Ibn al-'Arabī and Islamic Intellectual Culture

Ibn al-'Arabī and Islamic Intellectual Culture
Author: Caner K Dagli
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2016-02-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317673913

Ibn al-'Arabī (d. 1240) was one of the towering figures of Islamic intellectual history, and among Sufis still bears the title of al-shaykh al-akbar, or "the greatest master." Ibn al-'Arabī and Islamic Intellectual Culture traces the history of the concept of "oneness of being" (wahdat al-wujūd) in the school of Ibn al- 'Arabī, in order to explore the relationship between mysticism and philosophy in Islamic intellectual life. It examines how the conceptual language used by early mystical writers became increasingly engaged over time with the broader Islamic intellectual culture, eventually becoming integrated with the latter’s common philosophical and theological vocabulary. It focuses on four successive generations of thinkers (Sadr al-Dīn al-Qūnawī, Mu'ayyad al-Dīn al-Jandī, 'Abd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī, and Dāwūd al-Qaysarī), and examines how these "philosopher-mystics" refined and developed the ideas of Ibn al-'Arabī. Through a close analysis of texts, the book clearly traces the crystallization of an influential school of thought in Islamic history and its place in the broader intellectual culture. Offering an exploration of the development of Sufi expression and thought, this book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Islamic thought, philosophy, and mysticism.

Ibn al-'Arabī and Islamic Intellectual Culture

Ibn al-'Arabī and Islamic Intellectual Culture
Author: Caner K Dagli
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2016-02-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1317673905

Ibn al-'Arabī (d. 1240) was one of the towering figures of Islamic intellectual history, and among Sufis still bears the title of al-shaykh al-akbar, or "the greatest master." Ibn al-'Arabī and Islamic Intellectual Culture traces the history of the concept of "oneness of being" (wahdat al-wujūd) in the school of Ibn al- 'Arabī, in order to explore the relationship between mysticism and philosophy in Islamic intellectual life. It examines how the conceptual language used by early mystical writers became increasingly engaged over time with the broader Islamic intellectual culture, eventually becoming integrated with the latter’s common philosophical and theological vocabulary. It focuses on four successive generations of thinkers (Sadr al-Dīn al-Qūnawī, Mu'ayyad al-Dīn al-Jandī, 'Abd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī, and Dāwūd al-Qaysarī), and examines how these "philosopher-mystics" refined and developed the ideas of Ibn al-'Arabī. Through a close analysis of texts, the book clearly traces the crystallization of an influential school of thought in Islamic history and its place in the broader intellectual culture. Offering an exploration of the development of Sufi expression and thought, this book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Islamic thought, philosophy, and mysticism.

Ibn Al-'arabi and Islamic Intellectual Culture

Ibn Al-'arabi and Islamic Intellectual Culture
Author: Caner K Dagli
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2019-12-14
Genre:
ISBN: 9780367869885

Ibn al-'Arabī (d. 1240) was one of the towering figures of Islamic intellectual history, and among Sufis still bears the title of al-shaykh al-akbar, or "the greatest master." Ibn al-'Arabī and Islamic Intellectual Culture traces the history of the concept of "oneness of being" (wahdat al-wujūd) in the school of Ibn al- 'Arabī, in order to explore the relationship between mysticism and philosophy in Islamic intellectual life. It examines how the conceptual language used by early mystical writers became increasingly engaged over time with the broader Islamic intellectual culture, eventually becoming integrated with the latter's common philosophical and theological vocabulary. It focuses on four successive generations of thinkers (Sadr al-Dīn al-Qūnawī, Mu'ayyad al-Dīn al-Jandī, 'Abd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī, and Dāwūd al-Qaysarī), and examines how these "philosopher-mystics" refined and developed the ideas of Ibn al-'Arabī. Through a close analysis of texts, the book clearly traces the crystallization of an influential school of thought in Islamic history and its place in the broader intellectual culture. Offering an exploration of the development of Sufi expression and thought, this book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Islamic thought, philosophy, and mysticism.

Rethinking Ibn ʻArabi

Rethinking Ibn ʻArabi
Author: Gregory A. Lipton
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2018
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 019068450X

Exploring how the medieval mystic Ibn 'Arabi has been read as an inclusive universalist through the interpretative field of Perennial Philosophy, this book shows how his metaphysics is inseparably intertwined with Islamic supersessionism. Ibn 'Arabi's universalist reception is thus traced to lineages of Eurocentrism, revealing how Perennialism is itself exclusionary.

Free Will and Predestination in Islamic Thought

Free Will and Predestination in Islamic Thought
Author: Maria De Cillis
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2013-12-17
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 131793704X

The subject of "human free-will" versus "divine predestination" is one of the most contentious topics in classical Islamic thought. By focusing on a theme of central importance to any philosophy of religion, and to Islam in particular, this book offers a critical study of the intellectual contributions offered to this discourse by three key medieval Islamic thinkers: Avicenna, al-Ghāzālī and Ibn ʿArabī. Through investigation of primary sources, Free Will and Predestination in Islamic Thought establishes the historical, political and intellectual circumstances which prompted Avicenna, al-Ghāzālī and Ibn ʿArabī’s attempts at harmonization. By analysing the theoretical and linguistic ‘techniques’ which were employed to convey these endeavours, this book demonstrates that the three individuals were committed to compromise between philosophical, theological and mystical outlooks. Arguing that the three scholars’ treatments of the so-called qaḍā wa’l-qadar (decree and destiny) and ikhtiyār (free-will) issues were innovative, influential and fundamentally more complex than hitherto recognized, this book contributes to a fuller understanding of Islamic intellectual history and culture and will be useful to researchers interested in Islamic Studies, Religion and Islamic Mysticism.

Ibn Al-ʻArabi and Islamic Intellectual Culture

Ibn Al-ʻArabi and Islamic Intellectual Culture
Author: Caner K. Dagli
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: Islamic Empire
ISBN: 9781138780019

Ibn al-'Arabī and Islamic Intellectual Culture traces the history of the concept of "oneness of being" (wahdat al-wujūd) in the school of Ibn al- 'Arabī, in order to explore the relationship between mysticism and philosophy in Islamic intellectual life. It examines how the conceptual language used by early mystical writers became increasingly engaged over time with the broader Islamic intellectual culture, eventually becoming integrated with the latter's common philosophical and theological vocabulary. It focuses on four successive generations of thinkers (Sadr al-Dīn al-Qūnawī, Mu'ayyad al-Dīn al-Jandī, 'Abd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī, and Dāwūd al-Qaysarī), and examines how these "philosopher-mystics" refined and developed the ideas of Ibn al-'Arabī. Through a close analysis of texts, the book clearly traces the crystallization of an influential school of thought in Islamic history and its place in the broader intellectual culture.

Islamic Sainthood in the Fullness of Time

Islamic Sainthood in the Fullness of Time
Author: Gerald Elmore
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 780
Release: 2021-09-20
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9004450386

This volume presents the seminal treatise of the important Spanish Muslim mystic, Ibn al-‘Arabī, on Islamic sainthood The Book of the Fabulous Gryphon. In highly allusive, symbolic language, the Shaykh al-Akbar reveals his manifesto of the revolutionary significance of sainthood in the person of its timely epitome, the Seal of the saints. The first part of the book consists of a critical introduction dealing with the biographical, historical and bibliographical background to the Fabulous Gryphon, along with a thorough examination of its concepts, themes and structure. The complete, annotated translation of the Gryphon is followed by further original translations of related texts by Ibn al-‘Arabī. Apart from the Fusūs al-ḥikam, no comparable treatise by this leading figure of Islamic spirituality has ever been presented in its entirety in any western language.

The Unlimited Mercifier

The Unlimited Mercifier
Author: Stephen Hirtenstein
Publisher: Anqa Publishing
Total Pages: 296
Release: 1999
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0953451313

Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi (AD 1165-1240) is unquestionably one of the most profound figures in the history of world spirituality, a visionary of superlative wisdom and compassion. Known as the 'Greatest Master' (al-Shaykh al-Akbar), he led an extraordinary inner and outer life. He travelled huge distances, from his native Spain to Syria and Turkey, writing over 350 books on the mystical path. His whole life was dedicated to exposing, at the deepest level, the primordial Unity underlying all human and natural existence, and the true degree of human dignity. The book presents a unique portrait of Ibn 'Arabi "from the inside", using his own writing to tell the story of his life and teachings. The biographical chapters, supplemented with photographs and maps, give a vivid picture of his life and times during the height of medieval culture. These are interwoven with a series of chapters that portray the central elements of his thought, and highlight their relevance in today's world. This unusual approach gives a direct flavour of Ibn 'Arabi's genius, whose life and thought are inextricably linked. Above all, his deep insights into what it means to be truly human are applicable to people of all times and places. This highly readable and lucid book will appeal to anyone interested in the heart of Sufism or the mystical path and has a unique arrangement of biographical chapters alternating with chapters on major themes in his work.

Sufism and Theology

Sufism and Theology
Author: Ayman Shihadeh
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2007-11-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0748631348

Sufism and Theology are two major currents in Islamic thought and religious culture, and over the centuries they have displayed immense diversity and intellectual richness. This book takes a flexible and inclusive approach to these trends, revealing both how Sufis approached theological traditions and themes and practised theology themselves, and how theologians approached different aspects of Sufism. Comprising chapters by leading specialists in the field, this volume is the first to explore the historically complex interface between these two major currents, highlighting key points of tension and interaction. Taking us through an array of subjects, including hermeneutics, psychology and metaphysics, light is shed on major intellectual trends and figures from the 12th century up to the modern period. These range from al-Hallaj, Ibn 'Arabi and Ibn Sab'in, to Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Ibn Taymiyya, Haydar Amuli and Ibn Kemal Pasha, from the Ottoman context to the Safavid, and from Sunnism to Shi'ism