His full name is Muḥyī al-Dīn/Muḥyiddīn Muḥammad ibn ʻAlī ibn Muḥammad al-‘Arabī al-Tā’ī al-Ḥātimī. The epithet “al-Shaykh al-Akbar” was conferred upon him subsequently by the Ṣūfī community.اﻟﺸﻴﺦ اﻷﻛﺒﺮ ﻣﺤﻴﻲ اﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺑﻦ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ اﻟﻌﺮﺑﻲ اﻟﻄﺎﺋﻲ اﻟﺤﺎﺗﻤﻲ It is well-documented that the author himself used the name Muḥammad Ibn ʻArabī in many places. Furthermore, in some biographical sources, it can occasionally be observed that the nisba al-Andalusī was also added to his name to indicate his region of origin.
His full name is Muḥyī al-Dīn/Muḥyiddīn Muḥammad ibnʻAlī ibn Muḥammad al-‘Arabī al-Tā’ī al-Ḥātimī. The epithet“al-Shaykh al-Akbar” was conferred upon himsubsequently by the Ṣūfī community.اﻟﺸﻴﺦ اﻷﻛﺒﺮ ﻣﺤﻴﻲ اﻟﺪﻳﻦ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺑﻦ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺑﻦ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ اﻟﻌﺮﺑﻲ اﻟﻄﺎﺋﻲ اﻟﺤﺎﺗﻤﻲIt is well-documented that the author himself used thename Muḥammad Ibn ʻArabī in many places. Furthermore,in some biographical sources, it can occasionally beobserved that the nisba al-Andalusī was also added to hisname to indicate his region of origin.His Birth, Youth, and Formative MilieuthMuḥyiddīn Ibn ʻArabī was born on 17 Ramaḍān 560 (27 July 1165, Monday night), inMursiya/Murcia, the capital of the district of Tudmīr, located in the southeast of al-Andalus(modern-day Spain), into a wealthy and noble family.Ibn ʻArabī would later refer to his youthful years as years of jāhiliyya (heedlessness) (al-Futūḥāt,I/201). After this brief period of confusion associated with the onset of puberty, he withdrew intoseclusion following a spiritual sign and decided to attend to his inner world (III/45); at that time,he was around sixteen years old. He states that after disciplining his spiritual life in this manner,the gates of maʻrifa gradually began to open to him (fatḥ) as a result of the riyāḍāt (asceticpractices) he performed during these periods of retreat (I/616). It is reported that at times heremained in this state of seclusion for as long as fourteen months.
During certain phases of this period of zuhd, he would also withdraw into murāqaba(contemplation) in the city cemetery, during which he is said to have gained insight into thestates of some of the deceased in their graves.
His First Guides and Early Spiritual States
Although he says, “At the beginning, I had nomurshid anywhere in the world in whom I couldconfide my struggles” (al-Futūḥāt, II/548), later hemet certain spiritual figures. He derived distinctspiritual benefits from each of them. Throughoutthe rest of his life, whenever their names werementioned, he spoke of them with immense praiseand reverence. For instance, he states that the firstperson from among the people of ahl al-bāṭin(inward dimension) to take him by the hand wasAbū al-‘Abbās al-‘Uryabī, whom he refers to as“my first murshid.” He describes his first bayʻah(spiritual pledge) to him as follows:“While I was still on this path, I entered thepresence of my shaykh al-‘Uryabī, who had newlyarrived in Ishbīliya (Sevilla). He was the firstmurshid to whom I attached myself. He was aconsummate master of dhikr. He recognized my ḥāl(spiritual state) and knew exactly what I needed.He asked me, ‘Are you truly determined to enterthe ṭarīq Allāh (path of Allah)?’I replied, ‘A servant may possess determination,but thabāt (steadfastness) comes from Allah.’Then he said to me,ﺳﺪّ اﻟﺒﺎب واﻗﻄﻊ اﻷﺳﺒﺎب، وﺟﺎﻟﺲ اﻟﻮﻫّﺎب، ﻳﻜﻠﻤﻚ ﷲ ﻣﻦ دون ﺣﺠﺎب“If you close your door, sever yourself from all the chains of causation, and be only with alWahhāb, Allah will speak to you without any veil. I followed his advice until the fatḥ (spiritualopening) occurred.”He also says, “The dhikr that my first murshid continuously practiced and transmitted to me wasthe asmā’ of Allah,” which shows that he received talqin al-asmā’ from him (al-Futūḥāt, III/298300).
His View of The Universe: Waḥdat al-Wujūd
References From the Qur’ān al-Karīm
وَﻛَ ﺎنَ ﷲُ ﺑ ِﻜُﻞﱢ ﺷَﻲْ ءٍ ﻣُﺤِﻴﻄً ﺎ
“Allah is the one who encompasses everything.” (4/Surat al-Nisā’, 126)
According to the Sūfīs, this encompassment (iḥāṭa) is not like an envelope surrounding itscontents. Rather, it resembles the sun’s embrace of light and shadow, the spirit’s permeation ofthe body, or water’s relation to its waves. Therefore, all objects are mere accidents (ʻaraḍ) oftheir spirits, not their substances (jawhar). For this reason, no object can exist without its spirit.
ﻣَ ﺎ ﻳَﻜُﻮنُ ﻣِﻦ ﻧ ﱠﺠْﻮَىٰ ﺛ َ ﻠ َ ـ ٰ ﺜَﺔٍ إ ِﻻ ﱠ ﻫُﻮَ رَاﺑ ِﻌُﻬُﻢْ وَﻻ َ ﺧَﻤْﺴَ ﺔٍ إ ِﻻ ﱠ ﻫُﻮَ ﺳَ ﺎدِﺳُ ﻬُﻢْ وَﻵ َ أ َ دْﻧ َﻰٰ ﻣِﻦ ذَ ٰ ﻟِﻚَ وَﻵ َ أ َ ﻛْﺜَﺮَ إ ِﻻ ﱠ ﻫُﻮَ ﻣَﻌَﻬُﻢْأ َ ﻳْﻦَ ﻣَ ﺎ ﻛَ ﺎﻧ ُﻮا
“If three converse privately, He is their fourth. If five, He is their sixth. Whether fewer or more, Heis with them wherever they may be.” (58/Surat al-Mujādalah, 7)
وَ ﻧ َﺤْﻦ ُ أ َ ﻗ ْ ﺮَب ُ إ ِ ﻟ َ ﻴ ْﻪ ِ ﻣِﻦ ْ ﺣَﺒ ْﻞ ِ ٱﻟ ْ ﻮَر ِ ﻳﺪ
“And We are closer to him than his jugular vein.” (50/Surat al-Qāf, 16)
Verses or statements such as these should not be disclosed to al-‘awāmm (the common people)as they may lead the uninitiated into beliefs of ḥulūl (indwelling) or taḥdīd (delimitation) whichare ḥarām (strictly forbidden). The ḥadīth qudsī, “I was hungry, and you didn’t feed Me; I was sick,and you didn’t visit Me,” should be understood in the same manner. Such secrets must besafeguarded from those unprepared to comprehend them. (al-Futūhāt, I/520)
وَﻣَ ﺎ رَﻣَﻴ ْﺖ َ إ ِ ذ ْ رَﻣَﻴ ْﺖ َ وَ ﻟ َ ـ ٰ ﻜِﻦ ﱠ ٱﻟﻠ ﱠ ﻪ َ رَﻣَﻰ
“And you did not throw when you threw, but it was Allah who threw.” (8/Surat al-Anfāl, 17)
Normally, the eyes perceive a human figure shooting an arrow; however, the true doer behind thearcher is none other than Allah.