On Ibn 'Arabi and the Genuine Muhammadan Reality
The women at Zulaikha's court cut their fingers when beholding Yusuf,
So shall you tear your only heart into pieces in awe of Muhammad,
In whom Beauty is sealed from within the Within.
Salam Allah,
Here's a quick, humble note on statements often falsely attributed to Syaikh al-Akbar Ibn al-'Arabi (q.s.). May Allah guide us with Pure Prophetic Light (al-'Aql al-Qudsiyyah al-Muhammadiyyah), that of the Seal of Prophets and Chieftain of Existence (s.a.w.s.), and deliver us from error, be it of philosophical or primitive nature, by means of His Clear Standards.
It is commonly known to the genuine, discerning Muslim scholars, specializing in 'Irfan (Ma'rifah) and truly cognizant of the in-depth nature of Islamic Sufism, that there have been lies attributed to the Great Syaikh, in the course of reproducing his works. These lies were originally inserted into the original works of Ibn 'Arabi by Bathini Zindiqs, from among the Isma'ilis, no doubt with the support of foreign (mason) agencies, after their systematic study of Ibn 'Arabi's doctrines, in their attempt to destroy the sinews of Islam from within (by creating division and slander) so that they might replace Allah's Verses and the Prophet's Words (Traditions) with their own neo-Platonic philosophical doctrines, on the ruins of Islam and in their ignorance of the true nature of Ultimate Prophethood.
These villainous mystics were called 'ghalis' by both Twelver (genuine) Shi'ites and Sunnis. They, in their blindness of the unique, self-complete, all-encompassing perfection of Islam, rejected the Noble Syari'ah. Indeed, they laughed at the whole religion of Islam itself, while ascribing divinity and absolute authority to their own adepts (loosely called 'imams'). They were pseudo-Shi'ites, with ultra-strong military tendency (associated with the Assassins), subscribing to the shallowest kind of theosophical extremism; and yes, they still exist today, especially in the Eastern Part of the Islamic World (such as Northern India and Pakistan), often misleading others in the name of Islamic Sufism and Illuminationist Philosophy (al-Hikmah al-Isyraq).
The great falsification of many of Ibn 'Arabi's doctrines took place immediately after the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate by the razing Mongol forces. During the vacuum and impotence of both centralized, protective, secular power and authoritative religious scientists ('ulema, including genuine Sufi Syaikhs), many of these 'ghalis' aligned themselves with the Timurid Rulers and disguised themselves as 'sufis' and 'dervishes' in order to 'rebuild' Sufism (the culture of dervishes, later called 'haydaris' (the libertines), whom the great Mulla Shadra criticized openly), stamping it with their own mystical brand of heresy.
I'll just mention one of the contemptible fabrications they have attributed to Ibn 'Arabi (which, unfortunately, so often appears in modern prints of his books):
"...From one point of view, the Seal of Sainthood (who comes after Muhammad, in a cycle beginning with him) is inferior to Muhammad, for he is subject to the Syari'ah of the Seal of Prophethood; yet, from another point of view, he is indeed superior (to Muhammad) for the incidental sphere of activities of Muhammad was limited and its perfection depends on the activities of the Seal of Sainthood in the due course."
This is an absolute lie and greatly contradicts Ibn 'Arabi's own exposition of al-Haqiqah al-Muhammadiyyah (the Reality of Muhammad) as the Primacy, Completeness, and Sine Qua Non of Existence, without otherness (contingent multiplicity or 'shadow'), on all levels, Essential (Absolute, Eternal) and Expansive (Creational, Temporal), due to the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) being the First Self-Complete, Self-Inclusive, All-Encompassing Manifestation (Tajalli) of Allah's Essence (Dzat Allah) unto Allah Himself, which Allah subsequently displays, by means of creation, in the universes, which act as 'mirrors' for His Absolute Image (Muhammad), along with all the intelligible Names and Attributes emanating from him (s.a.w.s.). Just as Allah is Ahad, Muhammad is Ahmad, in perfect, unbroken, one-to-one correspondence, representing the Singular Station of the Universal, Absolute Seal. In his (Ibn 'Arabi's) own words, which have also been elaborated upon by his greatest genuine expositor, Sayyid 'Abd al-Karim al-Jilli al-Qadiri,
"His (Muhammad's) elemental sign is 'Mim', signifying al-Ahadiyyah al-Jam' (Total, Singular Self-Inclusiveness/Self- Uniqueness), nothing comes out of his Reality and nothing enters it; he gathers and manifests All in All, for he is Allah's Most Perfect Manifestation and Mirror. The Names and Attributes of Allah, as well as the different ranks of (incidental) prophets, emanate only from the Nature of his Sealness."
Also,
"He (Muhammad) is the Leader of all existences. Their atoms are permeated and sealed only with the Elementary Nature of his Primordial Perfection. None can approach his Primacy, either from within or from without, for his Reality is the Only Sign of Allah's Oneness, both for Allah, by His Own Essence and in His Own Essence, and for Creation, by their multiplicity-bearing creationality and in themselves."The women at Zulaikha's court cut their fingers when beholding Yusuf,
So shall you tear your only heart into pieces in awe of Muhammad,
In whom Beauty is sealed from within the Within.
Salam Allah,
Here's a quick, humble note on statements often falsely attributed to Syaikh al-Akbar Ibn al-'Arabi (q.s.). May Allah guide us with Pure Prophetic Light (al-'Aql al-Qudsiyyah al-Muhammadiyyah), that of the Seal of Prophets and Chieftain of Existence (s.a.w.s.), and deliver us from error, be it of philosophical or primitive nature, by means of His Clear Standards.
It is commonly known to the genuine, discerning Muslim scholars, specializing in 'Irfan (Ma'rifah) and truly cognizant of the in-depth nature of Islamic Sufism, that there have been lies attributed to the Great Syaikh, in the course of reproducing his works. These lies were originally inserted into the original works of Ibn 'Arabi by Bathini Zindiqs, from among the Isma'ilis, no doubt with the support of foreign (mason) agencies, after their systematic study of Ibn 'Arabi's doctrines, in their attempt to destroy the sinews of Islam from within (by creating division and slander) so that they might replace Allah's Verses and the Prophet's Words (Traditions) with their own neo-Platonic philosophical doctrines, on the ruins of Islam and in their ignorance of the true nature of Ultimate Prophethood.
These villainous mystics were called 'ghalis' by both Twelver (genuine) Shi'ites and Sunnis. They, in their blindness of the unique, self-complete, all-encompassing perfection of Islam, rejected the Noble Syari'ah. Indeed, they laughed at the whole religion of Islam itself, while ascribing divinity and absolute authority to their own adepts (loosely called 'imams'). They were pseudo-Shi'ites, with ultra-strong military tendency (associated with the Assassins), subscribing to the shallowest kind of theosophical extremism; and yes, they still exist today, especially in the Eastern Part of the Islamic World (such as Northern India and Pakistan), often misleading others in the name of Islamic Sufism and Illuminationist Philosophy (al-Hikmah al-Isyraq).
The great falsification of many of Ibn 'Arabi's doctrines took place immediately after the destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate by the razing Mongol forces. During the vacuum and impotence of both centralized, protective, secular power and authoritative religious scientists ('ulema, including genuine Sufi Syaikhs), many of these 'ghalis' aligned themselves with the Timurid Rulers and disguised themselves as 'sufis' and 'dervishes' in order to 'rebuild' Sufism (the culture of dervishes, later called 'haydaris' (the libertines), whom the great Mulla Shadra criticized openly), stamping it with their own mystical brand of heresy.
I'll just mention one of the contemptible fabrications they have attributed to Ibn 'Arabi (which, unfortunately, so often appears in modern prints of his books):
"...From one point of view, the Seal of Sainthood (who comes after Muhammad, in a cycle beginning with him) is inferior to Muhammad, for he is subject to the Syari'ah of the Seal of Prophethood; yet, from another point of view, he is indeed superior (to Muhammad) for the incidental sphere of activities of Muhammad was limited and its perfection depends on the activities of the Seal of Sainthood in the due course."
This is an absolute lie and greatly contradicts Ibn 'Arabi's own exposition of al-Haqiqah al-Muhammadiyyah (the Reality of Muhammad) as the Primacy, Completeness, and Sine Qua Non of Existence, without otherness (contingent multiplicity or 'shadow'), on all levels, Essential (Absolute, Eternal) and Expansive (Creational, Temporal), due to the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) being the First Self-Complete, Self-Inclusive, All-Encompassing Manifestation (Tajalli) of Allah's Essence (Dzat Allah) unto Allah Himself, which Allah subsequently displays, by means of creation, in the universes, which act as 'mirrors' for His Absolute Image (Muhammad), along with all the intelligible Names and Attributes emanating from him (s.a.w.s.). Just as Allah is Ahad, Muhammad is Ahmad, in perfect, unbroken, one-to-one correspondence, representing the Singular Station of the Universal, Absolute Seal. In his (Ibn 'Arabi's) own words, which have also been elaborated upon by his greatest genuine expositor, Sayyid 'Abd al-Karim al-Jilli al-Qadiri,
"His (Muhammad's) elemental sign is 'Mim', signifying al-Ahadiyyah al-Jam' (Total, Singular Self-Inclusiveness/Self- Uniqueness), nothing comes out of his Reality and nothing enters it; he gathers and manifests All in All, for he is Allah's Most Perfect Manifestation and Mirror. The Names and Attributes of Allah, as well as the different ranks of (incidental) prophets, emanate only from the Nature of his Sealness."
Also,
This Muhammadan Perfection is indeed beyond temporality (spatial process), expansiveness, particularity, and directionality as the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) himself has said, "My Station is neither in the East (of something) nor in the West (of something)," and, "With me are All Names." Also, "We are the First, We are the Middle (Continuity), and We are the Last."
Indeed, Syaikh Ibn 'Arabi has repeatedly stated that the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) himself, and only he (s.a.w.s.), is both the Absolute Prophet (an-Nabi al-Muthlaq) and the Absolute Saint (al-Wali al-Muthlaq), the Archetypal Perfect Man (al-Insan al-Kamil) for whose sake the worlds came to be by the sublime act of creation and manifestation, which is a most sanctified recognition in the circle of genuine, intellectual Sufis who truly understand Ibn 'Arabi's theosophical system as it should be understood. He is the Absolute Image ((Ha) Mim) of Allah, and the Total Mirror (Dal) displaying that Image as well, i.e., the Reality of the Cosmos itself in its fundamental atomic and expansive exterior forms. For this reason, as we have presented elsewhere, the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) is as-Sayyid al-Wujud (Ya Sin) with respect to the totality of existences, as-Sabab al-Maujud in his capacity as the Isthmus (Barzakh) connecting the Hidden Essence and Manifest Causality (Creationality, Contingency of Multiplicity), and al-Huwiyyah al-'Alam at the heart of his splendid rank as the Universal Soul.
This way, Allah has essentially performed creation by the Order 'Kun', which is the Sign of Muhammadan Perfection, where the letter 'Kaf' stands for al-Kaf (Bahr) al-Qudrat (the Ocean of Power of the Muhammadan Reality) and where the letter 'Nun' stands for Nur Muhammad (the Muhammadan Light). Furthermore, the statement 'Kun faya kun' refers to the manifestation of Adam as a first-rank Image of Oneness (Singularity) of the Muhammadan Reality, so that he (Adam) may know Allah through his own Reality (within himself), thereby becoming the Locus of Tauhid (Existential-Essential Unity) itself. Adam's archetypal signature, Alif Dal Mim, reflects the fact that he, by his being fashioned of Muhammadan Reality, is the archetypal and manifest Entirety of the Universe itself, the Mirror-Expanse of Being (Dal) where Allah (Alif) beholds His Absolute Image, Muhammad (Mim), and vice versa.
By this genuine recognition, as strongly emphasized by traditional Poles (Aqthab) such as Hadhrat 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jailani (q.s.), Hadhrat Ahmad ar-Rifa'i, Hadhrat Abu-l Hassan asy-Syadzili, Hadhrat 'Umar as-Suhrawardi, Hadhrat Bayazid al-Busthami, Hadhrat Baha' ad-Din an-Naqsybandi, and Hadhrat Muhammad 'Abd al-Karim as-Saman al-Khalwati (as well as Imam al-Ghazali himself), it is absolutely false, in general, to raise the rank of Saints above that of Prophets: Sainthood remains general while Prophethood is a special, convergent (all-encompassing) intellectual rank within the vastness of that generality. Muhammadan Prophethood (Absolute Prophethood) is the Highest Noetic (Intellectual) Capacity/Presence, often likened to the Highest Established Mountain (Thur) in Witnessing (Musyahadah), representing Prophetic Intellectual Uniqueness with respect to Witnessing Allah's Essence, while Muhammadan Sainthood (Absolute Sainthood) is the Sea (Expanse) of Intimacy without a shore, signifying the Generality of Friendship-Intimacy with al-Haqq Ta'ala.
All the great historical Prophets (al-Hadhrah al-Anbiyya) have received their ranks directly from the Highest, All-Encompassing Muhammadan Presence (al-Hadhrah al-Ahmadiyyah al-Muhammadiyyah) without an intermediary, which is their actual uniqueness and superiority (over general Saints), while only a special kind of Saint (in whose person the Great Muhammadan Sealness (Khatmiyyah) appears) can reach their general rank, receiving the overflows (fuyudh) of Nur Muhammad (Muhammadan Reality-Light) directly from the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) without an intermediary.
In general, Saints are subject to a long, directive hierarchy of mediation (through a chain of Saints), instead of receiving Direct Endowment of the Muhammadan Reality. The most unique Saint is known as the Seal of Muhammadan Sainthood of the age. So long as the Appearance of Sealness takes place in such a person, Ibn 'Arabi himself once rightly claimed that he was indeed one; yet he realized that the Fullest Appearance was not for him; ultimately, it is the sole right of al-Qa'im al-Mahdi.
Also, there are two kinds of Muhammadan Sainthood with respect to expansiveness: Special-Legislative and General. The Seal of Special-Legislative Sainthood (al-Walayah al-Muhammadiyyah al-Khasha) is Imam al-Mahdi (a.s.), while the Seal of General Sainthood (al-Walayah al-Muhammadiyyah al-'Ammah) is the Prophet 'Isa (a.s.) who shall indeed descend again as a Muhammadan Saint, representing both the Syari'ah and the Haqiqah of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), lending his full support unto Imam al-Mahdi.
The story is much longer when it comes to the full elaboration of the types of Prophethood and Sainthood encompassed by the Muhammadan Reality; yet may this be enough for now to end all controversies regarding Syaikh al-Akbar.
It must also be noted though that, not withstanding the great intellectual capacity of Ibn 'Arabi, he was not 'ma'shum' (without fault) in his numerous secondary expositions (about the branches of his primary doctrine, al-Wahdah al-Wujud); at one point, he was simply too immersed in the expansive patterns, rather than the absolute depth, of the multiplicity of the reality of Sainthood, and once he did make an erroneous, unnecessary deduction concerning the superiority of Sainthood over Messengership (Risalah) in the Person of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.), who is the Ultimate Prophet, Messenger, and Saint at once. The truth is, only the Absolute Prophet, who is also the Absolute Saint at once, can bear the Manifest Rank of Final, Authoritative Messengership (which, from the point of view of the Syari'ah, is the locus of descent of the Qur'an), irrespective of the Risalah being described as an outward or inward task (in fact, it concerns both outward laws and inner mysteries). Comparing the apparent ranks here inherent in the Singular Person of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) appears to be misleading; it is like a superfluous oxymoronic statement, "The (Ideal) Ruler is inferior to the Best of Men." Rather, it is intuitively clear that (Ideal) Kingship is naturally reserved for the Best of Men alone.
Sometimes, it just takes a higher, or at least an equal, intellect (as long as it is also supported by a most unique, singular emanation/concentration of the Divine Essence) than that of Ibn 'Arabi to be able to genuinely assess him, apart from simply being mesmerized by his genius. For, although he was a great genius, almost beyond comparison for many, many centuries, we, Muslims, should expect a greater genius ('Arif) to supersede him, explaining the science of Haqiqah (Reality) perhaps with fresh emphasis and from hidden angles. Soon, insya Allah.
I shall close this note by quoting Ibn 'Arabi's words regarding Sufism and himself:
"The Most Perfect Saint is he who sees no other station in front of him, other than the Station of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.). In his capacity (as Watad, 'Pillar'), he does not even see the station of the Pole (Quthb)."
"My system of knowledge is entirely based on Kasyf (Unveiling), not as many (philosophers and jurists) imagine, for there is no rational direction in which this Station can be approached, nor can it be achieved merely by means of striving towards excellency. Rather, this is the reward of my fully following the Sunnah of the Prophet and a great bounty from Allah Himself; in fact, I have received the entirety of gnosis, including the Pillars and Explanations, directly from the Prophet (s.a.w.s.) himself, both in wakefulness and in sleep, as an 'Arif has said, 'By Allah, if the Messenger of Allah was veiled from me even for just a second, I would not consider myself as being among you (Muslims).'"
Mahabbah,
Dani
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