An Endless Tajalli Historiography of Ibn PDF
An Endless Tajalli Historiography of Ibn PDF
An Endless Tajalli Historiography of Ibn PDF
Ali Hussain
Introduction
It is perhaps safe to assume that any contemporary specialist
2. Studies specifically discusses the theme of al-Insan al-Kamil and its
appropriation by later figures in the Akbari school, such as ʿAbd al-Karim
al-Jili; cf, Studies, 77. On the other hand, The Mystics and Nicholson’s
translation of Tarjuman al-Ashwaq both discuss Ibn ʿArabi’s poetry and the
theme of love predominant in this genre of writings. Moreover, Nicholson
debates in his translation of the Tarjuman the hostile position of another
Western specialist, Reinhart Dozy, in regards to Ibn ʿArabi’s authorship of
the Tarjuman; cf. Tarjuman al-Ashwaq, 9.
An Endless Tajalli 95
3. This term is used often by Corbin in L’Imagination and other works,
such as Histoire de la Philosophie Islamique, to refer to the devotion in
Shiʿism to the twelve imams.
96 Ali Hussain
Historiographical survey
Before delving into examining the sample of works in this sec-
tion, I should offer some cautionary remarks regarding this
study’s limitations. First, the monographs discussed are in
no way meant to be an exhaustive list of all the works pub-
lished on Ibn ʿArabi. Considering the tremendous amount of
literary output available at the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society
Expositions
Works that attempt to adumbrate and expound upon Ibn
ʿArabi’s thought and writings might very well be the most dif-
ficult set of monographs to classify. This is primarily due to the
fact that many of the authors in this genre tend to incorpo-
rate numerous Akbari themes in their writings, which in turn
makes these monographs difficult to categorize. Nevertheless, a
particular classification was sought in order to sketch a coher-
ent outline of those topics and concepts that have received the
most extensive coverage from specialists and those that are rela-
tively understudied and still merit investigation.
Sainthood
The theme of sainthood (walaya) finds extensive interest among
Western specialists, Chodkiewicz’s Seal being perhaps the most
pivotal monograph in this regard. The author of this work does
not just discuss Ibn ʿArabi’s views on sainthood or the con-
troversial post of seal of saints (khatm al-walaya), but he also
expounds upon the intellectual genealogy of this concept going
back to al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi, the 9th-century Muslim mystic
Prophetology
The most profound insight into Ibn ʿArabi’s perception of God’s
sent messengers arguably occurs in his controversial and famed
work Fusus al-Hikam. Thus, in works like Nettler’s Sufi Metaphys-
ics, one finds an extensive discussion on this very same topic
Ethics
Specialist works revolving around Ibn ʿArabi’s views on ethics
usually take place under the heading of manners/etiquette
(adab). Knysh’s ‘Realms’ expounds upon and reveals Ibn ʿArabi’s
rather contentious perspective on this topic through the latter’s
Eschatology
Feminism
A specialist familiar with Ibn ʿArabi’s writings most probably
is aware of the novel and somewhat provocative feminist ele-
ments in the Shaykh’s anthropic and deistic views. Hakim’s
‘Twofold perception’ and Shaikh’s Sufi Narratives are two of
these crucial works that explore the various appropriations of
this gender-sensitive topic by Ibn ʿArabi in his various mon-
ographs. Although both these authors’ discussions revolve
around the central cosmic role of women as a particular mani-
festation of God, Hakim attempts to specifically give a brief out-
line of the various roles a female subject plays in Ibn ʿArabi’s
thought, while Shaikh is motivated instead to situate a critical
Spiritual pedagogy
James Morris’ works have been pivotal in exploring the cen-
tral themes of moral discipline (tarbiya) and spiritual realization
(tahqiq) in Ibn ʿArabi’s Weltanschauung. In The Reflective Heart,
‘Communication’ and other expositions, Morris expounds
upon the quintessential motivation and intention underlying
Ibn ʿArabi’s works. Particularly, Morris reveals that the Shaykh
Ontology
Various works have also expounded upon Ibn ʿArabi’s views
regarding the beginning of existence on a microcosmic and
macrocosmic level. Hameen-Antilla’s ‘Immutable Entities’,
Mesbahi’s ‘The Unity’ and Abadi’s ‘Aspects’ all revolve around
different aspects of Ibn ʿArabi’s ontology, from both a cosmo-
logical and anthropological perspective. Like numerous other
themes, this topic is explored within the larger metaphysical
notion of unity of being (wahdat al-wujud), of which Ibn ʿArabi’s
thought is an example par excellence.
Epistemology
Ibn ʿArabi’s views on knowledge and knowing are inter-
twined with the notion of gnosis (maʿrifa) and the two narra-
tions (ahadith), of questionable authenticity, often quoted by
the Shaykh and other Muslim mystics: ‘whomsoever knows
Translations
This genre of works, as the title insinuates, includes the various
renditions of Ibn ʿArabi’s works from the original Arabic into
various Western languages – mostly English, French, German
and Spanish.
Polemics
There have been a few key works published in the West that
explore the entrenched, longstanding tradition of polemics sur-
rounding Ibn ʿArabi’s thought and writings, especially in Islam-
dom. Knysh’s Ibn ʿArabi in the Later Islamic Tradition provides a
detailed look into the defensive and detractive tracts surround-
ing the Shaykh that have been authored since his passing.
What makes Knysh’s endeavor particularly insightful is that the
author does not present an atomized or disconnected chrono-
logical recounting of these accounts; rather, a detailed investi-
gation is given whereby the reader can tell not only how Ibn
ʿArabi’s persona and thought were re-imagined by these various
polemicists, but also how some of the cited accounts themselves
were ‘whimsically’ appropriated to fit their author’s motivations
and commitments. In this regard, this effort remains one of the
most critical and comprehensive investigations into this histor-
ically charged aspect of Ibn ʿArabi’s works.
Also worthy of mention is Homerin’s ‘Ibn ʿArabi in the
People’s Assembly’. Whereas Knysh gives a broad, chronologi-
cal outline of the polemical debate surrounding Ibn ʿArabi,
Homerin explores closely one such event that took place
106 Ali Hussain
Sources of influence
This genre represents perhaps the most crucial yet least explored
area of research in Ibn ʿArabi studies. The works in this category
investigate the possible sources of influence on the greatest
master that helped shape his intellectual Weltanschauung.
In a similar fashion to Chodkiewicz’s endeavor in Seal,18
Radtke’s ‘A Forerunner’ explores the possible influence this 9th-
century Muslim mystic had on Ibn ʿArabi, specifically in regards
to the notion of seal of sainthood (khatm al-walaya). The fact
Biographies
Related to the previous genre of works, there are also various
monographs that give a biographical outline of Ibn ʿArabi’s life,
including his various travels and teachers. The most detailed
and academically rigorous of these efforts is perhaps Addas’
Quest. Aside from the actual contents of this work, the author’s
introduction is equally crucial in its discussion of the tremen-
dous bias present in the various medieval monographs that
were used as the literary references and sources for Quest. This
hegemonic partiality seems to be primarily due to the fact that
many of the Muslim historians who authored biographical
accounts of Ibn ʿArabi were either defenders, detractors or
disinterested spectators.20 Although Quest and Addas’ newer,
shorter and more condensed biography, Voyage are not compre-
hensive insights into Ibn ʿArabi’s intellectual dialogue with the
various traditions of Western and Eastern Islamdom, they are
nonetheless groundbreaking efforts and quintessential starting
points for other specialists to continue this author’s effort.
Hirtenstein’s The Unlimited Mercifier is a particularly novel,
contemporarily contextualized biography of the Greatest Mas-
ter. As the author explicates in the preamble, his intention was
to provide an overview of Ibn ʿArabi’s life for the general, non-
Comparative endeavors
A genre of works that has received extensive attention by spe-
cialists are those that attempt to engage Ibn ʿArabi in a dialogue
with other intellectual and mystical traditions, Islamic or other
wise. These comparative endeavors are so diverse and numer-
ous that each major category deserves a separate discussion:
Posteriority
Considering the tremendous amount of influence Ibn ʿArabi’s
writings and thought have had on Islamic mystical and intel-
lectual traditions, it is natural to find many monographs
authored on thinkers posterior to the Shaykh who propagated
and reformulated the latter’s works. The diverse endeavors by
Western authors in this genre range from general overviews of
Ibn ʿArabi’s influence and interpretation by his posteriors to dis-
cussions on the former’s fame in specific regions of the world.
Contemporary contextualizations
Although this genre could be included in the initial section on
MIAS and Beshara school going back to its epigone and founder,
Bulent Rauf. However, this work is not merely a chronological
adumbration of these two institutions’ intellectual and organi-
zational development; rather, Taji-Farouki masterfully explores
the various 20th-century European sociopolitical, cultural,
spiritual and intellectual dynamics and how those shaped the
motivations and commitments of Rauf and others who estab-
lished this monumental paradigm for propagating, teaching
and researching Ibn ʿArabi’s thought in the West. The extraor-
dinary success and importance of Rauf’s efforts have seized the
attention of other scholars, most notably Jeffery-Street, who
27. Intriguingly this seems to be only one of two works, the other being
Burckhardt’s Clé Spirituelle de l’Astrologie Musulmane, that expounds upon
Ibn ʿArabi’s cosmology.
116 Ali Hussain
Conclusion
This survey has discussed a sample of works authored by aca-
demic specialists on Ibn ʿArabi during the past thirty years.
These range from book-length monographs to short papers and
essays, mostly published through the MIAS. By presenting a
classification of these works, this study has roughly sketched an
outline of the major recent intellectual trends among Western
specialists in approaching Ibn ʿArabi’s thought and works.
It is worthwhile at this point to note some of the intellec-
tual lacunae present in the academic understanding of Ibn
Bibliography
Abadi, Avraham. ‘Aspects of Non-manifestation in the Modalities
of Being’ JMIAS 5 (1986), 10–27.
Abrahamov, Binyamin. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s Theory of Knowledge’, Parts I
and II, JMIAS 41, 42 (2007), I:1–30, II:1–22.
Addas, Claude. ‘Abu Madyan and Ibn ʿArabi’ in Muhyiddin Ibn
ʿArabi: A Commemorative Volume, ed. S. Hirtenstein and M.
Tiernan. Shaftesbury, UK: Element Books (1993):
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/abumadyan.html
—— Quest For The Red Sulphur: The Life of Ibn ʿArabi. Cambridge:
Expositions
General comprehensive surveys
Afifi, Abul Ela. The Mystical Philosophy of Muhyid Din-Ibnul ʿArabi.
New York: AMS Press, 1974.
Al-Attas, Mohammad. Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam: An
exposition of the fundamental elements of the worldview of Islam.
Kuala Lumpur: International Institute of Islamic Thought and
Civilization (ISTAC), 1995.
Chittick, William. Ibn ʿArabi: Heir to the Prophets. Oxford: One-
world, 2007.
Corbin, Henry. History of Islamic Philosophy. New York: Kegan Paul
International, 1962.
Husaini, Abdul Qadir. The Pantheistic Monism of Ibn al-ʿArabi.
Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1970.
130 Ali Hussain
Landau, Rom. The Philosophy of Ibn ʿArabi. London: Allen & Unwin,
1959.
Nasr, S. Hossein. Three Muslim Sages: Avicenna, Suhrawardi, Ibn
ʿArabi. New York: Caravan Books, 1964.
Radtke, Bernd. Neue Kritische Gange: zu Stand und Aufgaben der Sufik-
forschung. Utrecht: Houtsma Stichling, 2005.
Sainthood
Abadi, Avraham. ‘The Seal of Saints: A Prophet and an Heir’ JMIAS
11 (1992), 23–37.
Beneito, Pablo. ‘The Time of Deeds and the Time of Spiritual Know
ledge: The past and future of gnosis and sainthood in Ibn
ʿArabi’s Kitab al-Isfar’ JMIAS 50 (2011), 34–44.
Manuscripts*
Clark, Jane. ‘Manuscripts of Ibn ʿArabi’s Works: Some Notes on
the Manuscript Veliyuddin 51’ JMIAS 40 (2006), 101–115: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/mssveliyuddin51.html
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘Manuscripts of Ibn ʿArabi’s Works: Names
and Titles of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 41 (2007), 109–129.
Journey*
Chodkiewicz, Michel. ‘The Endless Voyage’ in The Journey of the
Heart, ed. J. Mercer. Oxford: MIAS, 1996, 71–84: http://www.
ibnarabisociety.org/articles/endlessvoyage.html
Gril, Denis. ‘The Journey through the Circles of Inner Being accord-
ing to Ibn ʿArabi’s Mawaqiʿ al-nujum’ JMIAS 40 (2006), 1–20:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/journeyofbeing.html
Hakim, Souad. ‘The Resources of the Human Spirit: A journey through
the spiritual experience of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 45 (2009), 21–43.
An Endless Tajalli 135
Jassemi, Bahram. ‘The Dimensions of the Mystical Journey’ JMIAS
38 (2005), 91–103: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/
mysticaljourney.html
Morris, James. ‘“He moves you through the land and sea...” Learn-
ing from the earthly journey’ in The Journey of the Heart, ed. J.
Mercer. Oxford: MIAS, 1996, 41–70.
Animals*
Chittick, William. ‘The Wisdom of Animals’ JMIAS 46 (2009), 27–37:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/wisdom-of-animals.html
Khan, Pasha. ‘Nothing But Animals: The Hierarchy of Creatures
in the Ringstones of Wisdom’ JMIAS 43 (2008), 29–50: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/nothing-but-animals.html
Translations
Fusus al-Hikam
Burckhardt, Titus. La Sagesses des Prophètes (Fusus al-Hikam). Paris:
A. Michel, 1955.
Gilis, Charles-André. Le Livre des chatons des sagesses. Beyrouth: Al-
Sources of Influence
Chodkiewicz, Michel. ‘Miʿraj al-kalima: from the Risala Qushayriyya
Comparative Endeavors
Mystical Traditions
Dobie, Robert. Logos & Revelation: Ibn ʿArabi, Meister Eckhart, and
mystical hermeneutics. Washington: Catholic University of
America Press, 2010.
Dupré, Adam. ‘Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi and St. Albertus Magnus of
Cologne’ JMIAS 1 (1982), 12–25.
Frazee, Charles. ‘Ibn al-ʿArabi and Spanish Mysticism of the Six-
teenth Century’ Numen 14 no. 1 (1967): 229.
Kakaie, Ghasem. ‘Interreligious Dialogue: Ibn ʿArabi and Meister
Eckhart’ JMIAS 45 (2009), 45–63: http://www.ibnarabisociety
.org/articles/interreligious-dialogue.html
Pacheco, José Anton-. ‘Ibn ʿArabi and Swedenborg: Proposals for a
Figurative Philosophy’ JMIAS 42 (2007), 59–70.
Smirnov, Andrey. ‘Nicholas of Cusa and Ibn ʿArabi: Two Philoso-
phies of Mysticism’ Philosophy East and West 43 no. 1 (1993):
65–85.
Zargar, Cyrus. Sufi Aesthetics: Beauty, Love and the Human Form in
the Writings of Ibn ʿArabi. South Carolina: University of South
Carolina, 2011.
Sufi Tradition
Benaïssa, Omar. ‘The Unity of the School of Ibn ʿArabi and Rumi’
JMIAS 44 (2008), 53–64.
140 Ali Hussain
Ceyhan, Semih. ‘Al-Qunawi’s influence on the Ottoman Mathnawi
Commentary Tradition: History, intellectual context and the
case of Abdullah al-Bosnawi’ JMIAS 49 (2011), 35–68.
Safi, Omid. ‘Did the Two Oceans Meet?’ JMIAS 26 (1999), 55–88.
Philosophy
Golan, Michael. ‘A Brief Sketch of a Guide for the Bewildered:
Perplexity in the thought of al-Ghazali, Ibn ʿArabi and the
modern philosophy’ JMIAS 48 (2010), 97–120.
Khatami, Mahmoud. ‘Descartes and Ibn ʿArabi on The Illuminative
Path to the Self’ JMIAS 31 (2002), 29–43.
Miscellaneous*
Keller, Carl-A. ‘Praise as a means to mystical advancement, accord-
Posteriority
Sadr al-Din Qunawi
Aladdin, Bakri. ‘The Mystery of Destiny (sirr al-qadar) in Ibn ʿArabi
and al-Qunawi’ JMIAS 49 (2011), 129–146.
Ceyhan, Semih. ‘Al-Qunawi’s Influence on the Ottoman Mathnawi
Commentary Tradition: History, intellectual context and the
case of Abdullah al-Bosnawi’ JMIAS 49 (2011), 35–68.
Chittick, William. ‘Qunawi on the One Wujud’ JMIAS 49 (2011),
111–128.
Clark, Jane. ‘Early Best-sellers in the Akbarian Tradition: The Dis-
semination of Ibn ʿArabi’s Teaching through Sadr al-din
al-Qunawi’ JMIAS 33 (2003), 22–53: www.ibnarabisociety.org/
articlespdf/bestsellers.pdf
—— ‘Towards a Biography of Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi’ JMIAS 49
(2011), 1–34.
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘The Image of Guidance: Sadr al-Din al-
Qunawi as hadith commentator’ JMIAS 49 (2011), 69–82.
Hirtenstein, Stephen, and Hulya Kucuk. ‘Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi’s
al-Nusus: considerations of al-Haqq and tahqiq’ JMIAS 49
(2011), 107–116.
Sahin, Bekir. ‘The Library of Sadruddin al-Qunawi’ JMIAS 49 (2011),
147–154.
An Endless Tajalli 141
Akbari School
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘Malatyan soil, Akbarian fruit: From Ibn
ʿArabi to Niyazi Misri’ JMIAS 51 (2012), 103–132.
Koç, Turan. ‘All-Comprehensiveness According to Daud al-Qaysari,
and its Implications’ JMIAS 27 (2000), 53–62.
Rustom, Mohammed. ‘Dawud al-Qaysari: Notes on his Life, Influ-
ence and Reflections on the Muhammadan Reality’ JMIAS 38
(2005), 51–64.
Islamic Traditions
Addas, Claude. ‘“At the distance of two bows’ length or even
closer”: The figure of the Prophet in the work of ʿAbd al-Karim
Jili (Part One)’ JMIAS 45 (2009), 65–88.
Contemporary Contextualizations
Brown, Vahid. ‘A Counter-History of Islam: Ibn ʿArabi within the
Spiritual Topography of Henry Corbin’ JMIAS 32 (2002), 45–65.
Buchman, D. ‘Structuralism reconsidered: Ibn al-Arabi and cultural
variation in Muslim societies’ Muslim World 94 no. 1 (2004):
131–138.
Coates, Peter. ‘By Way of Essential Meaning’ JMIAS 36 (2004), 1–13.
Kiliç, Mahmud. ‘The Importance of Reviving a Traditional Under-
standing of Islam in the Modern World’ JMIAS 40 (2006),
59–66.