The Mystical Symbolism of Ibn al-‘Arabī
The works and ideas of the celebrated Andalusian Sufi-thinker Muhyiddīn Ibn al-‘Arabī (1165–1240) have left a profound and inerasable imprint on Islamic intellectuality. From the beginning, his lovers and followers have endeavored to understand, explain as well as disseminate his ideas, whereas his detractors have tried to refute and “de-Islamize” his views; whereas his proponents called him “the Greatest Master” or “Doctor Maximus”, his opponents labeled him as “the Greatest Nonbeliever.” This huge discrepancy as to the perception of the Sheikh’s personality and the understanding and explanation of his ideas on the part of his lovers and detractors goes largely back to the way the Sheikh expressed his doctrine, i.e., to his writing strategy. The purpose of this study is to show the strong relationship between the views and language of Muhyiddīn Ibn al-‘Arabī. Keywords Wahdat al-Wujūd (Unity of Existence), mirror symbolism, letter symbolism, light symbolism.
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