analogy

Individual.

is

The

role in understanding

Because of this,

it

has to be the point of departure for this chapter. The

important, especially in

first

its

relation to the being

clue to understanding this

describe the creation of the universe. In the

'

and describing the paradoxical claims

is

first

to look at

of the Perfect

how the

mirror

He begins by

explaining that

God

He

created the universe.

He

how God

or Reality wanted to see the

manifestation of His Essence in another object, which would allow

mystery", so

used to

chapter of the Bezels of Wisdom, Ibn al-

Arabi lays out the basics of his ontology and metaphysics by describing

created the universe.

is

Him to

see "His

own

further explains that:

of a thing, itself by itself, is not the same as its seeing itself in

were in a mirror; for it appears to itself in a form that is invested by
the location of the vision by that which would only appear to it given the
existence of the location and its [the location's] self-disclosure to it.^
...For the seeing

another, as

In order for

God to

it

see His

own mystery, He

has to see His Attributes manifested in an

object other that Himself Ibn al- 'Arabi describes this need as similar to the

phenomenological experience of viewing oneself in a mirror.

him/herself using only his/her

own naked

eye, but this

is

An

individual can look at

fundamentally different from

looking at oneself through the means of a mirror. The mirror manifests a quality of
otherness upon the individual that would otherwise remain hidden and unknown.
otherness

the other

is

is

not given to the individual by another person, but

none other than him/herself The image

imbues the individual with a form

location" and

which

This description
"^

Ibn

al-

is

is

that

The

given by him/herself, for

is

in the mirror, as Ibn al- 'Arabi says,

"would only appear

to

it

given the existence of the

only knowable to the individual because of the locafion's "self-

very different from the one given

in the last chapter,

but

it is

in

no way contradictory.

'Arabi, Bezels, 50.

58

uf^>

lr>

w iiiicq

'^'*i

yj.

r..'r> .a]'

-yj^ cji 'tvii

t-n>ih

':^U,i-

'i-'r

''

e.

?.*6<.fil(%ii

\frtUf:i'^yC JOj.iar^

T.''

t.:ri

'-i

u-;

a*!'/'"

^'A

.'(?

iV'-i'!^ i3d<o^/5 vfi

isti.<'/i

i.

,-;,",'

^>T!tn'?at( ?'*!

:>

hU

'

*/''

?ftdf :t1!01

>.

^>i

disclosure."

Meaning

that,

from one perspective, the form

in the mirror is

than the form of the individual, but from another perspective,

it

no

different

is intrinsically

different

given the altered location. This distinct location denotes this otherwise unknowable

Only through another can a person

quality to the individual, this quality of comparability.

begin to understand and manifest such qualities as compassion, anger, wrath, mercy,

By these means the

original subject

(God) can manifest

Being, and can find or discover these

were no other

there

to

new attributes

A mirror only functions when

mirror for Ibn

was

al-

would not concretely

exist if

it

relates to

its

possesses the attribute of reflectivity.

the subject's ability to see

reflective capacity.

itself,

the resulting

in particular the Perfect Individual,

Command required

mirror of the Cosmos, and

the spirit of that form."

[by

The

flatter

and smoother

Any blemish or roughness would

it

hinder

image being distorted or hazy.^' Humanity,

imbues the universe with

its

humanity and the Perfect

'Arabi was a finely polished sheet of metal.

polished, the better

the [divine]

that

the varying aspects of (His)

whom to relate (Himself).

The second aspect of the mirror analogy,

Individual.

all

etc.

its

"Thus

reflective quality:

very nature] the reflective characteristic of the

Adam was the very principle of reflection for that mirror and

According to the Qur'an,

Adam (humanity) was the

final

and

ultimate act of creation. This ultimate act culminates in the Perfect Individual of whom

Adam was the prototype. The

God. This means

by

"It is

"

Ibn

He

al-

'Mbn

is

the

most concrete actualized form of

that the Perfect Individual is accorded a special

his [the Perfect Individual's] existence that the

R.W.J. Austion,

text.

Perfect Individual

ed., Bezels,

48-9 R.W.J. Austin explains

Cosmos

and important position:

subsists...

So he

is

this in his introduction to the first chapter

of the

describes this type of mirror as serving "to illustrate better the metaphysical problems" with which

'Arabi

al-

was

dealing.

'Arabi, Beze/j, 51.

59

iiiar^-j^

called the Vice-Regent, for

Even so

king's treasure...

j^

93

by him God preserves His creation, as the

the

is

Cosmos preserved

seal preserves the

so long as the Perfect

Yj^g Perfect Individual's position then, according to Ibn al- 'Arabi,

Man remains

is

in

one of

preservation and dominion. If Perfect Individuals were to cease existing, the universe
itself would

[Adam] a

cease to exist. Ibn

spirit for the

al-

'Arabi further elaborates on this idea:

Cosmos and

the perfection of his form."^''

The

subjected to

him what

Perfect Individual

Cosmos. He/she, as the crowning piece of creation,

means

that if this soul vanishes then the rest

matter.

link to the Perfect Individual: 1) the universe

is

is

high and low, by virtue of

here described as the spirit of the

the soul of all existence,

which

of existence would become a dead lump of

The mirror image has these two aspects

and 2) the Perfect Individual

is

is

"God made him

that are important for understanding the

was created

the conscious agent

who

to function as a mirror for

is

the

means

God;

for this fianction

of

the universe to take place.

Mirror Analogy
It

-"

could be argued that the mirror analogy

convention that

is

meant

to describe the

is

merely a

literary device, a specific

ambiguous relationship between God and the

universe. Ibn al- 'Arabi himself says that true understanding of this relationship

is

highest level of knowledge available for any created being, and that only a select

granted

this.^^

of your true

and

"
'^

"

He

self,

goes on to say, describing

He

is

this highest

few are

knowledge, that "In your seeing

your mirror and you are His mirror in which

their determinations,

the

He

sees His

Names

which are nothing other than Himself The whole matter

is

Ibid.
Ibid.,

253.

Ibid., 65.

60

f-,fM'" >

'i-

,.,';! '; 't;

:-:i, ..:'-;

.,

j;

viTi

'

'

:T

'

iii

-r-

'i/

- *

><;

/; 'J*

:ir'-':

r'lVA:

:!r''

^:'

'

W>!irtii'i:.

:;ij,;bi/>.i<!S

.'7j:..)Aj

:;

U,'..>.

"

prone to intricacy and ambiguity."

comprehended by a

fully

manner

that these

Thus suggesting

select few, Ibn al-

'

Arabi

is

that,

even

using

it

knowledge

if this

is

only

such a

in his writings in

knowers would immediately understand what he

is

describing.

This convention, for the purposes of philosophical dialogue, will be considered a

specific

form of argumentation

What

the distinct thought process that the reader

is

encountering this analogy?

that forces the reader to accept paradoxical assertions.

is

meant

to

go through when

How does this thought-process lead to

':;

conclusions that carmot

adequately be stated in words? Three points related to these questions will be discussed:
1) the

ambiguous nature of the mirror analogy;

2)

how it is

fertile

ground for paradoxical

argumentation; and 3) the form of the paradoxical argument.

The ambiguity

inherent in the mirror analogy

between the subject and the

Wisdom, comments

object.

is

due to the shifting relationship

Of

R.W.J. Austin, in his translation of The Bezels

that:

-.md

>

'

>.

In the mirror we have a very apt symbol of the divine-cosmic polarity. At one
extreme of the relationship cosmic Nature threatens to absorb and assimilate the
subject in the infinity and complexity of his creative urge, while, at the other, the

divine Subject seems to annihilate Nature in the reassertion of identity, each

being, at once, another and non-other.

Austin identifies two vying perspectives within the mirror analogy. The
that

first

perspective,

of Nature, the universe, involves subsuming the subject/God into the mirror's

reflection.

consume

The

object/nature, in the

the entire subject.

The cosmos,

aspects of the Divine. In doing so

The second

is

form of a creative act of the subject, desires to

it

pulls

in order to fulfill its purpose,

must

reflect all

Being into the objective realm of non-being.

the perspective of the subject,

which requires

that at every

moment

it

be

^Ibid.
lbid,48-9.

''

.',*..-,:..

t'-'";-,.i,\ij-

'r^W'i'. '<_-*;

\.,...r

>/.;,<>>

^i

61

is

''"

'

.^U'

|wf

.^.jft-f

^,"

'.

Ji

X)

'.'

'

.,;0l/

1'

>}

Ja^f'-^i^q ':,jJi^S'

;*;,'*;

H-

vi;'>tei-

,/;i*^;rtif- -rjj t^o i

;rii'?-::t

><.

i^* ,';\^x''iU

i-

'f ..'w; ,'!

to

'^;

,^fn>>f

affirmed over the object. The reflection or creation, in relation to the Subject,

The

reflection only has a

sustains

form so long as the subject stands

in front

is

nothing.

of the mirror and

the reflection's, being. In this relationship, the subject can always hold this

its,

At any moment, the subject can move

power over

the object, creation or the reflection.

away, yet

chooses not to because the object or reflection offers the subject a

it

new

understanding of itself; therefore, the relationship between the subject and object

is

one

of give and take. The two are in a perpetual dialogue; the one trying to pull the other
into

it,

while

at the

same time

However

sole being.

the other attempts to negate

it

and assert

its

absolute and

this is not the full picture, there is a third perspective that is

being within this dialogue. At the point where the two extremes meet a third
created, the

moment where

the subject and object realize their identity.

fiilly

It is

given

moment

is

within the

dialogue of struggle that the two sides realize their identity. The one can never triumph

over the other, because

analogy

two

is

sides,

it is

simultaneously another and non-other. Thus, the mirror

constantly shifting between the relationship of duality and the struggle of the

and the relationship of identity, the moment of transcendence beyond the

struggle.

Michael A. Sells outlines the purpose of this ambiguity. The mirror analogy points
out the insufficiency of a single statement or perspective given on

which opens and hides something, always leads

its

to a further paradox,

own. Each

part,

never to a concrete

answer, but only to another question. Sells explains:

moving image

The
perceptual shift symbolized by the mirror serves as a bridge between what is said
and how it is said. It constitutes not only the subject of Ibn Tbn al- 'Arabi's
It is

the

rather than

any particular frame that

is significant.

discourse (the mystical experience of passing from duality to nonduality) but also
the

meaning

Michael A.

Sells,

event, the semantic

dynamic of the

text.^^

Mystical Languages of Unsaying (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994), 64.

62

<',

ijr-

The mirror analogy

attempts to

elicit

is

used to

illustrate the

experience of mystical union or identity.

an understanding in the reader by forcing him/her

paradox, to grasp the essence of the connection that

it

is

is

to

It

go beyond the

beyond words. As a meaning event

not merely a literary device, but a specific type of argumentation. In the introduction

to his book, Sells refers to this type

of reasoning as apophasis, saying through unsaying.

Sells says:

;L^;

.r^

Apophasis can reach a point of intensity such that no single proposition

concerning the transcendent can stand on its own. Any saying (even a negative
saying) demands a correcting proposition, an unsaying. But that correcting
is in itself a "saying" that must be
between the two propositions that the
discourse becomes meaningftil. That tension is momentary. It must be continually
re-earned by ever new linguistic acts of unsaying.

proposition which unsays the previous position

"unsaid" in turn.

It is

Sells describes precisely

the

two

in the tension

what

is

happening in the mirror analogy. The tension between

sides within the analogy creates a similar process in Ibn al- 'Arabi's thought.

one side affirms that the subject and object, the thing and the
while the other side denies
being and therefore

falls into

to assert this tension, but

"unsaying"

is

this,

meant

it is

reflection, are identical,

saying that only the subject exists, the object has no

nothingness. Over and over again the paradox will be used

not meant to remain in a duality. In

fact, this

to unveil to the disciple the mystical truth that lies

Neither statement can stand on

its

own, the

identity

tension of

between the two.

of the reflection and object or the

non-identity/duality of the two; taken together they create a paradox.

meant

The

to stay within the paradox, but to transcend this

The reader

is

not

and reach the understanding of

imagination and the place of barzakh, more of which will be discussed in the exploration

ofwujud, the

'^

state

of being and finding, which

is

indispensable to the mirror analogy.

Sells, 3.

63

.i.-tU

.if!'

t'i

i);i<:

>():

->;

.j'juji

i^.

If-

:tj

v...,i

.al'jx^

'?

fjnn.c

:,;"

/t,

;i'i^?ii'i,r>;i

J'

?>!

'jisvjiL'

!:,/*

vj.

(!,;

v>

Wujud: The Starting Point of the Ontological and Metaphysical

Problem
Having presented a picture of the type of argumentation implied by
analogy,

it is

demonstrate

now time to examine the

its

specific elements of the argument's premises to

paradoxical conclusion.

The key

the concept of wujud, for essentially this

al-

the mirror

to unraveling this complexity lies within

whole problem revolves around being. The Ibn

'Arabic word has multiple English translations. William Chittick explains:

"Finding" renders the Ibn

al-

'Arabic wujud, which in another context,

may

be

The famous expression "Oneness of Being"

or "Unity of Existence" {wahdat al-wujud), which is often said to represent Ibn altranslated as "existence" or "being".

'Ibn al- ' Arabi's doctrinal position, might also be translated as the "Oneness" or

"Unity of Finding." Despite the hundreds of volumes on ontology that have been

by Ibn al-'Ibn al- 'Arabi's works, his main concern is not with the mental
of
being but with the experience of God's Being, the tasting (dhawq) of
concept
Being, that "finding" which is at one and the same time to perceive and to be that
inspired

which

truly is.""'

two concepts.

Chittick here presents

traditional ontological fi-amework,

Individual.

The term,

Being belongs solely

the

sense,

level,

wujud can

and leading

to

to

God, thus wujud can only be

are said to reflect the

to the

is,

state

of the Perfect

of God and the cosmos or creation.

rightly attributed to

Names and

they have wujud through God, that

wujud refers

refer to "being", thus pointing to a

an enquiry about the

in this sense, signifies the status

cosmos and humanity

on one

Firstly,

Him. However,

Attributes of God, therefore,

they have relative wujud. Used in this

framework of the being of "existents"

in relation to

God.

Secondly, the term can refer to "finding", which infers discovery and exploration. In this
sense

it is

not

static,

of discovering

God

but experiential. The emphasis, no longer on structure,

in the

"* Chittick, The

Sufi Path,

world and the

self.

The

individual

is

must uncover the

on the

act

identity

3.

64

g-frtt''V

;a>r

,^

^4?

-jiodt^ ?;^5f|;rn., ;. ^f t-fiii.'aai bi:^ .i?iow-;,m;n3 Ijt

i^-uj?,;",;');:.

?.

.ri;-:0'"

..,..fv., }.,,,

;.t

';

^l!

,'.(

?if'i;

rtfc

between the two. Only by consciously "looking"

discovered. "Being" must be "found."

The two
first,

different

"being",

is

meanings ofwujud lead

into the mirror

to

t:;

is

r.iu,^. vf

,.

an understanding of the same thing. The

the exploration of the reflection in the mirror

with the object; while the second, "finding",

can identity be

compared

to

and contrasted

the exploration of the act of reflection,

uncovering the purpose behind looking into the mirror and the knowledge sought in

doing

Each aspect helps answer the questions about the Perfect

so.

doing so two other terms or concepts must be made

clear, those

Individual, but in

ofbarzakh and

imagination. These terms refer to being and finding respectively, and, as will be shovra,
are both interconnected and indispensable to understanding the Perfect Individual.

Barzakh
Barzakh

is

a boundary or isthmus between two things.

As

such,

nor the other, but relationally can be said to be either or both. Ibn

"between-between, a station between this and

two."'"'

Barzakh

structure

"Try,

is

when you look

perceived

is

so.

al-

'

neither one side

Arabi defines

it

as

not one of them, but the totality of the

a specific state or position within the cosmological and ontological

of existence. Ibn

you cannot do

that,

it is

al-

at yourself in

So much

situated

'Arabi describes this state in terms of the mirror analogy:

is this

a mirror, to see the mirror

the case that

itself,

and you will find

some have concluded

that the

between the mirror and the eye of the beholder."'"^

barzakh link the un-relatable together?

that

image

How does the

How does the Perfect Individual as a barzakh

him/herself become a mirror?

"" Ibn al- 'Arabi in Chittick, The

Self-Disclosure, 333.
'"^

Ibn

al- 'Arabi,

Bezels, 65.

65

>^

The barzakh borrows

attributes

from both sides of that which

is

separates,

and links

the formerly un-linkable together. Ibn al- 'Arabi explains this concept as analogous to the

structure

of a syllogism. He says:

Thus, bringing or coming into being

is

based on a

triplicity,

or rather a bipolar

one being of the Reality, the other of the creature. This [principle of
pervades to the existence of ideas arrived at by logical proofs. Thus, a
proof arrived at by syllogism is made up of three parts in a particular way that
triplicity,

triplicity]

inevitably yields a result.

arrangement occurs, which

repetition

The proof comes

is

into being

this particular

two premises together by the

the binding of the

of one term, producing a

when

'"^

triplicity.

This refers to the act of creation. Creation cannot occur out of a solitary "one", rather,

must stem from a triplicity, from a

is

complete wujud. Creation

wujud.

syllogistic relationship.

is finite

It

is infinite

and

and nothing

is

"Know that

originally produced

nothing

is

the

He

unitor."''^'*

universe and the Perfect Individual. The Perfect Individual

'Arabi

produced from the One

from the two unless there

them together (yuzawwijhuma) and becomes

perfect.

only has relative and dependent

A triadic relationship is found in the triplicity of the syllogism. Ibn al-

explains this in terms of the barzakh:

ahad)..

and imperfect.

God

it

The
is

is

(al-

a third that joins

three terms are God, the

the middle term, thus the

barzakh. This relation of the two premises might be phrased something like

this:

All Perfect Individuals are a reflection of the universe.

All things that are a reflection of God are Perfect Individuals. (Here assuming that a
reflection is identical to the thing reflected.)

.'.

All things that are a reflection of God are things that are a reflection of the universe

105

"" Ibid., 142.

104

Ibn Ibn

al-

'Arabi, Al-Futuhat al-makkiya vol. 3 (Cairo, 191

Feminine Element
(Spring 1985):

The

details

in

Ibn Ibn

al-

1),

166, quoted in

Huda

Lutfi,

"The

'Arabi's Mystical Philosophy," Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics 5

12.

of this argument's soundness will be analyzed

in the

coming section on ontology.

66

"y'<;^tfj;JAi--S'?

f/

'Mi

v.uv.n to-:i'.builJ

fi' .pv-i^^'-'^v

;*.

vv:-M

:-!;

^:t.)f*<;i

^n.lJWo,-

,o

'i/M

^';';.^v>

is;!?

:,;'?

'rffii;!;!^ 1

*s.

^^.?ii.'

i^

:,;..

bfjfnit Si

l:;v?.4>.''''

'f;x^^-;:' ::,.-^'S^

:.

?!

-Jfff

"'

J*:.''

%x\^jmw.

This

is

a valid,

AAA-1

syllogism that relies on the rule of the distributed middle. The

middle term, humanity,

subject,

is

needed

to establish a link or

common

God, and the predicate, the universe. In order for

middle term needs to be distributed

at least

ground between the

this to

be a valid syllogism, the

once in the premises. Distribution means that

X is related to the whole of Y, while non-distribution implies that X is related to only part
of Y. Let

A= Perfect Individual, B= God and C= universe.

subject,

distributed,

is

A, as the predicate,

is

related to the entirety

meaning

that

it is

undistributed,

of C

related to the

meaning

that

it is

this implies that the part

In the

question

is

"what

is:

a 6arza^/j. Ibn

The

is

al-

perfect

cosmos.

He

The Real
its

B and C

related to only part of B. Since

of A that

is

form

The

human being

it is

also a part

C, follows from the

The easy answer

is

The

that

"'a.iii

a barzakh between the Real and the cosmos, a raised-up mirror.

in him.

He who

human

being, and creation also sees

gains this level has gained a level of perfection

which nothing

is

found in

where he/she

combines the

not enough to understand this position, and this

important.

is

'

is

or reflects the Real or

spiritual

and the physical.

where imagination becomes

'f-

-.

..'*'.;/.

^fltyaA/Imagination

more

possibility.'^^

universe. This perfection seamlessly

'*Ibn Ibn al- 'Arabi,

B and

is

A is

brings together the form of the Real and the form of the

Perfect Individual holds a fluctuating position

God and the

But

'Arabi says:

sees His form in the mirror of the

perfect than

related to

are related to each other through their relationship to A.

the status and being of this middle term?"

is

premise A, as the

whole of C. In the second premise

that is related to C. This being the case, the conclusion, linking

premises, because

first

^j.^

>

Futuhat Makkiyya (Beirut, 1968), 398, quoted in Salman H. Bashier, Ibn al- 'Ibn aland the Relationship between God and the World (Albany:

'Arabi 's Barzakh: The Concept of the Limit

State University of

New York

Press, 2004),

16-7.

67

jh-

<:::rf>' :*;;(;

'lii

-.

'

'

ir.;"-

.-.i

U:. .;'u'

fl

(ft

iyya:--^

.-I

iMf''

to

'fTv4

i^clio

.1

(1

.-,-

.'.V'

'!

t&4,, --';V;f0? -in,

:?/'

>^:'

Imagination

is

God within creation, where

"Just as our imagination

is

whereby the individual perceives the permeation of

the active faculty

is

he/she experiences both sides of the barzakh. Chittick says:

the barzakh between our spirits and bodies, so also existence

the barzakh between Being and nothingness."'"' Imagination lies between the Spirit,

Being or

God and the

of imagination works

The

physical universe.

and especially

in the individual,

interpretation

The following

mirror

in the Perfect Individual.

comments: "To understand the manner of this

interpenetration, a special kind of knowledge

Real/God and

how the

of the realm of imagination requires an active consciousness on

the part of the Perfect Individual. Bashier

Man alone."

section explores

Imaginal knowledge
creation. This

is

is

needed, which

is

possessed by the Perfect

knowledge of the permeation between the

knowledge

is

not readily available.

An

individual

must

attain

a special position. He/she must attain the perfection of the perfect mirror. Izutsu expands

on the idea that

He

this

knowledge

is

hidden from most of humanity:

[God] has concealed the reality by an

infinite

number of particular

all of which are regarded as 'other' than God Himself, so that, in

view everything appears as something 'other' than the rest of the things as
well as 'other' than the Absolute. And the view of 'other-ness' covers the reality
of Being from the eyes of ordinary people.'"^

'determinations',

this

God has

covered up or veiled His true nature from creation through differentiated

existence.

Each and every thing within existence

more of the Divine

Attributes.

a concrete manifestation of one or

These Attributes, when analyzed into Names, such as the

Loving, the Merciful, the Wrathful,

relationships.

is

etc.,

are revealed to be nothing

The ordinary person can only see these

more than

as individualized

and separate items

within the world. Ibn al- 'Arabi says:

"" Chittick, The

Sufi Path,

13.

"Bashier, 117.
"^ Izutsu, 240.

68

'','C.t

'^.t:-Kx-

/VffH*'

>?6^it

3"ii!.ii u:.

....

,,

>.^

...

.:?

?wv.m?' \tii:ci;m

,!

!,

ij*'l

iots s

n%n\

i5is^.*tjki-f:iW>i

>'r..,..:

rJn'l

,:

^-:^te/^f-'

'^i:

't-vfe-;

The

spirit

becomes corporealized

to

v.

,.w

>

:.,

.r .ri^v

eyesight through imagination,

so hah not with

misguidance.'

it,

for the affair is a

'

Imagination sustains both the manifest other-ness of creation and the spiritual Oneness of

God's

true Essence.

The key

acknowledge both of these

for the Perfect Individual is to

every moment. The purely physical

is

at

transcended, not through rational reflection, but

through acts of dhikr, remembrance, that

by actively sustaining conscious awareness

is,

of the presence of God. The exact nature and importance of this remembering will be

discussed in the section on metaphysics.

=i

Ontology
The

'

static

meaning of "being" needs

to

be analyzed in greater detail as

the ontology of Ibn al- 'Arabi. In the section

vmiverse and the Perfect Individual

was

it

relates to

on the barzakh, a syllogism about God, the

given. Here the soundness of the argument will

be analyzed. Analyzing the being of the cosmos and of humanity reveals three levels of
reflectivity.

Each

level is a line in the syllogism.

The

first line,

are a reflection of the universe", refers to the connection

humanity. The second

line,

two

that

creation story.

"" Ibn

between God and humanity. By analyzing

humanity'"

is

a reflection of the universe

The universe was created so

that

God might

manifested, but, as Ibn al- 'Arabi explains, there

al-

'-'''

levels/relationships the part of the soundness of the syllogism can be deduced.

The idea

Names

between the universe and

"All things that are a reflection of God are Perfect

Individuals", refers to the intricate relationship

these

"All Perfect Individuals

comes from Ibn

see

was a

all

al-

'

Arabi 's

His Attributes or

flaw:

'Arabi quoted in Chittick, The Self-Disclosure, 333.

69

Ui

ibi-

rui'i'/fiiiiii

/fl

v/!

The

Reality gave existence to the whole

thing without anything of the spirit in

it,

Cosmos
so that

an undifferentiated
an unpoHshed mirror.

[at first] as

it

was

like

of the divine determination that He does not set out a location

except to receive a divine spirit, which is also called [in the Qur'an] the breathing
into him [Qur'an XXI: 91]. The latter is nothing other than the coming into
It is

in the nature

operation of the undifferentiated form's [innate] disposition to receive the

inexhaustible overflowing of Self-revelation,
will be.

He qualifies

the idea about the nature of the universe as a reflection in a mirror,

Cosmos was

that the

which has always been and always

"^

by saying

created as an unpolished mirror. Essentially this says that

it

was

not yet fiiUy formed to be what

it

in

merely a rough piece of metal, an object that

essence should be. The

Cosmos was

is

not created to stay in this undifferentiated form, but

rather to eventually hold the spirit of consciousness. Ibn al- 'Arabi posits that nothing is

created without being inherently designed to furnish the "inexhaustible overflowing of

Every existent

Self-revelation".

manifestations of the divine

is

created to house Self-revelations, which are the

Names

or Attributes.

The mirror of the Cosmos, while being of the

by

itself

This

is

With humanity
Having said
is

why God

best quality, remains unfinished if left

created humanity to act as the reflective agent of the universe.

in place, in the middle, the universe

this,

it

becomes

clear

why the

can

relationship

fulfill its refiective

between humanity and the cosmos

a reflective one. The cosmos could not reflect the Attributes of God on

needed

this ability

of humanity. Humanity as the barzakh between

serves as the mirror, reflecting both sides.

As

reflects the entire universe within itself; this

affirmed that humanity

is

function.

its

God and

own, but
the

cosmos

a reflection of the universe, humanity

being the case,

it

can then be positively

a reflection of the universe.

'"

Here the connection will be made referring to humanity in general and not the Perfect Individual,
in a broad sense the totality of humanity manifests perfection, in the sense that perfection lies
within every individual even if it is waiting for manifestation.
because
"^ Ibn

al-

'Arabi, Beze/i, 50.

70

'

=f

'

^fm

.-'-

V.

<^l^i^

-J^.;;.

^n'^t

y.

-i'".:.

'..,

<

'

\>AtfX taJb^T^J

;iJ=t/

i;i*f{;'

f, ,*>

.,;<'!

wi)-- .orUi'

K:>K^dhl<i

::

-(:r,.rf,'

mi

V^Ai'iA^ i<>ii Wif'iO ;?f>fr/r> :.ffl

i-l'k ^"si';'VflS1. d ''A

'^?'

'n^.'-^r-

.i^'llAfi ft**^

;ki.' ^i('

'"

ud

yJijiwuyf

The second premise,

that all reflections

between humanity and the cosmos

its

properties, while the

to as the

God to

see His

and differentiated from one another. The difference here

attributes as fully actualized

and

of God are humanity, allows

is that

cosmos

humanity can be conscious of this reflection

While the cosmos can be referred

in general cannot.

"Big Individual" humanity can be referred to as al-kawn al-jami, "the being that

gathers together" or the small universe, the microcosm. Humanity, like the cosmos,

of the

reflects all

Names

or Attributes of God, but unlike the cosmos,

more concentrated manner. Again,

such a position, humanity

becomes, on one

God's

is

also

this refers to the status

open

level, identical to

reflection is identical to that

the

Names

or Attributes of God.

God. Each of its individual parts

Izutsu explains:

"The most

and definite

of God, and in

is

because

its

outward form

Taken as a whole,

this role

is

the manifestation of one aspect of God,

of the Big

Man

it is

is

all

that every single existent in

only, so that the

a loose conglomeration of discrete

looking at

its

is

is

cosmos

other.

fails to

when

lacks a clear and comprehensive articulation.

Thus

i-

in

seen as a complete reflection of God, but upon closer inspection

found to be of a vague nature. The purpose of creating the cosmos was for

Himself as

The cosmos

fulfills this

do so completely because

by manifesting
it

it

whole lacks a

This means that the cosmos in general manifests the entirety, but

cosmos

aspects of

no more.

pomts."

entirety the

humanity

the manifestation of

the universe reflects

(Name) of God, and one

it

,.-.

articulation, being as

specific features,

this in

of the universe. The universe can be described as

salient feature

represents one particular aspect

clear delineation

is

does

of humanity as barzakh. In

Him.

al-'msan al-kabir, the "Big Man". This

all

to the reflection

it

all

God to

its

it

see

of the Names. However, the

lacks a clear unity, but this

is

why humanity

'"izutsu, 210.

71

:)t: ..'

H{i

is'.-.

,.

,..

.,

,'.,>

:-

,,

...

'?:;,

'j-nx.-^-'i'.u^

Mil

vafi.fii'l

?<!/:

,.

-,.

is

necessary. Humanity, particularly the Perfect Individual, provides the

the

cosmos and God can be connected

in

means whereby

a meaningful relationship.

Metaphysics
The metaphysical aspect ofwujudas finding

pertains to the concept of imagination.

Finding involves the Subject or God, actively searching to discover

new

qualities in

His

mirror image, and the "object", humanity, searching to discover God. This section
explores

how the

act or state

of finding links Creator and creation in a mutually

dependent relationship.
Creation

God

is

a personal

mode of discovery

for

God. Humanity

is

al-

'Arabi explain

this:

"For the Reality, he [humanity]

through which the act of seeing takes

of Him

is

humanity
this

means whereby

can discover Himself. However, paradoxically, the means to God's discovery

through humanity discovering their Oneness or identity with God.

Ibn

the

inferred in

is

place."''''

is

Two

passages fi-om

as the pupil

And, "Thus He suggests

knowledge of ourselves.""^ The

first

reflecting barzakh, but

it is

God takes place. Not only

also the organ through

which

is

for the

that

eye

knowledge

passage suggests that

the reflective and conscious element in the universe, and that

element that the seeing by

is

is

it is

through

humanity the consciously

sight occurs.

The second

passage refers to the other side of the barzakh. Humanity also reflects the universe. The
Perfect Individual uses imaginal understanding to see

God

within the universe and within

him/herself Henry Corbin elaborates on this idea:

of course,

which is the cause of our being,

and without us who are the cause of its manifestation, the order of things would
not be what it is and God would be neither God nor Lord. But on the other hand,
though it is you, the vassal of this Lord, who hold the "secret of his suzerainty"
It is

"'

'"

Ibn

true,

that without the divine (haqq)

al- 'Arabi, fieze/5, 51.

Ibid., 54.

72

?.'J'\

ifX^iU:,:!:

:.:

.''r;M*

M'.-.'^i-

tmi

r>'.rv;>?

;^

:'ii'iu ^^Ms-K

ci-.tp-Jf v<i)

.;::;ri

v';,;ij;

''A

.'.

yi-sfrtjjv/;.'

t-^jrjT..''

-]]

j'.'\tstr'''f\'**-)

$vx?!iL."*0 ^iiOstl lfiffO?lt"1

'
/.

foi-i'.V', /tf<?.j

I;:"/.

r> ^<?fii)itO ;*')!

"

'-

"<('..-''

..

:)(

>

'H,,;

".'^'-"...',.

'.
'

'
,

,1*!

V"i'i

ifriif

s'-

'II

'

^iw<<i {g--j>..

because

Him

is

it is

realizing through you, nevertheless, because your action in positing

His passion in you, your passion for Him, the active subject
"^

is in reality

not you.

Although God

the source of humanity's being, humanity

is

knowledge about Himself and His

through humanity postulating
the individual, but

is

status as

Him as

such.

God and

is

the source of God's

Lord; His Divinity

However,

this finding

The

between subject and object

specifics

acquired only

does not originate in

inherent in God's purpose for creation. This does not separate

and creation, but links them in a mutually dependent relationship,

relation

is

like the

in the mirror.

cormection and

,;

Names

God in His

Essence

is

men are

naturally

men are

equally conscious of the 'comprehensiveness,' in themselves.""^ This

One, but

is

"m\

of the relationship between God and creation revolve around the

individual's unique understanding of and personal relationship to God.

consciousness

God

in respect to

endowed with

His Attributes or
the

is

many. Izutsu explains: "All

same ontological 'comprehensiveness', but not

all

m-.

contingent upon the level of unveiling the individual has undergone

through spiritual awakening or Divine revealing. What

is

important

is

that

'

each

individual, given the depth of his/her understanding, has a different conception of God.

The

Perfect Individual understands this

God

in all forms. Ibn al- 'Arabi affirms this

complex theory of divinity, and acknowledges

by saying: "So, beware

lest

you

restrict

yourself to a particular tenet [concerning the Reality] and so deny any other tenet [equally
reflecting

Him], for you would

knowledge of what

is [the

forfeit

much

Reality]." '**

The

good, indeed you would forfeit the true

Perfect Individual understands that one

Henry Corbin, Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination

in the

Sufism of Ibn Ibn

view

al- 'Arabi

(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998), 125.

'" Izutsu, 237.

'" Ibn

al-

'Arabi, Beze/i, 137.

71

\^

t'y.i"

'." .-eti',i'< u>ikix'

.vv

'J*,,

.,,'.4:^.

ii-'.'t'

'd

}tl

M'

ci.

R-^neK 'mm>i^im^%

i'.cts

'"
JK.''ffe^-a"7,4? 'V

i.,i

-:;

liJJir,

.'^^1

;-,

...,:',jff"jV;i^:f;

JiU^^'

V r

.;',/

'U

:>i~!'l!:

2fe

r,i|

'/:..i\

"^

'^''v

?'..
-\(.

v.;---i,,-, ui,!^

?-;

'

.^i

K' .tlvv'it^

is

not necessarily truer than another. God, in respect to His Attributes or

infinitely diverse.

Most people

are confined and limited to a specific

understanding of God and think anything that

wrong. The truly knowledgeable,

i.e.,

is

different

from

the Perfect Individuals,

Names,

is

view or

their conceptions is

know, however,

God

that

cannot be limited to the specific beliefs of any one person or group. They understand that

while God, in reference to His Names, can be considered comparable and limited, in

accordance with His unknowable Essence he

in relation with

is

neither.

The key

is to

understand the two

one another. The Perfect Individual acts as a bridge between the two, and

manifests them both. Bashier says in this vein:

These forms of belief, which resemble transcended moments in the intellectual

growth of the Perfect Man, can be reduced eventually to two fiindamental
moments: the moment in which the Real is represented as related to the finite
forms of manifestation, and the moment in which the Real is represented as totally
'^
unrelated to any finite form of manifestation.
>,
>;,
,,

Thus, in conclusion, the Perfect Individual not only

fulfills

<;

the role of a barzakh, but

he/she also embodies complete understanding of the paradoxical ambiguity oi barzakh.

is

in this position that the individual

can be said to have being.

.;

.^,

It

, ,,-.

'"Bashier, 121.

74

i,j ,-iUty:-r\uA i-'i''

Mn

.j?j r.i,^f!iiA

'{''^' '''f-

Chapter

Ibn

4:

al-

'Arabi and Iqbal: Action and the Perfect Individual

If the Perfect Individual is a mirror reflection

the eyes ears, hands, etc. of God. But to

acting and to what extent

the quote

He

chapter

to explore

To

the

it

be said that

end of the

it is

concluded, "The active subject

what action

is

and who

is

in reality not you."

truly

performs

The purpose of this

it.

discuss this issue, Ibn al- 'Arabi's concept of the Perfect Individual will be

Iqbal (1877-1938), a

Throughout his
letter

life,

modem scholar,

Iqbal had a

from 1916, he writes:

'Arabi, rather,

"I

poet,

name and

cherish a love for him.

all

the age of four

al- 'Arabi."'^*'

Self (Asrar-I-Khudi), Iqbal

of Islam.

He

inactivity

and

towards Ibn

India.

al- 'Arabi. In

al-

my ears were acquainted with

Later on, in the preamble to his

criticizes the pantheistic theory

al- 'Arabi,

poem

ofwahdat al-

which he says deeply

says the Iranian poets eventually were completely enamored

with these concepts, and that in interpreting

that the idea reached the

from

My father had a profound attachment to Fusus al-

wujud, "The Oneness of Being," associated with Ibn

influenced

attitude

Sufi

Muhammad

have no misgivings about Al-Shaikh al-Akbar, Ibn

teachings of Ibn 'Ibn

"Secrets of the

Muslim reformer, and

somewhat ambivalent

Hikam and Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyyah. Since

the

on page 68,

last chapter,

compared and contrasted with a similar concept within the thought of Sir

the individual

from Corbin pointed out the dependent relationship between God and

humanity.

is

what extent can

God who acts? At

is it

of God, then as such he/she becomes

masses and nearly

passivity."'^' In

it

all

"they appealed to the 'heart' with the result

the Islamic peoples

became victims of

The Reconstruction of Religious Thought

in

Islam he says:

'^''

Iqbal, letter to Shah Suleman Phulwarwi, dated 24* February 1916 quoted in Muhammad Suheyl Umar
"Contours of Ambivalence (Iqbal and Ibn 'Ibn al- 'Arabi: Historical Perspective)" Iqbal Review: Journal of

the Iqbal Academy Pakistan, 21-50, 34:1, April 1993, 25.

'^'

Iqbal quoted in

Umar,

31.

75

J- Htm-J:

1!'

M^Mi\^r^

"This

of total other-worldliness in

spirit

later

Sufism obscured men's vision of a very

important aspect of Islam as a social polity, and offering the prospect of unrestrained

thought on

He

its

speculative side attracted and finally absorbed the best minds in Islam."'^^

criticizes the fact that

Sufism

in general has

been concerned with other-worldly

mystical experiences, the realm of inward speculation, fana', and separation from the
earthly body, that have historically

philosophy as a response to

now is

whether or not Ibn

intended to lead a

life

this,

al-

consumed

and

calls for

the best Islamic minds. Iqbal sees his

worldly action.

involved in the world? Iqbal himself created his

{Mard-i-Momiri), which in

comparing these two

that

What must be determined

was

'Arabi's version of the Perfect Individual

of passivity and inaction.

many ways

is

actually

Is the Perfect Individual actively

own theory of the

Perfect Individual

similar to that of Ibn al- 'Arabi.'^^

It is

by

answers to these questions about freedom and action can be

found.

'^Mbid., 150.
'^^

Iqbal never explicitly mentions that Ibn al- 'Arabi influenced his Mard-i-Momin, but it is acknowledged
by many scholars that this idea arose out of Islamic/Sufi ideals, although Anne-Marie Schimmel suggests
still largely influenced it. [See: Syed Nadwi. Glory Of Iqbal, trans, and ed. Mohammad
Asif Kidwai (Luoknow: Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, 1973), 92. Anne Marie Schimmel.
Gabriel's Wing: A Study into the Religious Ideas of Sir Muhammad Iqbal (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1963), 323.

that Nietzsche

Dar, B. A. "Inspiration from the West." In Iqbal: Poet-Philosopher of Pakistan, ed. Hafeez Malik (New
York: Columbia University Press, 1971), 207. And, Lakshmi Biswas. Tagore And Iqbal: A Study in

Philosophical Perspective (Delhi: Capital Publishing House, 1991), 88.] Aziz

Iqbal's

reaction to Ibn 'Ibn al- 'Arabi was more categorically repudiatory and even hostile. In
Sirajuddin Pal dated 19"' July 1916, he categorically describes all that is in Fusus al

as anti-Islamic and

while agreeing
Jili's

says that:

own

letter to

Hikam

Ahmad

main

in details

thesis-

mere recantation and blasphemy.

It is,

therefore, not surprising that

about the moral and spiritual qualities of the Perfect Man, he had rejected

namely, totally and essentially mystical and unworldly approach to the problem.

[Aziz Ahmad. "Sources of Iqbal's Perfect Man." In Studies In Iqbal 's Thought
Articles from the Quarterly "Iqbal, " ed.

With

this

we

can assert that the

ties

M. Saeed Sheikh (Lahore: Bazm-I

And Art:

Selected

Iqbal, 1972),

15.]

between Iqbal and Ibn al- 'Arabi are more than just conceptual. In fact
by both Ibn al- 'Arabi and his predecessor, Jili, in the formulation of

Iqbal seems to have been influenced

his philosophy of the Perfect Individual.

76

AV

To

begin, a conceptual link between these

two thinkers must be made, because

and time periods. Iqbal's

historically, they lived in different geographical regions

self-

proclaimed position as a reformer of Islam will provide the grounds on which a

comparison can be made. Iqbal's claim to reform Islam will be analyzed

how he proposes to change

to

understand

Islam and Sufism. Next, the main points surrounding the

conception of self within Iqbal and Ibn

al-

'Arabi will be briefly outlined. In conclusion,

these points will be summarized and a final position

on action

will be articulated.

Iqbal as Reformer

One of the ways

Iqbal's Perfect Individual can be linked to Ibn al- 'Arabi's is

through an analysis of Iqbal's concept of the Islamic reformer.

Iqbal's thought

is

growth. Secondly,

affected

by

political

in this concept that

rooted. This section will first elucidate Iqbal's concept of reform

it

will demonstrate

how his ties

to mysticism, that

is,

and

Sufism are

this concept.

Iqbal sought to re-invigorate Islam with a

Muslims

It is

to act. His

modem sense of purpose

message can be seen as both

political

and

in order to stir

spiritual in nature.

It is

because he was concerned with, and driven by, a vision of a universal, Utopian

community of Muslims, unhindered by geographical boundaries, who

actively shape the

destiny of the world. This political attitude, perhaps shaped by his Muslim-Indian

heritage, is first

and foremost religious

consciousness of God. Iqbal

in nature.

may be termed

Action

for

it is

their past that has

made

to a strong mystical

a reformer, but his progressive attitude

concerned with moving forward, without severing

necessity of this in The Reconstruction:

is tied

all ties

"No people can

their personal identity.

with the past.

He

is

explains the

afford to reject their past entirely;

and the responsibility of the

77

tAin (jTiolm

Mi

*'

Iq 'fipomx^^''Hp.

..n;

s'lji.

''

'v:

'^r-j> )<;..( "r.'^'f

;vj-y>

-'tedpi

nw)o'^r. aid

reformer assumes a far more serious aspect."'^"* Muslim self-identity, like any other
religious identity,

religion. Iqbal

still

is

largely shaped

makes

it

clear that

by an intimate relationship with the

historicity

of the

any changes that a reformer proposes within Islam must

hold a strong appreciation and respect for the past. According to Iqbal, change and

progress are necessary, especially since Islam had been in a state of stagnation for too
long. In this regard he refers to the increasingly long period

of time, since the Middle

Ages, in which Islam has remained dormant as a leader in philosophy and the sciences.

Yet

this necessity to

must not sever

new and

become a modem

all ties

influential force in the political

with the past, but bring the

fresh understanding. In the

same book,

and cultural world

of the past into the future with a

spirit

Iqbal states:

"

.iiv-.^..

';,r

The task before the modem Muslim is, therefore, immense. He has to rethink the
whole system of Islam without completely breaking with the past... The only
course open to us is to approach modem knowledge with a respectfiil but
independent attitude and to appreciate the teachings of Islam in the light of that
knowledge, even though we may be led to differ from those who have gone
before.

'^^

The Muslim reformer then,

in order to not severe ties with the past, has to blaze a

path in the midst of modemity. He/she has to find a

modem knowledge and thought.

scientific

way

This merging does not

to

merge the

mean

accepting Western

this

knowledge with a Muslim mind-set and,

in

many

the Qur'an in terms of modem scientific knowledge. Iqbal gives

Reconstruction of how
or rather,

science.

^^

tradition with

and philosophical thought as an authority over the Qur'an, rather

approaching

Muhammad

Iqbal,

it

means

cases re-understanding

many examples

in

The

modem scientific thought conforms to the message of the Qur'an,

how the Qur'an can be

However,

new

this is

no easy

seen as harmoniously expressing the tenets of modem

task, for creating this evolving link

The Reconstruction of Religious Thought

in

between the past

Islam (Dubai: Kitab al-Islamiyyah), 167.

'" Ibid., 97.

78

/;..<,

t.iiv 'LHhi'

,;/

Mi OUli

U-ii

r, i??:

?'u;<:'.ii 'aJU

}.

'.S

.O

}i"S<':J

" '

.'.

uT!. :!

n
'.y

j "!,

.'^(i

i;.'';.j'

M-'.v'-:> '!"i<'^

:u-;.

i_

...'

?:;-!

Jl

iiudiiu. ';

,,,-

:i;

f,--Jv;lCr.;

i-'H

^.

o.

)->)

J.. j.<i~.'

*i:'; .i'i<

<'

'V

'5/''

,^^b^' wi/

'V^

^ik!, ?

and present has

to

religious identity.

be undertaken by strong individuals

The reformer,

for Iqbal, is

who

are firmly rooted in their

an active, creative, and

forcefiil participant

in the world.

How might Iqbal' s concept of the reformer work in relation to

answer

this question Iqbal 's "ties to the past"

must be explained. This

accomplished by exploring his understanding of mysticism.

mystical tradition of Islam

and that
first

this affirmation

is

will

be

A basic impetus in the

the belief that the individual can experience unity with God,

of a deeper Reality changes the way he/she views the world. The

chapter of The Reconstruction

experience and intuition for the

to the finite data

Sufism? In order to

is

where Iqbal outlines the importance of mystical

modem Muslim. The thinking

individual

is

not confined

of the physical world, because within his/her finiteness lays the

infinite.

Iqbal explains:

Thought... is, in

its

essential nature, incapable

imprisoned in the narrow circuit of its

movement becomes

To

it

which keeps

is

it

was discussed

situation, is to place

in relation to Ibn al-

chapter, namely, that the Sufi believes that true

'

own

undue

self, to

barriers

qalb, though connected in

Arabi and early Sufism in the

first

knowledge cannot be gained through the

some mysterious way with

not a thing of flesh and blood. Unlike the English 'heart,'

intellectual than emotional, but

the

on human

but only through the intuitive faculty of the heart. Nicholson outlines

The

'^*

its finite

the flame of aspiration

confined within the limits of his/her

knowledge and experience of his/her own

intellect,

alive within

in its endless pursuit.

think that the individual

nature. This

of limitation and carmot remain

individuality... Its [thought's]

possible only because of the implicit presence in

individuality of the infinite,

and sustains

own

whereas the

intellect

this:

the physical heart,

its

nature

is

is

rather

cannot gain real knowledge

Ibid., p. 7.

79

'

.'*^;

fiti^Sl:

Sis'

of God, the qalb

is

when

capable of knowing the essences of all things, and

illumined by faith and knowledge reflects the whole content of the divine mind.'^^
Similar to Iqbal, Nicholson says that for the Sufi the heart can reflect the entire divine

mind, that

is,

the heart of the individual can hold the infinite

even though the individual

Sufi notion of the

is

finite being. In this

immanence of the Divine. The

opposing forces in the world. The

finite is

maimer

eternal

knowledge or Being of God,

Iqbal agrees with the classical

and the

finite are

not cut off from knowing the eternal; rather,

the finite discovers the eternal within itself Affirming this, Iqbal says: "It

mysterious touch of the ideal that animates and sustains the

can discover and affirm the ideal."

The

the real stands for the physical world.

God upholds

would lack any movement,

for

it is

this

the individual with goals and growth.

with the infinite or ideal through the

in

many ways

is like

beyond, yet imbedded within

it is

real,

is

the

and through

ideal here stands for the Infinite or

Divine

the world. Without

infinite nature that

finite or real. It is

a closed

first

it

alone

we

God, and

Him the world

provides the world and

However, the individual can only come

physical world and the self that the individual

The physical

not two

into contact

through the exploration of the

catches glimpses of God or Reality.

circuit. It

only reveals

itself and

nothing

the infinite, that very beyond. Ibn al- 'Arabi asserts a

similar belief when he says:

The Prophet said, "Who [truly] knows himself knows his Lord," linking together
knowledge of God and knowledge of the self God says, we will show them our
signs on the horizons, meaning the world outside you, and in yourselves, self,
here, meaning your inner essence, //// // becomes clear to them that He is the
Reality, [Qur'an XL:53] in that you are His form and He is your Spirit. You are in
relation to Him as your physical body is to you. He is in relation to you as the
spirit

127

governing your physical form.

Nicholson, 68.

'^'

Iqbal, Reconstruction, 9.

'^'

Ibn

al- 'Arabi, Bezels, 74.

ao

jtir-

-rfl*

H*''J(i.-C'X'.

,'}''./iii-i

.iv.

'./iSvIiJ

I-

'^l-*:;. t-

'i,

:..*

i4r'"

.,'u.iv'A'

.d,t

Ibn

al-

'Arabi states that the link between the individual and his/her Lord, the

belief,

is

individual

like the relationship

is

between the body and the

the outer, the body, and

infers the presence

of the soul or

God

spirit

is

life-spirit

or soul.

God of

The

the inner, the soul. Just like an observer

from observing the workings of the body, so too

the individual can infer the presence of God, true Reality,

from observing the workings

and signs of nature. Just as the individual learns about his/her possession of a personality

and soul from observing and reflecting on his/her inner self or mind, the same individual
can, through reflection, begin to see his/her connection to the Divine. This

affirmation of the Sufi experience.

the Divine. This

coming

to

know

Only through the

self can the individual

is

an

come

culminates in the ultimate experience offana

',

to

know

where

the individual self is armihilated in the true Reality. Iqbal says of this experience that:

"The mystic

state brings us into contact

merge

diverse stimuli

into

with the

total

passage of Reality in which

one another and form a single unanalysable unity

in

all

the

which the

ordinary distinction of subject and object does not exist."'^' This experience of union

with the Divine by the individual

is

classically conceived

of as the loss of all individual

consciousness and ego-awareness. With this concept Iqbal's re-formation comes into
effect.

While the
attribute

,?.

of one's individuality, as well as the

of otherness, within the otherwise unknowable Essence of God, the experience

is

a converging of the ideal and

the spiritual uniting

is

classical Sufi experience is the loss

Iqbal describes

" This

\..

is

The converging

is

the physical

where no individual features are distinguishable. In

referring to the fact that, for Ibn al- 'Arabi,

This difference

real.

not to say that

God

essentially

is

God

is

and

this experience.

conceived of differently by each individual.

nothing other than the

sum of one's

beliefs, but that

God

reveals Himself to each individual in a unique manner.

"' Iqbal, Reconstruction, 18-9.

81

'-fii

:,,.'i?

^38;

vf>3 ^^-!'i>[yf

ni

is:i!'.'i.M\-^

;'..

-nt'

\-J'.

'iolo^;:

the individual cannot identify

any thing as his/her

categories of subject and object have

Ego

within the infinite

realization

is

"[The] climax of this development

no

place.

self, that is,

within such a unity the

But while the Sufi claims

that annihilation

of the highest degree, Iqbal asserts just the opposite.

is

reached

when

the ego

is

able to retain

fiall

self-

possession, even in the case of a direct contact with the all-embracing Ego... This

ideal

of perfect manhood in Islam."

is to

cultivate the

within him/herself to such a degree that he/she becomes like the Ultimate

system then,

it is

and persisting of the

Iqbal and Ibn

not the lack or transitori-ness that

is

Ego

ego

or God. In

emphasized, but the gaining

self.

'Arabi on the Self

al-

The previous

section looked at

how Iqbal

understood the mystical experience, but

how he understood the

self was left unanswered.

conceptions of the

the subtle differences inherent in Iqbal 's re- formation will

become

self,

By comparing

the

two

clearer. This exploration will lead to the conclusion that Iqbal

'Arabi's conception of the self is essentially the same.

that Iqbal

and Ibn

the

This passage comes from a discussion in the

Reconstruction claiming that the ultimate goal of the individual

Iqbal' s

is

al-

From this,

it

thinkers'

and Ibn

al-

can fiuther be proven

'Arabi both have similar views on action and freedom.

In a passage from The Reconstruction, Iqbal criticizes the pantheistic tendencies and

interpretations

al-Hallaj,

of Sufism. The passage specifically claims that the famous expression of

ana al-Haqq,

"I

am the

Reality/God," or "I

am the creative truth", has been

mistakenly interpreted as a declaration of pantheism or monism:

The development of this experience

experience] in the religious

knovm words of Hallaj-

'I

life

[of the unity of inner experience with outer

of Islam reached

am the

creative truth.'

its

culmination in the well-

The contemporaries of Hallaj,

as

'"ibid., 118.

S2

iUr

^x'*--

"i"::

'^^^-^t^

, i*;'?/^-**'-J* "

":.i.'-/'^ftiro

'A'.'' :i*i"i

s^iji.Wi/;'5''.t

ft!;S

i;

iif.,.i'=?wr"

is*

,i

..-

v;>-(

-;a:>'"-

'"'

.'Ujiif't

well as his successors, interpreted these words pantheistically; but the fragments

of Hallaj

. .

leave no doubt that the martyr-saint could not have meant to deny the

transcendence of God. The true interpretation of his experience, therefore,

not

is

the drop slipping into the sea, but the realization and bold affirmation in an

undying phrase of the

reality

and permanence of the human ego

in

a profounder

personality.'^^

Iqbal says that Hallaj 's

which leads

famous declaration

to the assertion that only the

he

illusion. Instead,

is

of the true

and that

self,

this attitude three

1)

The

2)

There
in

3)

many ways

like

two

reality that coincides

sides of the

to exist in the world.

From

identified:

same

with an outer

reality.

They

are

coin.

the

One

is

not self-negating, on the

self-affirming and strengthening.

'Arabi's theory contra Iqbal can be

1)

The

self of the individual

reality,

which

summed up

as follows:

can only claim existence, or being, only insofar as

reflection of God or Being.

The outer

each individual

an actual separate entity from the Universal Self

The mystical experience of union with

it is

an

is

not that the individual must lose his/her

Self, but that a greater Self supports

al-

2)

everything else

key components of Iqbal 's theory of the self can be

an underlying inner

contrary,

Ibn

mean

is truly real,

what allows individuality

this Self is

self of the individual is

is

not meant to convey an attitude of unreality,

One, God,

re-interpreting this to

self in the greater Reality

and unique

is

is

.".

In a sense

is

it is

the Being of God.

the physical world and the data of the senses,

is

not

illusory per se, but only has contingent reality or being in relation to the inner
reality,

3)

which

The mystical

it

relies

state

on

for this status.

of union with the One or

God

results in fana

',

extinction of the

self Thus, in this event, the individual actualizes true Reality. True Reality, in this

means only God has Being or

must be destroyed and replaced by
case

These points contrast the

self

The

attitudes these

and that the unreal self of the individual

the Self of Being.
Self,

two philosophers adopt towards the individual

points, although seemingly contradictory, are actually in agreement, at least in

'" Ibid., 96.

83

:viwa

.r.^

>A!i

Ain

'i

>

..,..

mo-

'4!,

y-j.

'';i;:/'!.i

it/

their implications.

The

final point is the

most important, because on

it

hinges the

connection between the self and action.

-'u..;:

.if!

-A

Reality of the Self/self

The

first

point deals with the ontological status and reality of the self This

essentially the

problem of identity.

separate beings?

action.

it

'

It

seems

The answer

that the

seems Iqbal says

Is the

individual identical to God, or are they

to this question is a vital

two positions

that the individual

component

and

God are two

subsumed

is

two

for understanding

are in irreconcilable opposition, for

Arabi says that the individual's reality

is

on the surface

separate realities, while Ibn al-

into

God's

Reality, therefore there is

only One.

For the congruence to be made

detail.

What does

God? It

is

Iqbal

mean by

clear, the

two positions must be analyzed

asserting the distinction

between the individual and

important to understand that for Iqbal the self or ego

phenomenon. He

says: "There

is

nothing

static in

individual self does not remain the same.

subsists throughout time. Instead,

gaining

it is

new experiences and knowledge.

finite

new things.

this parallel.

all is

no

a constant mobility,

halt or resting place."'^''

does not have a fixed identity that

Similar to

how Ibn al-

God and the

He

says:

'

Arabi's Perfect

universe, this ego changes and

Iqbal' s examination of the relationship

egos can strengthen

is

a progressive

constantly evolving, outwardly growing, and

Individual acts as a link between Being or

reflects

It

is

my inner life;

an unceasing flux of states, a perpetual flow in which there

The

in greater

between the

Infinite

Ego and

.^'

True infinity does not mean infinite extension, which cannot be conceived without
embracing all available finite extensions. Its nature consists in intensity and not

"* Iqbal, Reconstruction, 47.

84

i,m^^-

i f.i

U^

:*^?"

and the moment we fix our gaze on intensity, we begin to see that the
ego must be distinct, thought not isolated, fi-om the Infinite. '^^

extensity;
finite

He makes a distinction between

that includes all other objects,

and

actualization of attributes. This

God

is

infinity as

is

extended in space and time, being an object

an intensity of characteristics, being an

infinity as

an important distinction, because the

the totality of all the finite existences that have been, are, and will ever be.

second implies a dualism, in a loose sense,

in

which

intensity of God's characteristics. Infinitude is

of creation aspires

Ego, that

all

closest to

becoming Perfect

intense,

and therefore,

to,

God

then

Individuals.

is Infinite.

He is

is

due

ego

is

potential to

successful, this dualism

become

Iqbal's concept

is

the

most

finite self, in contrast, is

like the Infinite Self.

Thus,

if the finite

the Infinite Self.

of infinity and identity

is

similar to Ibn al- 'Arabi's

neither and both.

The

for the Reality as other than

own concept of

of the Perfect Individual was

the universe, between Being and non-being,

individual

is

the Self of God. Ibn al- 'Arabi says:

As

The

is

resolved in a unity. The finite self or ego has the

As a barzakh between God and

the individual

in those things that are

God, as the essence of perfection,

identity. In chapter three, the paradoxical position

elucidated.

to intensity, because if God is the true

the Ultimate Ego.

is

The

manifest the

finite existents strive to

most present

always evolving, intensifying, trying to become

self or

implies that

first

both identical to and different from

i;

God,

?.

[as manifested] in

some

place or form, then

between one location and another. If

the form be a [synthetic] form [the Perfect Man], it embraces [essentially] the
essential perfection, since it is identical with the [universal] location in which it is
qualitative disparity [necessarily] occurs, as

The [all-embracing] totality inherent in the Name "God"

form, which is at once not He and not other than He.'^^

manifest.
that

135

''*

is

implicit in

Ibid., 118.

Ibn

al- 'Arabi, Bezels, 88.

85

'/af'ji

i4:\i

Hf..

yi^ffiK^ .Si

f.:.':7M;;

'

ihnu-

-';

iv,'

Di "

:^3

*;<*,=

.;ftf.

J'^iiv.

ii;-%-

^rtOU^,-..

r.n'^-

.iocvj-

'>iV'^H f5-?irfvv

s:''"*

u*

,;j?f)'*

':mM

hihf '

''

:!--i;ib

?ij

4?^'^'

;?*

,;.

4;

0!B

^aitT :

R!

i'*i-

;;

^-

-'1,

i,';

HJ(f^5| V

'i-;.-

:.

:.:/v'.

.,

-~

I.-

\fr'^.

'>y.

,/::"

.i

-tsx'i ';..:

'.''.

'-

'

"i

':-

M' 'i

-^

t'..

'.

..."

)-^

...'mivW'

l-fi

.f

1'

isssbrv^bri!

,0'

i-"

This passage describes the intricate relationship between God,

Himself and

in the possession

and the Perfect Individual who

who

is

"Elevated in

of highest perfection simply due to His natural Essence,

is

elevated due to his/her position. Izutsu elucidates:

Thus the Absolute and the creatures

fundamental distinction separates the

same in a certain respect, but a

one from the other: the "necessity of

existence" {wujub al-wujud) which

peculiar to the Absolute alone.

are the

is

Man

The "height", however,

Man's "height" is only

certainly the highest of all in the world of Being...

the "height" of the Absolute. Unlike the

latter,

is

is

not

"consequential" {bi-al-tab 'iyyah) or "secondary."

The

Perfect Individual's height or position

essential or non-contingent height

as a gift,

it is

of God.

is

only secondary and contingent;

God

not his/hers in essence. The Perfect Individual

Ibn

al-

is

and

is

the self of God.

may be

the Ultimate

The

The

individual self is defined

farther the individual is

Ego with

lesser degree in things

It

is

distinct

from

Thus the Perfect Individual

all

its

from actualizing

potential to

fiilly reflect

this potential the less reality

which

it

can stand in relation to the

ego-ness coming from Him, and reality

contains, then

God

is

is

Infinite.

Since

that this claim

has,

and

this

God

relative in terms

is

of

immanently present in a greater or

dependent upon their relative ego-ness. Intensity, or being,

amount of ego a thing

would seem

by

said to possess. Referring to Iqbal's concept of intensity, this un-actualized

amount of ego-hood a thing

to the

God. He/she

not God.

individual lacks the intensity by

the

such a position because

'Arabi's analogy of the individual as a mirror reflection relates nicely to

Iqbal's concept of infinity.

he/she

is in

is,

the individual manifests in a different location.

manner both

in this

not the

gives this height to the Perfect Individual

he/she manifests the true essence of Reality or Being, that

God because

it is

is

due

can change, increasing or decreasing, over time.

of relative existence does not negate the dualism between

'" Izutsu. 232-33.

':,:tl

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the individual and

finite natures.

God: God and humanity are separated by

Humanity

is in

movement towards becoming

their respective Infinite

the Infinite. Put in these terms, Iqbal

within the individual

self.

Ego

al-

For both, the self is

here active, in the sense that

the Ultimate

and Ibn

it

'

an

like the Infinite. If

individual reaches this position, of similarity to the Infinite, then he/she both

and

is

and

not

is

Arabi rely on a similar movement

in a state

has the potential to

of becoming. Thus, the self is

move upward and become more

like

or God.

Structure of the world

The points about inner and outer

the individual resides. In

first

reality deal

many ways this

is

with the structure of the world in which

an abstraction fi-om the

point dealt solely with the relationship between

deals with the relationship between the world and

God and the

first

point; while the

individual, this point

God, and because humanity

is

part

of

the world, a similar structure holds. Analyzing this similar structure has important

consequences for action, for

it is

within the world that

human

action takes place. Both

philosophers agree that there are two aspects or sides of existence, the inner and the

outer,

and

that these

that the physical

two

world

sides are dependent

is

upheld by a

on each

other. Iqbal claims, like all mystics,

spiritual essence.

There

is

an unseen

reality that

engulfs and underlies the seen. Iqbal termed this the Ideal, saying that the Ideal sustains

the Real, that the spiritual

real, the

makes

the physical possible.

Only through exploration of the

physical world, can an individual discover the spiritual. Concerning this, Iqbal

says:

Personally,

believe that the ultimate character of Reality

to avoid a widespread misunderstanding

it is

is spiritual:

but in order

necessary to point out that Einstein's

87

jbiljw

#t",

-/h

f;

If) ni!,(\--^

flWjH

,';
*?

;t

/fiO!5fJKi "Xil

:?;

W;.
!

JK

'HV;

;!

{f

theory,

no

which as a scientific theory deals only with the

on the ultimate nature of things which possess

light

Even though

of things, throws

structure

that structure.

'^^

the ideal or spiritual can only be ascertained through abstraction from the

real or physical,

and through mystical experience, Iqbal

still

asserts that the ideal or

.J

spiritual is the ultimate nature

of Reality. The universe

is real,

discoverable, although a subjective structure, but this structure

The

ultimate nature of things, that

is,

is

that

it

has a

not the ultimate reality.

the nature behind these structures cannot be

discovered by scientific theory. Science, for Iqbal, explains

it

meaning

cannot explain what exactly the universe

is,

or

its

how the

universe works, but

purpose, essence or meaningfulness.

Science cannot describe the relationship between the universe, humanity and God,
alone discover what

of Reality

God

is spiritual,"

ultimately

is.

let

Therefore, by declaring that "the ultimate nature

Iqbal declares with Ibn al- 'Arabi that Reality, at

depends on the Spiritual being of God. The outer then

is

its

roots,

the external world that can be

scientifically discovered, while the inner is the spiritual nature that underlies the external.

This

is

similar to Ibn al- ' Arabi 's concept of the physical world being the

manifestation of the Divine Attributes.

He

says:

"The Essence

the whole. Multiplicity exists only in respect of the divine

is

in

are themselves

The Essence of Being or

also the Essence of all existents within the world. In chapter one, intuitive

knowledge of this proposition was discussed as the

the Sufi.

It

merge with
existence,

138

Unique of the whole

Names, which

purely relationships and thus not manifest [in themselves]."

God

is

special

mode of knowledge used by

allows the practitioner to experience the underlying Reality or Essence, and to

It.

In chapter three, the realm of imagination, as a symbolic realm of

was discussed

as a realm of knowledge only understood fully

by the Perfect

Iqbal, Reconstruction, 38.

"' Ibn

al- 'Arabi, Bezels, 85.

88

'i'

i';-nii

.*:

:>Vst'!

'^vati^-'Ui .'sni

i'-Mil

zv V'i-iU^j .ii^i^An!};

>

<-.:

:::,'?;''

-^

l-fjiri^d -tfunka

ft

'i.'t.

'<

,!

.^

1>

.;

.r'wi:.!.'

';

trtL';'

-ii'l

u^r.ii;

v^qi^'ht'

Individual. For Ibn al- 'Arabi, the Essence that

is

experienced in mystical union

Essence of everything within the world. The multiplicity of the physical world

the

reduced,

is

realm of imagination, to relationships between the Divine Names, the qualifications

in the

or attributes of God,

order

is

may thus be

single

which signify the Divine Essence. Ibn

regarded

form reflected

in

[at

many

al-

'Arabi says: "The natural

once] as [many] forms reflected in a single mirror or as a

mirrors."'''^

Depending on the perspective, the Divine or

the finite, this can be interpreted as multiplicity reflected in the Divine or the Divine

reflected in multiplicity.

the

same

The

Perfect Individual understands that both of these happen at

time. Likewise Iqbal says:

The

universe, as

we have

"other."

seen before,

.-

is

'

'

not an "other" existing /?er se in

when we look at the act of creation as a specific

the life-history of God that the universe appears as an independent
From the standpoint of the all-inclusive Ego there is no "other." In Him

opposition to God.

event in

"

It is

only

thought and deed, the act of knowing and the act of creating, are
Iqbal affirms that from one perspective there

another, higher, perspective, everything

"Oneness of Being". From

the

same propositions

this

it

is

is

identical.''*'

a part of the Ultimate Ego. There

can be gathered that both Iqbal and Ibn

in regard to the structure

from

multiplicity within the world, but

al-

is

an

'Arabi assert

of the universe, both in terms of its

physical and spiritual aspects.

Subsistence of the self/Self

The

final point to

be considered before looking

at action is the distinction

between

self-affirmation and self-negation. Iqbal' s concept of self-affirmation in the face

divine

is

a result of his unique understanding of the individual self In classical Sufism,

the self is something to be destroyed.

'*"
'*'

of the

It is

the center of all pride and separates the

Ibid., 87.

Iqbal, Reconstruction, 77.

89

xHT^'

*;.:<?

:v-^-.

ri

,bm

-i

lih'-^ n^'y:\fir'L)r

'

l;<:h^i

?SC'l*iid>

Schimmel

individual from God.

significance in Persian of the

tells us:

word

"One must

think of the highly negative

khudi. Self, with

its

implications of selfishness,

egotism and similar objectionable meanings. Iqbal gives

Self, Personality,

Ego

this

word a new meaning

an absolutely positive meaning."''*^ The self or ego becomes a

in

positive goal. Iqbal gives

new

life to

the mystical tradition, such that

force in modernity. In classical Sufism the individual aims to lose

personality. Iqbal turns this around, saying that the individual

his/her self into the Self of God.

Along with

this

asking or poverty a different emphasis. In his

From the flame of desire the heart takes

And when it takes life, all dies that is
Nottrue.''*'^

must mold and strengthen

poem Secrets of the Self he

!"-.,..':

^-

''.-,
-

vi'

passage, desire

is

^^

is, it

The

'*'

all

else.

The

'

y~-

'

,(.',
i

It

'^

^-vt

creates tension

n.

and

gives the individual a purpose and goal to strive

for.

God, propels the

personal want and self-desire for the well being of the beloved.

desire for the beloved

empty of all

'*^

up

.sl-

In classical Sufism desire, specifically the desire for the beloved or

individual to give

'

-6.

the impetus for growth and change.

drive within the individual, that

<

^v.

..-:;' '^,

- -.?' :>.

Asking disintegrates the Self

And deprives of illumination the Sinai-bush

first

says:

By asking, poverty is made more abject;

By begging, the beggar is made poorer.

oftheSelf^'"'

of his/her

traces

he also gives the concepts of desire and

--.^

;?

can become a

it

all

life,

And:

In the

as

consumes the individual

Sufi, engulfed in this desire,

to

such an extent that he/she becomes

no longer has a

will

of his/her own. In

Schimmel, Gabriel's Wing, 42.

Muhammad

Iqbal, Secret

Amold-Heinemann

of the

Self, trans,

and

ed.

R.A. Nicholson

(New

Delhi:

Publishers, 1978), 39.

'^ Ibid., 48.

90

J,

',

Mi-i m.

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U-'i!^'

a/av-'.

i'*:.

.jjia/idq'f:^

ill

-fit;

M:

Itiih A'

/. ..-I

>

...r.

-V/'

'ViJ^C'

^''i'r'-J^-.!'-'

'.

.^

k;

(.If

f.,

WhW

'V-

jtfj.f^ns

n(

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/:;..,!>.

;i;f^Siir

:i^'

this state the lover will

beloved

is

even give up his/her

own life

the only object worthy of being or

life.

for the sake

According

of the beloved, for the

to Iqbal, desire has quite the

opposite effect. This stirring of the heart strengthens the self of the individual. He/she
uses this strength to assert his/her will, to adopt

of desire to come into his/her possession. This

Iqbal 's

poem. In

it,

Iqbal

is

God

that the individual

lacks,

God, by becoming

i.e.,

illuminated by the second passage from

i.e.,

is

required to approach

poverty and weakness.

can only receive

like the

this direct

God by

adopting

only by destroying the self

It is

can receive direct communion with God,

for Iqbal the individual

to

the qualities that will allow the object

claiming that asking and begging weaken the individual's

is

self According to Ibn al- ' Arabi, the individual

the qualities that

all

i.e.,

the beloved.

communion by

However,

raising him/herself up

Ultimate Ego. Therefore, asking or begging for something,

a specific attribute associated with Ego, shows signs of weakness and lack, while

cultivating

Having

and

to rely

striving for

it

on one's own shows the strengths and

on the work of others deprives

qualities

of Ego.

the individual of true selfhood. In this

maimer, the enlightened individual approaching union with

God

is

not destroyed, but

remains standing in His presence as an exact replicate, returning to earthly existence with
all

the

power and Self possession of God. This seems

viewpoint of Ibn

al- 'Arabi,

becoming a locus
Although Ibn
the divine, he

still

but as will be

for the action

al-

of God,

is

to

shown below
the

same

be forever opposed to the

the end result, the individual

for both.

'Arabi claims that the individual must

become

acknowledges that the individual must return

Journey To The Lord Of Power he says,

"I shall

aimihilated within

to earthly existence. In

answer your question,

intimate companion, concerning the Journey to the Lord of Power

O noble friend and

(may He be

exalted)

91

aid

?p

.ly-iyfi'U

and the

His presence, and the return, through Him, from

arrival in

without separation."'"*^

He acknowledges that the

is

another step forward, for

a continued oneness with God, but in the midst of the world. This

To abide

'.

Nicholson explains

God

in

mark of the

His Creation,

mystic has to return to the world after

achieving the mystical connection with God. This return

return after yaa

Him to

"

this concept:

is

it is

called baqa, the

.;

.,

{baqa) after having passed-away from selfhood {fana) is the

Man, who not only journeys to God, i.e. passes from plurality

Perfect

and with God, i.e. continuing in the unitive state, he returns with
phenomenal world from which he sets out, and manifests unity in

to unity, but in

God to

the

plurality."*^

The

Perfect Individual returns to earthly existence

In this Ibn al- 'Arabi also brings

God down to

still

earth.

(internally)

The

conduit for God's will and action. Izutsu cites one of Ibn
in relation to this:

Perfect Individual

al-

one

who has

'Arabi describes the person

has been completely "annihilated" within the Divine:

is

becomes a

'Arabi's disciples as saying

al-

'^

Al-Qashani, a pupil and commentator of Ibn

category

communing with God.

who

"A man of this second

'annihilated himself totally with his essence and

is

of man by whom the Absolute hears

Thus such a man is the hearing of the Absolute itself and the sight of the
Absolute. Nay, he is the Form of the Absolute. To him refer God's words: 'thou
wert not the one who shot the arrows when thou shotest, but God it was who
'subsistent' in the Absolute. This is the kind

and

sees.

really shot' (VIII, 17)."''*^

In this manner, the individual "re-gains" his/her self. Aimihilating him/herself means the
individual can re-clothe him/herself in the Self of God.

subsists in the Self of God.

self,

he/she must

Ego.

work

The

Perfect Individual, then,

For Iqbal, even though the individual never "loses" his/her

to cultivate all the attributes

of God, and destroy

When he/she does this, and can face union with God

all that is

not

without losing identity, he/she

"" Ibn

al- 'Arabi, Journey, 25.

"^Nicholson, 168.

""izutsu, 91.

92

imSS

':

'^i.V.

--v.

J#f

?^

^n'f^ti',

sf'afqri-'^

OP"

:'.

iiill'y.vi

:->"

>r

:;ii

'j

'"
,

'

mm

>V-'iV' i'^'On iii'M-'bi(t! -idJ

'-mi

i I.

-'.

i:,^.

llf-

:-U<:

J-M"!)J// b-,H> 01'

is

the Perfect Individual,

is

a mirror image of the Ultimate Ego. He/she then can act

within the world and bring about the

al-

Kingdom of God on

'Arabi and Iqbal's Perfect Individuals

come back

Earth. In this manner, both Ibn

to the

world and

live as

representatives of God. Although one approaches this through active assimilation and one

through negation and passive receptivity, both Individuals return from the experience of

union

still

communing with God,

directly

thus becoming

God manifest on Earth.

Freedom and Action

At

this point

it

Perfect Individual

to

seems

must

that although Iqbal

and Ibn

al-

'Arabi both agree that the

participate within the world, Iqbal's Individual has

more freedom

do as he/she chooses, for he/she actively creates him/herself and the world. This

section will

and

this will

show

that both Individuals

must

essentially act according to the will

final

of God,

be accomplished by exploring the meanings of freedom and action for both

philosophers.

Freedom

linked to responsibility for both Iqbal and Ibn

is

The element of guidance and

that the

ego

is

Ultimate Ego

He

shares in the

fi"ee

life

own free

limited His freedom to allow humanity the freedom to follow

to

shows

and freedom of the

permitting the emergence of a finite ego, capable of

private initiative, has limited this freedom of His

God

Iqbal says:

directive control in the ego's activity clearly

a free personal causality.

Who, by

al- 'Arabi.

will.''*^

Him. The individual

choose whether or not to find God, to become an Ego. However,

this is not

is

an

unlimited freedom, for Nicholson explains that:

The Ego

by the removal of all obstructions in its way. It is

partly free, partly determined, [According to the Tradition, "The true Faith is
between predestination and freewill."] and reaches fuller freedom by approaching
attains to fi^eedom

"" Iqbal, Reconstruction, 108.

93

vi{

'.^.Ubi-lOr' -it,

'ijo

,!f>r'l

d)

&mi'iA

|^4.fiif4

>jru

'>,;.;

>':
'

!!.?.

b'

'j'%; )'

,<.',.;,);!

'^iitmV:'.:;

F?n\

'.,

/Ilu.j, SWe-.^y-tHfeiW

i&i.,.-

i-'U

#J;iiiK.

Jyfb safja,;;?*:

;^

:-nR

".it

the individual

who

is

most

free-

God. In one word, Hfe

is

an endeavour for

freedom.''*^

Although the individual

partially

free to

determined by God, that

certain characteristics

Ultimate

is

Ego allows

and

choose the path to Egohood, to God, he/she

is,

abilities.

he/she

is still

determined to exist in a certain place with

is

Adopting

all

the characteristics and traits of the

As

the individual to attain a higher freedom.

described in the section

above, this means that the individual, in essence, becomes the active will of God. Iqbal's
Perfect Individual then has the freedom to act out the divine will of God; in fact

individual's responsibility to achieve this, to

Just as Iqbal claims humanity

found in Ibn

al- 'Arabi.

Being," the fact that

God

is

Ibn

truth, for

al-

'

Arabi,

of determinism

is

Name are

certain unique

characteristics that manifest themselves within the individual, thus the nature

is

determined by the

pre-

is

a locus for the manifestation of a particular

is

or attribute of God. Inherent within the specific

individual

is

the "Oneness of

the Being of everything in existence, everything

Any existent

the

true Ego.

partially determined, another type

Because the ultimate

ordained in the Being of God.

Name

is

become a

it is

Names of which he/she

is

of the

a manifestation. However,

Ronald Nettler explains:

The 'determinism' introduced with

the

the pre-ordained existence of a thing]

a 'yan thabita

is

[the latent essence, that

metaphysical, not personal.

Its

is,

ineluctable

nature in this sense does not detract from or diminish the moral agency and
accountability of the individual or God's authoritative power.

divine injunction and

human

The

structure of

response, with the assumption of human choice and

one dimension within a cosmology of

'^^
a universal unity of absolute being.

responsibility, remains rock-solid, as

timeless fixed essences in

''"

R. A. Nicholson "Introduction." In

(New

Delhi:

Amold-Heinemann

Muhammad

Iqbal, Secret

of the Self,

trans,

and

ed. R.A. Nicholson

Publishers, 1978), 18.

Ronald L. Nettler. Sufi Metaphysics and Quranic Prophets: Ibn Ibn

Al-Hikam (Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 2003), 214.

al- 'Arabi's

Thought and Method

in

the Fusus

94

Mlh

i>:

tr

;:

':

...

Kfn' at-. .->nsr

't.

Mi.'

.n:i(>^'.-t}f:t-^m-'^.-'--':<.^S'^in.--.-

;,P!?a.,<!<) /;:

'\

'

tr-

(;

'

..it.:

'iir^;

J:

fi

t,

::>!

;i

I':

u'!f

J-

,:-

^^^

This determinism does not diminish

certain time period

this

determinism

is

human

responsibility, a

therefore

It is

it is

the dimension of finding, the individual discovering

is

and link

to the divine.

the individual's responsibility to follow the

freedom

means freedom from, and he defines

duties of being a servant to Allah

lies in

The metaphysical

it:

is

Laws of God.

discovered. For Ibn al- 'Arabi freedom

"Hurriyyah [Freedom].

Most High

is free

from

He who performs

all that is

truly has being, therefore the individual

accomplishing along the Path Xofana

'.

must empty

cosmic role of barzakh, and resides

is

what the

Reaching union with God the

individual realizes the true nature of the universe and of him/herself.

actualizes the

the

other than AUah."'^'

him/herself of all assumption of lordship and power. '^^ Essentially this

is

all

understanding and actualizing the correct relationship between

humanity and God. Only God

individual

God, the personal

not immediately knowable or realizable to every individual;

in this responsibility that

True freedom

beings birth within a

and society does not diminish his/her moral agency. For layered with

responsibility to discover their inherent nature

nature of the world

human

in the space

At

this point he/she

between the paradox of

being and non-being. Thus, while the unenlightened individual acts on the assumption
that

it is

he/she as an individual acting, the Gnostic/Sufi understands that in reality

God who

is

the actor, for everything

is essentially,

metaphysically, God. Ibn

al-

it is

'Arabi

says of this:

Thus,

He

forbade excesses [relative existence], that

is.

He prevented

the real

from being known, namely that He is the essential Self of things. He

it by otherness, which is you [as being not He]. Otherness asserts that the
hearing [referred to in the Tradition] is Zaid's hearing, while the Gnostic [who
sees beyond that to the Oneness of Being] asserts that it is the Reality Himself,
secret

conceals

'" Ibn Ibn al- 'Arabi, "Sufi Terminology: Ibn

'Ibn al-

Terri Harris.

The Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn

'

ArahVs Al-Istilah Al-Sufiyyah"

( 984), 4 1

'Ibn al- 'Arabi Society 3

trans,

and

ed. Rabia

'" See
p. 50,

95

'im

,ioA:>'}m-

-{

..kH'

'TJuiUi

'ft m'-

f'-^

.XlfJ

.^

rr"*55s

-'

*''/

'!>,

Lf-'

'(lUii

(vt.'ffuy

!-^.,-J\

.s;-u",>*

hi'iij

'

/ji^'il

'c

ui<n\f

^'f;';?-!

b:

and similarly with the other organs and

some men

Reality,
is

It is

plain

a truth that

who
is

is

would only

Not every one knows

who

confiise them.

It

it is

it is

a truth that

their duty to follow the laws

would make many assume they could

The

Perfect Individual gives

is

up his/her selfhood

non-action.

In both Iqbal and Ibn al- Arabi

'

in

They

any

it

It is

in order to be

open

at the

same time.

to the will

of God.

not the individual's action, but God's action.

has been shown that the individual finds true

forming or merging his/her self with the Self of God. True action for both of

these Perfect Individuals

self to be

act in

this

Perfect Individual understands though that both perspectives,

of individual autonomy and the Oneness of Being, must be viewed

freedom

many

of Islam, for

that

Thus, action for him/her

it

is not.'

hidden from the majority of humanity; in fact

maimer they pleased. The

the

excelling others according to [known] spiritual ranks, so that

superior [in this respect] and

cannot grasp. For these individuals,

truth

faculties.

consumed by

are able to

do

this

means relinquishing

Self, thereby

making

all

all

personal desires and goals, allowing the

actions they perform the actions of Self.

because they sustain a direct communion with

retiiming from the mystical experience of union oxfana

:..''

'y-

God

after

'.

.*j>j.;

'" Ibn al- 'Arabi, flezc/5, 133.

96

A'.ft>

""

ttfV!

JK

'.n

fsnvjQft

ii-i

f*

.I',;

b"-: ''V -'Tiicrrii. ':ii;.r:sK.4'r:,;

rj

^--;

t..;;; -jpt ibjiftf

^b

i"'.%n ,:4a:^c

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j^

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i=

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\-d

Conclusion
In general this thesis

is

a study of perfection within the individual, or humanity's

potential for perfection. Specifically this

was accomplished by analyzing Ibn Ibn

'Arabi's concept of the Perfect Individual. In conclusion

it is

al-

important: 1) to summarize

the aspects of perfection analyzed in the chapters, and 2) to link the conclusions in the

chapters to form a complete picture of Ibn 'Ibn al- 'Arabi's concept of perfection.

Chapter one sought to discover the type or types of knowledge linked to Ibn
'Arabi's concept of perfection.

It

explored revelation, reason, and intuition as related to

Islam, Islamic philosophy, and Sufism.

of knowledge separate from the

The exploration showed

intellect, is the

that intuition, as a

specifically given to the prophets; therefore,

Reason

is

it is

now closed, open only to

is

knowledge

individual

a tool that must be developed in an individual, and this varies

according to the capacity of the individual. Intuition, unlike revelation or reason,

equally open and accessible to

via his/her heart.

The

all

individuals.

It is

God

Perfect Individual uses all three forms of knowledge, but the

relationship

it

linked to

is

knowledge or understanding.

In order to discover

First

is

speaking directly to an individual

knowledge of intuition outweighs the other two. Because of this, perfection

spiritual

form

prime mode of understanding for the

Perfect Individual. Revelatory knowledge, while closely related to intuition,

interpretation.

al-

how status

is

related to perfection chapter

two analyzed the

between the Perfect Individual and Muhammad. This was done

outlined

how Muhammad

Muhammad. Due

to this

is

in

parts.

the physical manifestation of the Reality of

he has the most complete knowledge of God, and he

position of the Seal of the Prophets.

two

The second

part

made a direct

link

is

given the

between

97

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.cn"'^'

jHvnri

^.:ji<t

;i!.l3

-!

ii;

^,i

.ao^t'U'iim

"'.

j/iri(mf)l

bffisif T::ii?0*:* ifid'^/

i

,i/Si>i>}vy;;

s.r>;-

<*

i;i4'-- !:?*?!>

.K^ii

.',-:..>*ji

i.

:.i

Li

j'Ai

-"..^niC

i;";!;

vs..

'.v,'.yyji">y^

;!"~

>-

'
;

.:

>\.

\i

ii

z^Bvhmby
.jg?f'K/!

!-

--i'

Si<,it-;>t)fl[

OT-/? riV\:-

'*;lv

W"w"

Muhammad and the Perfect

saint, all

and

The

God, added to sainthood, and the

saints inherit their

saints partake

Saints,

who

perfection

fana

'.

by analyzing the rankings of prophet,

and

apostle,

of which stem from the Reality of Muhammad. Prophethood and apostleship are

ranks, gifts from

general.

Individual

or knowledge from the prophets.

The prophets

of pieces of the knowledge of Muhammad, except for the Seal of the

partakes in the

is

wisdom

saint is the Perfect Individual in

fiiU

knowledge of Muhammad. The chapter concluded

that

linked to the realization of the "Oneness of Being," to the experience of

The wisdom gained

after this realization, are gifts

from God. They increase

individual understanding of God and the world, but do not increase perfection. Therefore,

status

among

individuals

is

In chapter three, perfection

The Perfect Individual

is

not equated with greater perfection.

was explored

as a state within the cosmological order.

analogous to a mirror that reflects God, and he/she holds the

ontological and metaphysical position of a barzakh, a limit or boundary between

thingsthat shares the qualities of both sides.

perspectives of this position.

It

looked

The chapter analyzed

at the creation

the various

two
'

of humanity as a means of God

"discovering" Himself Humans, specifically the Perfect Individuals, are conscious and
active agents

In a position

the

two

who

explore and analyze the world, discovering

God

inherent in everything.

between God and the world, the Perfect Individual can find

together.

The

qualities to link

Perfect Individual can use imagination to consciously exist in the

paradoxical state of the barzakh. He/she understands that the world and everything in
are both identical and not identical to

God,

this allows

him/her to discover a higher plane

of understanding. The chapter came to the conclusion that

>
:

rv

it

,..'

this higher

i.,n,'

understanding

is

'-.

98

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,yr.rfi

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^li&'-et

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'A

iiJ^

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il:;"'.'^;'l^

iS

'^'^

>ii

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IKH

.ii.in>

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\.-

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i^:!

>

../^V

,'U

i;

i,..f('-.:i--'>.;.

m
.feliifi

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^'"1

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due

to the individual's position within the universe; therefore perfection

individual's ontological and metaphysical position.

The

final chapter

questioned

freedom. Iqbal criticized Ibn

therefore a comparison

accomplished by
this

first

self was understood

self, in relation to

the

was undertaken

looking

same

action,

for Iqbal

and

it

God and
and Ibn

e.g., to

Individual exercises action and

how

at

to see if this

in fact true. This

thinkers.

The

analysis of both points

al- 'Arabi. Finally, this led to the

was

that the

essentially

that although Iqbal' s Perfect/Ideal Individual initially has

choose the path he/she will take, action in both cases means doing

of God guides the individual to do. The conclusion reached was that perfect

action

accomplished by the individual relinquishing his/her

imperfect, lacking true Being, and replacing

this

showed

discussion of freedom and

will

With

how

of Sufism, and secondly, by comparing

what the
is

was

Iqbal understood himself as a reformer, and

classical tenets

by both

was

the world, although approached differently,

was concluded

more freedom,

'

'Arabi's school of Sufism as leading to inaction,

al-

meant a re-emphasis on the

how the

how the Perfect

stems from the

summary, a

final position

it

own will and

on perfection can be

to perfection, chapter

which

is

with the will and Self of God.

articulated.

dealt with a specific aspect of perfection within the individual, chapter

knowledge leading

self,

two with the

Each chapter

one with

fact that perfection is not linked to

individual status, chapter three with the ontological and metaphysical position perfection

has within the universe, and chapter four with perfect action.

concluded that for Ibn

realization.

must

Humanity

al-

'Arabi perfection

in general

is

was created

realize this position for themselves.

It is

From

all

of this

it

can be

linked to spiritual understanding and

in a position

of perfection, but individuals

complete understanding that allows the

99

H'

i l]i,;i'.n

<>:

.J l;^:J.'^r

];..,..

;'i..- >.;:-^

;(

.r.^n-:,.

'

N.-.:

''If

'

.y"^

y ''M'^

,,--j.^.: .i

(If. '* il4ji

;Jjai v-r,* -.-jju

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;*>**: jr.,

);i-*'

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;^

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individual to actualize this perfection within him/herself, and this understanding leads to

perfect action. Perfect action

is

acknowledging the true nature of existence and

actualizing this state, and understanding the true

meaning and implications of "God being

the seeing, hearing, etc. of the individual. Thus, perfection

understanding, and actualization of the true nature of the

is

the realization,

self,

God, and the universe.

s^i.'-

^!'

;-<<

100

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:yv)s\;!*;,/

..!*.',

i^ini ^r'; ..,;.f3f?ii:*^f^/<.?nv3 xj :,:Of>s i.-if-K>*i

I'U'-'ii "'li'

to

.^!

aoflsift

l3srt

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