Metaphysics is the quest for the essential questions about human's existence. There have been many metaphysical models concerning the reason, goal, and end of human's existence. However, in Modern times Islamic civilization faced an intellectual ineffectiveness and a lack of an efficient and contemporary metaphysical model. Frithjof Schuon is a 20th-century Muslim Sufi metaphysician and the comparison of his metaphysical thoughts to that of Ibn Arabi's, who is the founding father of Sufi metaphysics, is the subject of this thesis. The objective of the thesis is to understand both thinkers better by comparing their metaphysical thoughts. Is Schuon, who refers to Ibn Arabi most among Muslim thinkers, an "Akbarî" thinker? While some Traditionalist thinkers who follow Schuon tend to reflect Ibn Arabi as a "perennialist", are metaphysical thoughts of Schuon and Ibn Arabi really correspond to each other? To answer these questions, "lens comparison" is used as a method in which Schuon was put in the center and was observed through the lens of Ibn Arabi. The two thinkers' evaluation of various metaphysical perspectives, understandings of onto-theology and gnosiology were observed. As a result, it is found that their metaphysical thoughts correspond to each other. Besides, depending on Schuon's criticisms of Ibn Arabi it is determined that Schuon is not an Akbarî thinker and he doesn't see Ibn Arabi as a real esoterist. Moreover, Schuon declares himself a Platonist, so the roots of Neoplatonist elements in his thought are worth to observe in order to determine to what extent he is a Neoplatonist.

Keywords

Ibn Arabi, Frithjof Schuon, Metaphysics, Sufism,
Philosophy, Ontology, Gnosiology/Gnoseology, Theology.