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they say, “Being in accord is best.” had been current among Sufis. According to this Muhyiddin
This force effects the change, story, a certain fatâ neglected setting a table for Ibn ‘Arabi Society
and the torment disappears. guests who had arrived at his master’s because, as
The punishment is lifted from their very core, he later explained, there were ants on the table
and they find rest, and he chose to wait until the ants crawled away.
in their home. Ibn ‘Arabi’s comments on this story are, as always,
They find there a pleasure only known by Allah, enlightening and challenging.
because they chose what Allah chose for them, Here’s what he says:
and they know by that, that their punishment “A fatâ is at all times in the service [of the
was only from themselves, other], as the Prophet said: ‘The servant of a people
so they say, “hamd to Allah” (Praise be to God) is its leader.’ He whose service is his leadership is a
for every state. true and faithful servant [of God]… The fityân pre-
And that has the end-result for them fer to implement their futuwwa towards the weak-
that they say, “al-hamdulillah, who is est ones according to their weakness in relation to
Giving, Kind.” God. The most superior futuwwa is therefore that
Futûhât 4:144 which is exercised towards the ones who are the
weakest from one aspect or another. This is like the
When the upper wants to meet the lower case of the man whose Sheikh ordered him to set
When the upper wants to meet the lower, a table for his guests, but because of ants that were
because the lower has no leg up on the upper, on the table the man dithered, for he considered
but the upper has encompassment of the lower, that chasing the ants away went against the prin-
then inevitably the upper goes to meet the lower, ciples of futuwwa, as futuwwa should be exercised
and this is only possible if the upper descends to also towards animals. He therefore waited until
the lower. the ants crawled away but did nothing by way of
[God comes down to our level, asking] chasing them away by force, for the fityân never
Is there one turning to me? act forcefully except towards their own selves…”
Is there one entreating me? However [Ibn ‘Arabi adds], by dithering in setting
Is there one asking forgiveness? the table for the guests, this man did not exercise
Futûhât 6:168 futuwwa towards the guests.
What does Ibn ‘Arabi mean by inserting this
addendum? He surely wants us to become aware
Futuwwa of the dialectics of futuwwa. Being attentive and
caring towards the little creatures which were
by Sara Sviri crawling on the table is undoubtedly a praise-
worthy chivalrous act. However, by acting in this
Sara Sviri’s talk at the Symposium was entitled way, the fatâ had chosen to neglect the needs of
“From the One to the One another: Mystical ethics the guests and the requirements of hospitality.
in Ibn ‘Arabi and in the Sufi tradition.” She began In other words, Ibn ‘Arabi alerts us to the fact
by recalling one of the remarkable features of Suf- that ethical choices are never simple solutions to
ism, sometimes called futuwwa. After the Sympo- situations in which an “other” should be consid-
sium, she gave us this short reflection on the term. ered; they always demand a fine evaluation and
discrimination (tadqîq) between several “others”.
Futuwwa, or chivalry, is an ancient system of In the end, regardless of how fine a discrimination
values which the Sufi tradition adopted, nurtured one employs, exercising futuwwa towards one is
and preserved. It revolves around the notion of always at the expense of another. To consider the
îthâr, altruism, giving precedence to the other. For “other” demands being aware of different “others”
someone to be nicknamed fatâ (pl. fityân) – youth, who inhabit the larger picture. Ibn ‘Arabi instigates
chivalrous youth – they have to live by the follow- here an interesting debate, relevant, no doubt, to
ing principle: the “other” always precedes oneself; our day-and-age, in which the “other” is part of an
the needs of the other, whatever they may be, take ongoing culture of ethical discourse.
precedence over the needs of the self. Obviously,
this goes against the grain of an innate intuition
which perceives the self as being closest to the skin.
Is there really a moral and ethical justifica-
tion in giving precedence to the other in situations Eric Winkel’s
where this may mean sacrificing the self, or where translations were
this may mean averting from another value system discussed in small
by which the self abides? Apparently, this is pre- groups at the
cisely what it means. Thus, îthâr is a value which symposium, after
sets an almost unattainable ethical standard. which individuals
Ch. 42 of al-Futûhât al-makkiyya is titled “On from each group
the knowledge of futuwwa and the fityan, their reported key
ranks and classes and the secrets of their poles.” points of the
In this chapter Ibn ‘Arabi alludes to a story which discussion.
Muhyiddin
Ibn ‘Arabi Society Ibn ‘Arabî - Time and cosmology
Mohamed Haj Yousef
Time is a fundamental issue in physics and The Day of Eternity
cosmology, and a perennial problem in philosophy In fact, rather than the day or any other
and theology. time unit, Ibn ‘Arabî considers the main primitive
Ibn ‘Arabî had a unique and comprehensive time cycle to be the cosmic, divine Week. Like our
view of Time, and nothing like it was ever devel- normal week, this is composed of seven Days, but
oped by any other philosopher or scientist, before each Day is actually a moment in our time-frame
or after Ibn ‘Arabî. His writings on time are of great since at every moment in any specific point in
interest today. It can be fairly said that Ibn ‘Arabî’s space there is a full Day around the globe. Thus he
view of time and the cosmos is a fruitful concept explains how the world is created in seven (cosmic,
that potentially bridges the gap between tradition- divine) “Days”, what happens on each Day, and
al theological and metaphysical views of the world the underlying ontological relation between the
and the contemporary scientific views that are Week’s Days of creation and the seven fundamental
based on experimental procedures and logic. divine Names of Allah. Ibn ‘Arabî also shows that
Even among modern studies of Ibn ‘Arabî’s all the Days of this cosmic Week, including the last
works, his unique view of time in its cosmological Day (Saturday), all actually occur in Saturday, the
dimensions has received little attention, although “Day of eternity”.
his conception of time is indeed central to under- This complex understanding of the ever-re-
standing, for example, what is called his theory of newed divine creation in fact underlies his concep-
the oneness of being. tion of the genuine unification of space and time,
One reason for this relative neglect may be where the world is created “in six Days” (from
the difficult symbolic language he usually used, Sunday to Friday) as space, and then is displayed
and the fact that he didn’t discuss this subject at or manifested on Saturday in the process that we
length in any one place in his extant works – not perceive as time.
even in the four chapters of his magnum opus, However, we perceive this process – of crea-
the Futûhât al-Makkiyya, whose titles relate directly tion in six Days and the subsequent appearance of
to time. His overall cosmological understanding the world on the seventh Day – we perceive all this
of time has to be pieced together from scattered only as one single moment of our normal time.
treatments in many works and different contexts In fact, based on Qur’anic indications and the
within the Futûhât. corresponding experiential confirmations of the
mystical “knowers” (‘urafâ’), Ibn ‘Arabî insists that
Known by imagination the entire created world ceases to exist immediately
To start with, Ibn ‘Arabî considers time to be and intrinsically right after its creation, and that
a product of our human imagination, without any then it is re-created again and again. For him, this
real, separately existing entity. Nevertheless, he still process of divine re-creation happens gradually (in
considers it to be one of the four main constituents series), not at once: i.e., it always takes six divine
of existence, the four “mothers of existence”. “Days” to be prepared and the last Day to manifest.
We need this imagined conception of time However, we – the creatures – do not witness this
to chronologically arrange events, and what for us re-creation in six Days, since we only witness the
are the practically defining motions of the celestial created world in the seventh Day (Saturday, which
orbs and other physical objects. But for Ibn ‘Arabî, he calls “the Day of eternity”). So the creation of
real existence is attributable only to the actually the world in six Days actually happens every mo-
existing thing that moves, not to motion, nor to ment, perpetually and recurrently. Therefore, those
time (nor space) in which this motion is observed. first six divine Days are actually the creative origin
Thus Ibn ‘Arabî distinguishes between two of space and not time. Time is only the seventh
kinds of time: natural and para-natural, physi- Day. This novel conception, the “Week” as the
cal time and spiritual time. He explains that they basic unit of space-time, is one which could have a
originate from the two forces of the soul: the active specific and quite essential meaning in physics and
force and the intellective force, respectively. Then cosmology.
he explains how this imaginary time is cyclical,
circular, relative, discrete and inhomogeneous. The Day of Creation
Ibn ‘Arabî also gives a precise definition of Even more important in Ibn ‘Arabî’s concep-
terms such as the “day”, drawing on the specific tion of time, however, is his understanding of the
usage of the Qur’an and earlier Arab conceptions “Day” of creation as a minimum indivisible Day,
of time. Ibn ‘Arabî shows how the definitions of a kind of instant of time (al-zaman al-fard) that
words such as “day” are related to the relative also includes (since it includes all of creation) the
motions of the celestial orbs (including the earth), instants of that normal day itself which we live
where every orb has its own “day”, and how those in and divide into hours, minutes, seconds and
days are normally measured by our normal observ- so on. In order to explain this initially paradoxi-
able day that we count on the earth. cal notion, Ibn ‘Arabî introduces – again based
on initially mysterious Qur’anic indications – the of Ibn ‘Arabî’s unique concept of time include the Muhyiddin
different nature and roles of three very different ways it helps to resolve the famous EPR (Einstein- Ibn ‘Arabi Society
kinds of compounded days (the “circulated” days, Podolsky-Rosen) paradox, thus potentially reconcil-
the “taken-out” days and the “intertwined” days), ing the two great theories of Quantum Mechanics
which highlight the fact that the actual flow of and Relativity in modern physics, how it offers a
time is not as uniform and smooth as we feel and new understanding of the historical Zeno’s para-
imagine. doxes, and how it potentially explains the reason
The key concept underlying these complex behind quantization, how quantities are either
developments is that Ibn ‘Arabî emphasizes, fol- discrete or continuous. But the discussion of issues
lowing the Qur’an, that only one creative “event” such as these is too complex to go into here.
should be happening on every Day (of the actual
cosmic, divine Days of creation), and not the many
different (temporal and spatial) events that we Ibn ‘Arabî – Time and Cosmology by Mohamed Haj
observe. To reconcile this apparent contradiction Yousef, Routledge, Abingdon, 2008. ISBN 978-0-
between the unitary Act (and “instant”) of Crea- 415-44499-6 (hardback).
tion and the apparent phenomena of spatial and
temporal multiplicity, he reconstructs the normal, Ibn ‘Arabî - Time and Cosmology is the first
observable days that we actually perceive in a comprehensive attempt to set forth all the relevant
special manner that is complexly grounded in the dimensions of time in Ibn ‘Arabi’s wider cosmology
different divine “Days” of the actual flow of time. and cosmogony.
James Morris says in his introduction to this
Link between science and mysticism work: “this book begins with a helpful survey of
Philosophers and scientists in general try to the standard theories of cosmology and time found
understand the world through observations, experi- in earlier Hellenistic thinkers, which were largely
ment and logical deduction. As far as the cosmos is taken over into the succeeding traditions of Islamic
concerned, working “backwards”, they try to find philosophy and science. However, the most crea-
out its initial state by extrapolating in various ways tive and unfamiliar aspects of Ibn ‘Arabi’s cosmo-
from current observations. Although Ibn ‘Arabî logical ideas – especially his distinctive conception
considers the intellect unbounded or unlimited of the ever-renewed, ongoing and instantaneous
as a receptive tool, it is quite limited as a ratiocina- nature of the cosmic process of creation (tajdîd
tive think tool because it relies on limited senses. al-khalq) – are carefully woven together from what
Therefore the intellect alone – as a thinking tool have always been profoundly mysterious, problem-
– cannot describe the origin of the world because it atic, and complexly interwoven symbolic formula-
is necessarily a part of it. That is why the Sufis rely tions in the Qur’an. Thus the main focus and novel
on the “heart” (the locus of spiritual “tasting” and scholarly contribution of the central chapters of Detail of an as-
inspiration, in the language of the Qur’an) rather this volume lie in the author’s careful unfolding trolabe made in
than the discursive intellect. and clarification of the intended meanings and al-Andalus during
The principle of perpetual re-creation is references of this dense Qur’anic cosmological sym- Ibn ‘Arabi’s life-
intimately related to what has been called Ibn bolism of time and creation, as that multi-dimen- time. Astrolabes
‘Arabî’s theory of the “oneness of being”. Although sional world-view is systematically expounded in were used in
he never employed the famous term directly, it is elaborate accounts scattered throughout several of areas such as
quite evident that this characteristic understand- Ibn ‘Arabi’s major works. Every reader who engages astronomy, as-
ing of the oneness of being dominates Ibn ‘Arabî’s with this demanding discussion will come away, at trology, naviga-
many writings. His focus in applying the oneness the very least, with a heightened appreciation of tion, surveying,
of being is on understanding the cosmos and how the symbolic richness and challenging intellectual determining
it works. Or rather, he declared that his aims were dilemmas posed by this unduly neglected – yet ar- prayer times and
not to explain the world, but rather to acquire guably quite central and unavoidable – dimension the direction of
more knowledge of the world as a structure created of the Qur’an and its metaphysical teachings.” the Qibla.
according to the Image of Allah, so that he might
acquire more knowledge of Allah Himself.
All the same, however, throughout the
Futûhât and other shorter books Ibn ‘Arabî gives a
great many cosmological explanations and some-
times logical analyses of his metaphysical visions.
This is why it is important to study Ibn ‘Arabî’s
writings, since they may provide a real link be-
tween philosophy and science, on the one hand,
and mysticism and theology.
This comprehensive cosmological vision,
when added to his understanding of the actual flow
of time based on the three kinds of days, can be
used to build a new, unique, model of the cosmos.
In addition to explaining the “oneness of being”
and “creation in six Days”, other important results
Muhyiddin Recent publications plary work. Its great importance for Akbarian stud-
Ibn ‘Arabi Society ies is its discussion of the way in which Ibn ‘Arabi’s
Fütûhât-i Mekkiyye, by Ibn ‘Arabi, translated teachings have been received and transformed in
into Turkish by Ekrem Demirli, published by Litera the modern world.”
Yayıncılık, Istanbul, 2006-2008. The translation of Love in Sufism – From Rabia to Ibn al-Farid,
the Futûhât into Turkish by Ekrem Demirli has now by Süleyman Derin, Insan Publications, Istanbul,
reached its eighth volume. These are substantial 2008. “Although the Sufis are well known to refer
works, more than 400 pages each. With Volume to love in their writings, there has been little mate-
Eight the translation has reached the end of Juz’ rial that Western students and scholars could draw
119, that is to say, more than half-way through the on to get a perspective on this.” This book gives an
second of four volumes in the Beirut edition. In account of five Sufis, all of whom wrote in Arabic,
2006 Ekrem Demirli was winner of the Association and their conception of divine love. These are Ra-
of Turkish Writers 2006 Best Translation of the Year bia, Hallaj, al-Ghazali, Ibn ‘Arabi and Ibn Farid.
Award. In a press interview in 2007 he said, ”Know- Angels do not dream, by Rachel Gordin. In He-
ledge must be accessible. The primary aim of my brew, published 2007. “The challenges of the 21st
works is to overcome the hurdle of Arabic... The century require unity. Global warming, pollution
translation of these books will replace the ground- of air and water resources, plagues that don’t recog-
less prejudices with sound opinions.” nize borders, and exterminations of whole species
Tasavvuf, No. 21, ed. Halil Ibrahim Simsek, of animals, are not problems of ‘us’ and ‘them’ but
Vahit Göktas, Ankara, 2008. This edition of the of humanity as a whole. According to the sheikh,
journal Tasavvuf is devoted to Ibn ‘Arabi. It con- unity is the most profound certainty, to which
tains about 30 articles in Turkish by Turkish schol- are directed all the longings of humanity. Going
ars. The articles are also available in pdf format beyond the peel of ‘Arab’, ‘Israeli’, ‘Moslem’, ‘Jew’,
on the journal’s website, along with an abstract in ‘Christian’, ‘rich’, ‘poor’, ‘religious’ or ‘secular’, will
English. www.tasavvufdergisi.net/?bolum=dergi expose an unknown entity which has no colour,
Rasa’il Ibn ‘Arabi, Vol. 1, translated into Urdu gender or religion. “ Rachel Gordin was formerly
by Abrar Ahmed, Dar-ut-Tazkeer, 2008. It comprises film-critic of the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz. For
12 short works by Ibn ‘Arabi, including the Kitab more information, see www.rachelgordin.com.
al-Ahadiyya, the Hilyat al-Abdal, and the Istilahat
al-Sufiyya.
Symbolisme et Herméneutique dans la Pensée Work in progress
de Ibn ‘Arabî, Actes du Colloque, ed. Bakri Aladdin,
IFPO, Damascus, 2007. Proceedings of the Collo- USA. Angela Hobright describes her doctoral
quium held in Damascus, June, 2005. study at the University of Wisconsin, “The Con-
Beshara and Ibn ‘Arabi – A Movement of Sufi cept of Veils and Veiling in the Poetry and work
Spirituality in the Modern World, by Suha Taji-Fa- of Ibn ‘Arabi”: As I study Ibn ‘Arabi I am drawn to
Detail of an rouki, Anqa Publishing, Oxford, 2007. The first his hunger to push back the veils that surrounded
image from detailed analysis of the adoption and adaptation of him and the directness of his unveiling. I am, as
Iluminaciones, Ibn ‘Arabi’s heritage by non-Muslims in the West, many are, seeking a connection to the Real and to
an exhibition of Beshara and Ibn ‘Arabi is a study of Beshara and the know that there is no separation from Him but the
works by Rosa Beshara School, which emerged in the Britain of veil of ourselves draws me to know more and seek
Mascarell, inspired the 1970s. The book depicts an interface between He who is not He. While some may find Ibn ‘Arabi
by Ibn ‘Arabi and Sufism and the New Age, which it locates in the confusing, I feel it is just the opposite because “He
dedicated to María broader encounter between Islam and the West. placed no veil over me except myself.” And, “If
Zambrano, Vélez- Victoria Rowe-Holbrook says, “This important book not for this curtain, you would not seek increase
Málaga, 2008. opens out to provide a much-needed critique of in knowledge of Him”.* So, I posit that this small
Egg tempera and the sociology of Islam in the age of globalization.” work Kitab al-Hujub is a key to understanding the
gold on a wooden Michel Chodkiewicz says, “Empathetic in approach concept of the Curtain/Veil in Chapters 254 and
panel. and immensely well-documented, this is an exem- 527 of the Futûhât al-Makiyyah as well as “He Who
Knows Himself Knows His Lord.” (* The Self-Disclo-
sure of God by William Chittick pp. 104-112.)
Websites in Arabic, Turkish and Urdu
continued from p. 8
Calendar Muhyiddin
Ibn ‘Arabi Society
Turkish drawn from press reports, interviews, blogs San Francisco Bay Area – October 2008
and essays from other websites. Other sections deal October 10: Corey Merriman-Morris and James
with books in this field in print in Turkish, and a Morris, Discovering the Transpersonal: Exploring Ibn Further information
number of electronic texts of works in Turkish. The Arabi’s Method of “Realization” in Practice. A talk on all these events
site has provision for a discussion forum, but this at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Palo will be posted on
does not seem to be active yet. Alto. www.itp.edu the Symposium
The site is to all intents and purposes anony- October 11: James Morris, “Instruments of Divine and Events page
mous, that is, there is no obvious statement of Mercy”: Between the Path and the Real in Ibn ‘Arabi’s of the Society
who is responsible for it, and only in one place is Meccan Illuminations. Ibn ‘Arabi Society seminar. website:
contact information given. It is visited by between ibnarabisociety.org
50 and 100 people each day. New York – October-November 2008
Perhaps it should be seen in the context of October 31: Stephen Hirtenstein, “A garden amidst
the strong series of websites in Turkey relating to the flames”: a paradigm shift towards spiritual integra-
Sufism (e.g. www.tasavvufdergisi.net) and particu- tion and the heart. A talk at New York Open Center.
lar tariqas. November 2: Stephen Hirtenstein, “The mantle of
Khidr”: mystery, myth and meaning of the Green Man.
A half-day workshop at the New York Open Center.
www.opencenter.org
Muhyiddin Websites in Arabic, are generally anonymous, and feel free to express
Ibn ‘Arabi Society opinions forcefully. Some more experienced mem-
Turkish and Urdu bers act as moderators for the forums, which means
they can caution people who do not abide by the
There are now substantial websites to do ground rules of the forum, and can eliminate the
with Ibn ‘Arabi in Arabic, Turkish and Urdu. These kind of abusive messages that this very open ap-
were established in 2007. proach makes possible.
Each has its own character. These publica- There are nine forums, or subject areas, which
tions are significant by virtue of their ability to cover matters such as the Qur’an and Hadith, Suf-
reach a large number of people. ism and tariqas, Sufi masters in history and the
present day, Art and poetry, and Inshad. Only one
of them is to do with Ibn ‘Arabi directly. Not all
the forums attract an equal amount of interest, and
the one concerning Ibn ‘Arabi is one of the three
which are visited most.
The Arabic website (www.ibnalarabi.com) The site has an English-language section, but
introduces itself in these terms: this is limited at present to the forums and some
“This site is dedicated to introducing the biographical information.
Greatest Master Muhyiddin Ibn al-‘Arabi and The website is the work of Mohamed Haj
encouraging studies and research related to him. It Yousef, based in the United Arab Emirates. He says,
provides books and literature, including his own “The idea for the site started when I was in Oxford
and other related books, in addition to discussion a few years ago. I suggested translating the MIAS
forums and articles in Arabic and English. We site into Arabic, but I found that translation was
hope that you will benefit from this site and con- difficult and not all that useful while there were
tribute to the discussion forums and articles know- better alternatives, since many sources are in Ara-
ing that we accept all views, whether supporting bic. I have found that there is great interest in and
or criticizing, provided that they understanding of the subject, even from people in
don’t jeopardize general Islamic countries usually considered to be anti-Sufi.”
morals and rules of dialogue.“ “The statistics of the site show that it has
It is currently composed of been visited over two million times in the past
four main sections, the first of year, though not everybody is coming to read
which is a biography of Ibn al- about Ibn ‘Arabi. The wide Islamic online library
‘Arabi, drawing on a book (Shams al- has contributed a lot to listing this site at the top
Maghrib) written by Mohamed Haj of many major search engines when searching
Yousef. The second is a collection of (particularly in Arabic) for any keywords related to
Arabic texts, mainly of works by Ibn Ibn ‘Arabi, Sufism, or other Islamic philosophical
‘Arabi. A third section is a bibliog- terms.”
raphy, a searchable catalogue, of
The result of a over 1,500 works on various Islamic subjects. The
search in Google fourth section is a discussion forum. A fifth section
for Ibn ‘Arabi is planned, but not yet in effect, which is entitled
“Papers and Studies”.
The collection of texts contains more than
20 works of Ibn al-‘Arabi including the Futûhât –
both as a searchable text and as images of the Cai-
ro edition. The searchable text version conforms The Turkish website (ibnularabi.com) draws
to the pagination of the standard Cairo edition, so together relevant material from a wide range of
one can use this search directly to find references Turkish sources, from academic papers to newspa-
without needing to going back to the book. This per reports.
may be the only online text of the Futûhât that The Home page carries a lively collection of
has this feature, so useful for researchers. There are news items, and reflects just how much is going on
yet more books by Ibn ‘Arabi and others, uploaded in Turkey at this time.
or linked-to by members in the forums, but these The site has a substantial section on the life
are mostly photocopies of published books. of Ibn ‘Arabi, and another on his works, a descrip-
The most active section of the site is the tion of 22 titles, treating the Futûhât and the Fusûs
discussion forum. This has over one thousand at length. These are followed by a page devoted to
registered members, who come to ask questions Sadraddin Qunawi (Sadreddin Konevî), something
or contribute to the discussion. The way a forum unique to this site.
works is that one member asks a question, or puts The Academic section has links to 15 articles
forward a statement, and other members, any and papers by Turkish scholars, and has a list of
member, answers the question, or responds. These the theses on Ibn ‘Arabi and Sadraddin Qunawi
answers can provoke comments themselves, and submitted at Turkish universities between 1989 and
discussion can get very lively, since participants 2006. Another page makes available 22 articles in
Continued on p. 7