영성, 몸-마음, 젠더, 생태, 평화 Scapbook: Ibn-Al-Arabi: The Bezels of Wisdom: Ibn Al'Arabi, R.W.J. Austin, Titus Burckhardt:

2023/04/13

Ibn-Al-Arabi: The Bezels of Wisdom: Ibn Al'Arabi, R.W.J. Austin, Titus Burckhardt:

Ibn-Al-Arabi: The Bezels of Wisdom (Classics of Western Spirituality): Ibn Al'Arabi, R.W.J. Austin, Titus Burckhardt: 9780809123315: Amazon.com: Books

https://archive.org/details/t.he-bezels-of-wisdom-by-ibn-arabi-ralph-austin-z-lib.org/page/8/mode/2up

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Ibn al-ʻArabī
Follow

Ibn-Al-Arabi: The Bezels of Wisdom (Classics of Western Spirituality) Paperback – January 1, 1980
by Ibn Al'Arabi (Author), R.W.J. Austin (Translator), & 1 more
4.6 out of 5 stars 71 ratings

See all formats and editions

Hardcover
$131.41
Other used from $126.42
Paperback
$19.99
Other new, used and collectible from $14.79

"Classics in a classic collection...clearly a must for all libraries, from the university to the small town, and for all readers interested in spirituality..." Religious Studies Review Ibn Al’ Arabi: The Bezels of Wisdom translation and introduction by R.W.J. Austin, preface by Titus Burckardt "It is from God, so hear! And to god do you return! When you hear what I bring, learn! Then with understanding see The details in the whole And also see them as part of the whole. Then give it to those Who seek it, and stint not. This is the mercy that Encompasses you; so extend it. Ibn Al-'Arabi, 1165-1240 Called by Moslems "the greatest master," Ibn Al-'Arabi was a Sufi born in twelfth-century Spain. The Bezels of Wisdom was written during the author's later years and was intended to be a synthesis of his spiritual doctrine. Bezel means a setting in which a gem, engraved with one's name, is set to make a seal ring. The setting in which Ibn Al-'Arabi has placed his spiritual wisdom are the lives of the prophets. It was in Damascus that he had the vision that prompted him to write this book. He describes it in his preface: "I saw the Apostle of God in a visitation…He had in his hand a book and he said to me, 'This is the book of the bezels of Wisdom; take it and bring it to men that they might benefit from it.'" The book portrays the wisdom of love through Abraham, of the unseen through Job, of light through Joseph, of intimacy through Elias and so on. Ibn Al-'Arabi invites us in these pages to explore the inner spiritual meanings of the Quran, its heartful meanings. In one of his poems he stated, "Love is the creed I hold: wherever turns His camels, Love is still my creed and faith." †
Read more

Report incorrect product information.

Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Paulist Press

Next page

Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 8Page 1 of 8

Previous page

The Four Pillars of Spiritual Transformation: The Adornment of the Spiritually Transformed (Hilyat al-abdal) (Mystical Treatises of Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi)

Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi
4.7 out of 5 stars 103
Paperback
$19.95$19.95$9.88 shipping

Fusus Al-Hikam: The Seals of Wisdom

Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi
4.3 out of 5 stars 11
Paperback
4 offers from $13.49

Ibn Arabi Unveiling the Secret of the Most Beautiful Nmes

Ibn Arabi
4.8 out of 5 stars 44
Paperback
6 offers from $17.99

The Universal Tree and the Four Birds (Mystical Treatises of Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi)

Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi
4.6 out of 5 stars 28
Paperback
29 offers from $12.69
Next page

What do customers buy after viewing this item?

Lowest Pricein this set of products

The Four Pillars of Spiritual Transformation: The…

Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi
4.7 out of 5 stars 103
Paperback
$19.95$19.95$9.88 shipping
Highest ratedin this set of products

Ibn Arabi Unveiling the Secret of the Most Beautiful Nmes

Ibn Arabi
4.8 out of 5 stars 44
Paperback
6 offers from $17.99
This item:

Ibn-Al-Arabi: The Bezels of Wisdom (Classics of Western…

Ibn Al'Arabi
4.6 out of 5 stars 71
Paperback
54 offers from $14.79

Fusus Al-Hikam: The Seals of Wisdom

Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi
4.3 out of 5 stars 11
Paperback
4 offers from $13.49

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
The book portrays the wisdom of love through Abraham, of the unseen through Job, of light through Joseph, of intimacy through Elias, and so on. Ibn Al-'Arabi invites us in these pages to explore the inner spiritual meanings of the Quran, its heartful meanings. In one of his poems he stated, 'Love is the creed I hold: wherever turns His camels, Love is still my creed and faith.'

Product details
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Paulist Press; New edition (January 1, 1980)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0809123312
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0809123315
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1470L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.14 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.01 x 0.88 x 9 inchesBest Sellers Rank: #385,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)#125 in Sufism (Books)Customer Reviews:
4.6 out of 5 stars 71 ratings

Videos
Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!Upload your video

About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Follow

Ibn al-ʻArabī

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Related products with free delivery on eligible orders
Sponsored | Try Prime for unlimited fast, free shipping

Holy Bible: From the Ancient Eastern Text: George M. Lamsa's Translation From the A...
George M. Lamsa
1,364
Paperback
$34.19

The Cambridge Guide to Reading Poetry
Andrew Hodgson
37
Paperback
$19.99

A Personal Mission Statement: Your Road Map to Happiness
Michal Stawicki
274
Paperback
$10.49

Sponsored

How would you rate your experience shopping for books on Amazon today?

Very poor
Neutral
Great

Customer reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
71 global ratings

5 star 81%
4 star 6%
3 star 6%
2 star 4%
1 star 3%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Review this product
Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Sponsored

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Read reviews that mention
ibn arabi islam prophets god mystical philosophy islamic sufi introduction text called english knowledge muslim philosophical translations arabic jesus prolific revealed

Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

Lawrence Baldwin
5.0 out of 5 stars A Sufi ClassicReviewed in the United States on March 12, 2015
Verified Purchase
Muhyiddin (reviver of the Faith) Ibn 'Arabi, known as "The Greatest Sheikh" in the Islamic world and called "Doctor Maximus" in the West, was a brilliant mystic, a great theologian, and a prolific author. This is the shorter and more accessible of his two greatest works. It was revealed to him, he says, in a single vision. It describes many of the prophets in the Qur'an, such as Adam, Seth, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, as settings for various aspects of the divine wisdom.

There have been a few translations of this book into English, but at this time, this seems to be the only reasonably-priced version that is available. It is more complete and more direct than Bulent Rauf's partial translation of Burkhart's French translation, which was my favorite for many years (and which is now out of print).

Reading this book is a challenge in spots, especially at the very beginning, because the thoughts are very dense, and because a lot of knowledge is taken for granted that non-Muslims might not know, and because Arabic writing tends to be elliptical. But the patient reader will find many gems of insight that will enrich their understanding, whether they are Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. I strongly recommend this book.

20 people found this helpful

HelpfulReport

Hey Bulldog
3.0 out of 5 stars Peak SufismReviewed in the United States on March 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
Great book for anyone interested in Sufi Islam and specifically Ibn Al-Arabi, whose fusion of Platonic philosophy in the interpretation of Islam made for quite a good read. The secondhand book is given three stars because it was not as described — ie “like new” because of the extensive notes inside.

HelpfulReport

benjamin guile
2.0 out of 5 stars this is a flatland translation, more academic than usefulReviewed in the United States on August 12, 2019
Verified Purchase
I bought this along with Dagli's "the ringstones of wisdom". The value of "Bezels" is to highlight the depth of "Ringstones". The two translations can be viewed as iconic, as a pair, of the direction, the nature of what is being depicted. If I were not in a position to buy both, and compare the translations of al-cArabi's introduction, I would recommend "Ringstones", albeit much the more difficult work to read. I do not think much of "Bezels", as it does not convey much meaning. The cover is fun, though -- the title is written bottom-to-top, and the picture may be more than aesthetic. benguile3

5 people found this helpful

HelpfulReport

Matthew
5.0 out of 5 stars Skimming Through It, Seems LegitReviewed in the United States on November 26, 2016
Verified Purchase
Purchased this to add to my Classics of Western Spirituality collection. When I get around to reading it, probably years from now, I'll probably review it then.

HelpfulReport

M.J
5.0 out of 5 stars informativeReviewed in the United States on October 20, 2019
Verified Purchase
love this book

HelpfulReport

Ramzi E. Abdulrahman
5.0 out of 5 stars A must haveReviewed in the United States on October 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
Simply deep and beautiful.

HelpfulReport

imelda salinas
5.0 out of 5 stars its a great book very hard read at least i think but ...Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2015
Verified Purchase
its a great book very hard read at least i think but it teaches a lot its worth it.

HelpfulReport

J. Kloss
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast, reasonable textsReviewed in the United States on March 4, 2013
Verified Purchase
I needed this text for the same Princeton seminar class, and again got it very quickly and fairly reasonably, and just as described.

HelpfulReport

See all reviews

Top reviews from other countries

Makhan
1.0 out of 5 stars Could not make heads or tails at one point the ...Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2014
Verified Purchase

Could not make heads or tails at one point the translator stated that he doesn't know what ibn Al Arabi wanted to say. This kind of book cannot be translated merely on language skills but one has to have in depth spiritual vision.
Report

M.D
2.0 out of 5 stars Old book , yellow pagesReviewed in India on July 26, 2021
Verified Purchase

I am not g on the content here but the quality of the book. The book is very old and pages have become yellow.Returned the book but the replacement is again similiar so finally accepted thd book.
Report

sebastian
4.0 out of 5 stars Four StarsReviewed in Canada on September 12, 2015
Verified Purchase

very Good...much information to all of us.
Report

Amrit minhas
5.0 out of 5 stars I’m a fanReviewed in India on June 4, 2018
Verified Purchase

It takes a lot of brains to understand Arabi. Best choice ever!

One person found this helpfulReport

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in Canada on June 23, 2017
Verified Purchase

loved it
Report

================

Profile Image for Gwen.

Gwen

Author

8 books

19 followers

February 1, 2013

Being a Sufi and all, I pretty much have to give Ibn Arabi a five. He pretty much defined what it is to be a Sufi. Even with that aside though this book is amazing. It is hard to find books that really truly make a person drunk with words, but this one manages it. The introduction and translation are both done very well. The only caution I have for the book is that it isn't the kind of book to pick up as an introduction to Sufism. The material really needs a solid grounding in the Abrahamic faiths and Sufi thought. It isn't the kind of book to read in one weekend either. It is best to read it a little bit at a time. I would easily recommend this to anyone looking to delve into the deeper concepts of Sufism.

islam-related

religion

19 likes

2 comments

Comment

Profile Image for Abrar Shahi.

Abrar Shahi

11 reviews

8 followers

January 29, 2013

Needs more than one reading. I will soon make a critical edition and translate it into Urdu by the will of Allah.

15 likes

6 comments

Comment

Profile Image for Ali Reda.

But the Order

Author

3 books

181 followers

February 27, 2018

The book represents everything I reject in non-rational philosophies, a metaphysics based on logical contradictions and an interpretive hermeneutics of the language of texts capable of turning righteousness into dust. However, I acknowledge Ibn Arabi's literary prowess, the breadth of his knowledge, and the strength of his mind in linking discordant philosophical ideas, and his linguistic prowess in interpreting texts to reach his goal. But the philosophical edifice he builds remains without a rational foundation or a logical foundation, which makes it a magnificent palace, but it was built on water or in the air.

12 likes

2 comments

Comment

Profile Image for Mohammad Al-Naimah.

Muhammad Al-Naimah

104 reviews

64 followers

February 2, 2016

Ibn Arabi begins his book by saying: “Now then, I saw the Messenger of God, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, in a glad tidings that I showed him in the last ten days of Muharram in the year six hundred and twenty-seven, in the guardhouse of Damascus, and in his hand, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, was a book. People benefit from it, so I said hearing and obedience to God, to His Messenger, and to those in authority among us.”

The book Fosos al-Hukam by Sheikh al-Akbar Ibn Arabi is considered one of the most important books he wrote, and

it is a summary of what he

reached. The Qur’an, the Sunnah, the sciences of logic, philosophy, the divine religions, and among the former mystics in ancient religions and Islamic philosophies such as the Ismailis and others,

to give us a complete picture of his approach and belief, which he summarizes in the first chapter, Adam’s word from this book, by saying, “And had it not been for the validity of the truth in the existents in the form, the world would not have existed.”And right here is God

As his belief in God appears in the second chapter, the word of Noah, where he said: If

you say by virtue of fairness, then you are restricted

.. and if you say by analogy , then you are specific. The festival of affairs is staged and restricted , and Ibn Arabi says in his book, “And no one knows what we said except he who is a Qur’an in himself, for the one who fears God (makes a difference for him)” and he says: Ibn Arabi explains his belief in the abode of misery “Hell” and cites the verse (and overlooks their bad deeds). And he says: (Do not think that God will break His promise with His messengers) and He did not say His warning even though he warned about that .

lobes 1

lobes 2

3 lobes

lobes 4

Before today I used to deny my friend.. if my religion was not to his religion

My heart has become capable of every image.. It is a pasture for deer and a monastery for monks

And a house for idols, and the Kaaba of Taif.. and the tablets of the Torah and the Qur’an

I believe in the religion of love. Wherever I go, its riders, love is my religion and my faith

Religions-sects-opinions-jurisprudence

11 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Maryam.

Maryam

76 reviews

6 followers

May 15, 2020

In my opinion, the book Fuss al-Hakm is a book that should be read and thought about a lot. After reading it, you will see how it affects your every thought. But we must try to remove the negative effects and maintain the positive effects.

The book is very fluently translated, which is the specialty of Mohammad Ali Mowahed. Dr. Samad Mowahed's analysis is also very fluent. (Unfortunately, I met this honorable person while reading this book) I, who am not used to reading philosophical books, found this book easy to read and understand (if my understanding is correct).

The first chapter may be heavy, but during it you will get to know the author's pen and read the rest of the chapters more fluently.

The analysis of the gaps is at the end of the book. I read the book in the order it was published, but maybe it's better to read the introduction, translation, and analysis of each chapter after reading it, and then move on to the next chapter.

Anyway, it is a book that requires a lot of thought after reading each chapter.

If you are interested in philosophy, Islamic philosophy, mysticism, or any other type of human thought, you must read this book. It helps you get along better with other people from every religion and culture.

7 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Jimmy Ele.

Jimmy Ele

232 reviews

87 followers

March 7, 2018

Illuminating text on Ibn Arabi's understanding of the essence of the different seals of wisdom represented by some of the major prophets. The seals of the divine wisdoms of Ibrahim (Abraham) , Yusuf (Joseph), Da'ud (David), Sulayman (Solomon) , Isa (Jesus), Musa (Moses), and Muhammad (peace be upon them all) were my favorites this first time reading this text through. I have quoted this text significantly in Good Reads in order to capture some of the gems that struck me as important. Ibn Arabi is known as a highly elevated teacher (in rank and position) and was a proponent of the idea of active imagination and a believer in the spiritual reality and symbols behind manifest creation. Some of the things he believed in would probably be scoffed at nowadays but find their place applauded in the science fiction universe of Star Wars. He spoke of the apparition of mystical teachers ala Obi Wan Kenobi, except in this case it would be Islamic teachers and Prophets. It is said that when he had an important question dealing with life, reality, and the spiritual reality behind existence he would ask for the answer and a teacher or prophet would appear to him, either in actuality or in his dreams or in the presence between this world and the world of imagination. I will not go any further on the subject but have only touched lightly on the subject so that the idea of this book could be somewhat understood. His depth of understanding in certain matters and unique takes on our beliefs leaves me with a sense of admiration and deep respect even if others would not entirely agree with him. There were instances in the lives of the prophets which I was able to look at through a deeper lens than the one I had been looking through. I believe that this was the culmination of his life's work and it certainly shows. Not everything I read, I could entirely understand at this moment in time, but what I could understand struck me as inspired, original and having as its focal point, the Quran and the Sunnah. There were only very rare instances that I did not understand what was being said, and this could just have been a fault of the translation or in the transmission of deep spiritual realities that could not be accessed at this point in my life. I highly recommend this book to anyone searching for deeper meaning within their own lives or in the lives of the Prophets, the Quran, Existence, God, the Universe, Different (Hadarat) presences, Dimensions, etc.

foundation

superbly-focused-path

6 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Ahmedasal.

Ahmedasal

114 reviews

26 followers

February 19, 2013

This book is the most wonderful thing that the imam wrote in my opinion. It is a summary of the philosophy of Islam from the point of view of Sufism in the words of its greatest imam. It contains a mystical interpretation of the call of the prophets and the message of Islam from Adam to the Seal of the Prophets, may blessings and peace be upon them both.

6 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Raqib.

Rival

2 reviews

Currently reading

August 8, 2010

one of the heaviest book I have ever picked up. Insight could only be attained by experience not by reading.

6 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Yousef Nabil.

Yousef Nabil

201 reviews

190 followers

February 20, 2012

I stopped a lot when reading Ibn Arabi, because he is completely different from all mystics with his insightful visions and true spiritual experiences, which do not yearn for asceticism, but exceed it even knowledge of theological degrees and transcendent matters.

Great book

6 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Al-Zahraa Al-Dimashqi.

Damascene Zahraa

1 review

3 followers

September 13, 2012

The Sheikh's words do not need praise from people like us

6 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Kat.

Kat

49 reviews

5 followers

Read

November 3, 2009

This is what you might call very heavy reading. Fascinating, but deeply philosophical. I've decided to return it to the library before finishing it. I think it would be a better book to discuss in a class with a Sufi Master. One bezel that I did garner was: "The Reality wanted to see the essences of His Most Beautiful Names or, to put it another way, to see His own Essence, in an all-inclusive object encompassing the whole [divine:] Command, which, qualified by existence, would reveal to Him his own mystery. For the seeing of a thing, itself by itself, is not the same as its seeing itself in another, as it were in a mirror; for it appears to itself in a form that is invested by the location of the vision by that which would only appear to it given the existence of the location and its [the location's:] self-disclosure to it."

4 likes

4 comments

Comment

Profile Image for Joseph.

Joseph

21 reviews

December 25, 2009

Some seriously crazy shit.

college

4 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Faisal Karkari.

Faisal Karkari

Author

3 books

96 followers

December 18, 2019

Whatever you think of the man, Ibn Arabi offers a book of unparalleled literary value. My journey with him was as follows:

At first, I had difficulty understanding the writer's intentions. I almost gave it up in pursuit of a (traditional) book that was easy to understand and enjoy. But I decided to continue reading and follow the continuity of reading the pages without stopping repeatedly to try to understand some strange terms and hidden meanings (which are many). Then I noticed that things became more and more clear, the meanings became easier to digest and the terminology less vague. Once I got to the middle of the book, I became more attached to it and my aversion to reading it turned into an attraction. Of course, until this moment, I do not find a logical reason for this. As soon as I sealed the pages and removed the (book mark), I had an overwhelming desire to re-read it again. I haven't done that yet, but it is one of the books that you must re-read and discover its beauty, the splendor of its meanings, and the smooth flow of its ideas.

Al-Qashani gave a full explanation, and it is almost impossible to distinguish between the writer Ibn Arabi and the commentator Al-Qashani. As if the two speak with one tongue and a common heart.

This book may be unfamiliar, but it is undoubtedly a great value for Arabic readers.

3 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Homan.

Homan

74 reviews

3 followers

September 11, 2021

According to Ibn Arabi, if an idol worshiper is an infidel, it is not because he worships an idol, but because he only worships his own idol. The disbelief of Christians also comes from the fact that they see God only in the form of Jesus. A Muslim who thinks only the Kaaba is the house of God is an infidel, not a Muslim. God can be seen everywhere and everywhere, and there is nothing but different beliefs of people anywhere and everywhere. People worship their beliefs and everyone is on the right path.

https://hooman.bio.link/

بشو-آن-که-هستی

دین

3 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Mohammad Ali Shamekhi.

Mohammad Ali Shamekhi

1,096 reviews

236 followers

Shelved as 'currently-released'

June 3, 2015

I have read the preface and the back of the book, and in my opinion, the preface is not worthy of the introduction of a central work. Criticizing or showing the weaknesses of the tradition of theoretical mysticism is necessary in Iran, but it should not be included in the introduction to the publication of a work like Foss.

ادیان-و-عرفان

3 likes

Comment

Firdous

6 reviews

May 24, 2018

Tip for reading - Before starting the book one can listen (youtube) or read lectures by Professor William Chittick on Arabi’s philosophy.

Here’s the link which has helped me a lot

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ib...

3 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Robert Sheppard.

Robert Sheppard

Author

2 books

83 followers

August 13, 2013

CLASSICAL ARABIC AND ISLAMIC MASTERPIECES OF WORLD LITERATURE FROM THE ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE-----"THE KORAN," AL-KHANSA, HAFIZ, ABU-NAWAS, RUMI, AL-JAHIZ, "ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS," IBN SINA (AVICENNA), IBN RUSHD (AVERROES),IBN ARABI, IBN-TUFAIL (ABUBACER) & AL-HALLAJ---FROM THE WORLD LITERATURE FORUM RECOMMENDED CLASSICS AND MASTERPIECES SERIES VIA GOODREADS—-ROBERT SHEPPARD, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

"THE INK OF THE SCHOLAR"---THE ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE

The "Islamic Golden Age" was an historical period beginning in the mid-8th century lasting until the Mongol conquest of Baghdad in 1258, generally associated with the rise of the Abbasid Caliphate around 750 AD, and the moving of the capital from Damascus to Baghdad, but also including contributions from remnant Ummayad kindgoms in Iberia (modern Spain and Portugul) and North-West Africa. The Abbasids were influenced by the Qur'anic injunctions and Hadith such as "the ink of a scholar is more holy than the blood of a martyr" that stressed the value of knowledge and reason, and were also more cosmopolitan than the Umayyads, being allied with the Persian Barmacids and less ethnocentrically focused on the narrower tribal culture of the Kureysh, the original tribe of Muhammad.

The rise of Islam was instrumental in uniting the warring Arab tribes into a powerful empire. The Abbasids claimed authority as belonging to the same family and tribe to which the Prophet Muhammad belonged, and were for that reason considered holy. During this period the Arab world became an intellectual center for science, philosophy, medicine and education; the Abbasids championed the cause of knowledge and established the House of Wisdom (Bait-ul-Hikmat) at Baghdad, where both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars sought to translate and gather all the world's knowledge into Arabic, and also the second court language Persian.

The Arabs displayed a remarkable capacity of assimilating the scientific knowledge of the civilizations they had overrun. Many classic works of antiquity that might otherwise have been lost were translated into Arabic and Persian and later in turn re-translated into Turkish, Hebrew and Latin. St. Thomas Aquinas, for example, gained crucial familiarity with the works of Aristotle through translations into Arabic and then into Latin accompanied by the commentary of the great Muslim Aristotelian scholar Ibn Sina (Avicenna).

During this period the Arab world was a collection of cultures which put together, synthesized and significantly advanced the knowledge gained from the ancient Roman, Chinese, Indian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek, Byzantine and Phoenician civilizations. The decimal system and "zero" travelled from India into Arabic culture during this time and in 9th century it was popularized in the Islamic regions by the Persian mathematician al-Khwarizmi. Later in 12th century the renown Western monk Abelard introduced what Westerners call "Arabic Numerals" to Europe, but which the Arabs themselves termed "Hindsi" or "Indian Numerals," indicating their true origin. They also began the use of Algebra and advanced logarithims in order to solve complex mathematical problems.

There is little agreement on the precise causes of the decline in Arabic creativity and intellectual leadership ending the Islamic Golden Age, but in addition to the devastating invasion by the Mongols and crusaders with the destruction of libraries and madrasahs, it has also been suggested that political mismanagement and the stifling of "Ijtihad" (independent reasoning) in the 12th century in favor of institutionalised "Taqleed" (imitation and uncritical following of precedent) played a part.

THE KORAN (QURAN) IN WORLD LITERATURE

Any understanding of the literatures of Islamic nations must begin with a familiarity with the Koran, just as any understanding of of Western Literature must include a basic familiarity with the Bible. Muslims believe the Quran to be verbally revealed through Angel Gabriel (Jibril) from God to Muhammad gradually over a period of approximately 23 years beginning from 609 AD, when Muhammad was 40, to 632 AD, the year of his death.

Muslims regard the Quran as the main miracle of Muhammad, the proof of his prophethood and the culmination of a series of divine messages to humanity that started with the messages revealed to Adam, regarded in Islam as the first prophet, and continued with the Scrolls of Abraham (Suhuf Ibrahim), the Tawrat (Torah) of Moses, the Zabur (Tehillim or Psalms) of David, and the Injil (Gospels) of Jesus. The Quran assumes familiarity with major narratives recounted in Jewish and Christian scriptures, summarizing some, dwelling at length on others and in some cases presenting alternative accounts and interpretations of events. The Quran describes itself as a book of guidance, sometimes offering detailed accounts of specific historical events, and often emphasizing the moral significance of an event.

Regardless of whether one believes or disbelieves in the Koran, equally as in the case of whether one believes or disbelieves in the Christian or Jewish Bible, it is an inescapable necessity for every educated person to read and be familiar with these works as literature if one has any hope of understanding World Literature, Western Literature, Islamic and Arabic Literature, English, French, German, Russian or any national literature of any culture affected by their influence. No one can understand English or American Literature without familiarity with the King James and other versions of the Bible, the words, phrases, style and stories and themes of which permeate and recur in Shakespeare, Donne, Milton, and a thousand believing and unbelieving authors and works. Similarly, any understanding of German Literature is impossible without knowledge of the Bible of Luther. The Koran thus takes its place in World Literature by virtue of its shaping influence on the mindset and consciousness of over one billion Muslims across dozens of nations, cultures and literatures as well as the cultural foundation of dozens of Muslim authors and works of worldwide importance such as Rumi, Attar, Hafiz, the Thousand and One Nights, Mafouz Naguib, Ghalib and others. Thus it is required reading, at least in part, for any Citizen of the Republic of Letters or of the modern world, alongside the Bible, the Buddhist Sutras such as the Fire Sermon, the Bhagavad Gita and the Dao De Ching, as part of the common heritage of mankind.

Compared to the Bible, the Koran is a much shorter work, lacking the extended historical accounts and chronicles of the Old Testament and the multiple repetitive Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John of the New Testament, and can be read in a relatively short time in translation by most people for basic familiarity.

The basic theme of the Koran is that of monotheism, an invocation to belief and adherence to the single God, Allah, of Muhammad, who is also conceived as the same God of the Christian and Jewish Abrahamic tradition, albeit with differences of understanding with the other religions. A good deal of the Koran is concerned with laying down rules of behaviour in common life, religious practice and society, as the Suras were broadly used for instruction of the Ummah, or new congregation of Islam in Mecca and Medina during Muhammad's life as he recited them. The Koran also contains repetitions of many famous Bible stories such as Adam and Eve, the Flood, Genesis, Exodus and life of Moses, the conception of Jesus by Mary and others. In the Koran Moses and Jesus are considered fellow prophets of Allah, though Jesus is not considered as the son of God as in the Bible. A large part of the Koran contains exhortations to belief in its one God Allah and adherence to its rules of behaviour, with the bliss of paradise as promised reward and certain damnation in Hell as the consequence of failure to do so. Similar to the Bible, a significant part of the Koran focuses on the coming Apocalypse, or end of time and the consequent Last Judgment of all souls.

PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIC POETRY---AL-KHANSA, CELEBRATED WOMAN POET

Even before Muhammad and the rise of Islam Arabic literature had developed a strong poetic tradition. At that time Arabic culture was largely based on oral tradition, with poetry at its center. For a nomadic people such as the Bedoin Arabs, poetry was the main reservoir of the people's knowledge and expression of their very existence. Poets were highly honored, attaining even what today we might term "superstar" status. The poetry was the poetry of the tribe or clan, articulating its legends, heroes, geneology, iteration of its strong "tribal code" of norms and exploits. Celebrated poets included traditionalists such as Imru 'al-Qays, the "Brigand Poets" or poets who individualistically broke with the control of their tribes and lived outside the tribal system, and the celebrated Pre-Islamic woman poetess Al-Khansa.

Al-Khansa (575-646) put women in a central place in her poetry. A traditionalist in one sense, she wrote poems of lament for brave fallen heroes of her tribe, such as her fallen brothers, yet celebrated the women who remained alive and powerful in keeping life going and honoring and transmitting the proud warrior values to their children, despite the vicissitudes of battle, defeat and victory. She made women's role in the symbolic order potent and visible, even in a patriarchal tribal society.

HAFIZ---FATHER OF THE GHAZAL GENRE OF LOVE POETRY

Hafiz is the pen name of the Persian poet Shams al-Din Muhammad Shirazi who is celebrated as the originating master of the "ghazal," a form of poetic artistic unity which is neither thematic nor dramatic in the Western sense, but consists in the creation of a poetic unity by weaving imagery and allusions round one or more central concepts, of which both divine and sexual love are the most common. Hafiz was a master of interweaving the erotic and the mystic through superb linguistic craftsmanship and intuitive insight. Some stanzas from his "The House of Hope" give some feel for his themes, often sensual and melancholy:

The house of hope is built on sand,

And life's foundations rest on air;

Then come, give wine into my hand,

That we may make an end of care.

Look not to find fidelity

Within a world so weakly stayed;

This ancient crone, ere flouting thee,

A thousand bridegrooms had betrayed.

Take not for sign of true intent

Nor think the rose's smile sincere;

Sweet, loving nightingale, lament:

There is much cause for weeping here.

What envying of Hafiz's ease,

Poor poetaster, dost thou moan?

To make sweet music, and to please,

That is a gift of God alone.

ABU-NAWAS---EROTIC COURT POET OF THE CALIPH HAROUN AL-RASHID OF THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS

Abu-Nawas (755-815) is perhaps the most beloved of Arab poets of any period. He appears repeatedly as a character in the classic "One Thousand and One Nights," or "Arabian Nights" along with the renown Abbasid Caliph Haroun al-Rashid and his Barmacid Vizir Jafar. He is the archetypal sensual, erotic and profligate poet and Baghdad court favorite of the Caliph. He wrote pangyric poetry as well as heterosexual and homosexual ghazals, and handled Bacchic poems of "wine, women and song" with incomparable skill. He wrote with an existential edge to his Epicurean ethos that embraced every kind of pleasure and satisfaction. His death is a subject of legend, some saying he died in prison for writing blasphemous verse, others that he died in a whorehouse, some saying he was murdered in reprisal for lampooning a powerful court personage, and still others that he died peacefully in his sleep in the home of a learned Shi'ite scholar.

RUMI----SUFI MYSTIC POET OF THE ECSTASY OF LOVE

Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273) was renown as both the foremost Sufi mystic poet and the founder of the Mavlevi sect of Sufi dancing dervishes. Originally an academic scholar and professor, he was persuaded by a wandering Sufi mystic, Shams al-Din Tabrizi, to take up the Sufi life and put the love of God at the center of his existence. Striving after divine illumination in diverse ways, from devout meditation to the ecstatic pleasures of wine, sexuality and the Dervish entrancement of dance, he emphasized a devotion to a spiritualized love that disregards rites and convention and concentrates on inner feeling and approach to the ecstatic infinite. His odes have been chanted by Hadjj pilgrims on the road to Mecca for centuries and are sung with the greatest reverence even today.

AL-JAHIZ---THE GREATEST PROSE WRITER OF CLASSICAL ARAB CULTURE

Abu Uthman 'Amr ibn Bahr (776-868) of Basra, Iraq was known as "Al-Jahiz" or "the goggle eyed" due to a malformation of his eyes and was one the dynamic personalities in the Mu'tazilite circles, which met regularly in Basra reminiscent of the famous "salons" of Paris. Basra was also the location of the annual Al-Mirbad literary festival of Arab and Islamic culture that took place yearly featuring competitions and debates on philosophical issues, and at which he was renown for his wit, cutting humor, endless anecdotes and depth of knowledge. His book "Spiritual Leadership" was praised at the court in Baghdad by the Caliph al-Mamun, who appointed him as court scribe, personal secretary and speech writer. His monumental work the "Book of Animals" is the first encyclopedia on animals and zoology. His most famous work is the "Book of Misers" which is a unique portrait gallery of human characters rich in their contradictions and ironies. It features an acute analysis of the passion of avarice, satirical and comic narratives, and cutting insight into human psychology. If the Eighteenth Century is sometimes called the Age of Voltaire, the Ninth Century in the Abbasid Caliphate could be called the "Age of Al-Jahiz"

through his dominance of prose writing in Arabic.

THE GREAT PHILOSOPHERS OF THE ARAB GOLDEN AGE

If Classical Greece had the great triumvirate of Aristotle, Plato and Socrates in the realm of philosophy, the Islamic Golden Age featured Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Ibn Rushd (Averroes) and Ibn Arabi. Ibn Rushd and Ibn Sina played a major role in saving the works of Aristotle, whose ideas came to dominate the non-religious thought of both the Christian and Muslim worlds. They would also absorb ideas from China and India, adding to them tremendous knowledge from their own studies. Ibn Sina and other speculative thinkers such as al-Kindi and al-Farabi combined Aristotelianism and Neoplatonism with other ideas introduced through Islam. Avicenna argued his famous "Floating Man" thought experiment, concerning self-awareness, where a man prevented of sense experience by being blindfolded and free falling would still be aware of his existence, perhaps a forerunner of Descartes "cogito ergo sum"----"I think therefore I am."

Ibn Arabi was the foremost advocate of metaphysical Sufism, as expressed in his magnum opus "Bezels of Wisdom" which transformed Islam's personal God into a principle of absolute being, where all is God and God is all, in which humanity in his Sufist interpretation, occupies a central role as revealed divine being, perhaps reminiscent of Bishop Berkeley's pan-idealism.

The Arab philosophers of the Islamic Golden Age also stimulated other non-Muslim philosophers such as Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides.

IBN TUFAIL AND IBN AL-NAFIZ---FATHERS OF THE ARABIC PHILOSOPHIC AND SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS

Ibn Tufail (Abubacer) and Ibn al-Nafis were pioneers of the philosophical novel. Ibn Tufail wrote the first fictional Arabic novel "Hayy ibn Yaqdhan" ("Philosophus Autodidactus") as a response to al-Ghazali's "The Incoherence of the Philosophers," and then Ibn al-Nafis also wrote a fictional novel "Theologus Autodidactus" as a response to Ibn Tufail's "Philosophus Autodidactus." Both of these narratives had protagonists (Hayy in Philosophus Autodidactus and Kamil in Theologus Autodidactus) who were autodidactic feral children living in seclusion on a desert island, both being the earliest examples of a desert island story, a forerunner of Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe." However, while Hayy lives alone with animals on the desert island for the rest of the story, like Mowgli in Kipling's "Jungle Book" in "Philosophus Autodidactus," the story of Kamil extends beyond the desert island setting in "Theologus Autodidactus," developing into a story of his re-entry into civilization, the earliest known coming of age plot and eventually becoming the first example of a science fiction novel.

AL HALLAJ---SUFI MARTYR

Al-Hallaj (857-922) was a great Sufi mystic, poet and theologian whose life and spiritual mission was reminiscent of the fate of Jesus Christ. A great spiritual searcher, he attended debates and salons in Basra and Baghdad, then embarked on thirty years of wandering, perpetual fasting, meditation, contemplation and silence in search of Sufi enlightenment. His pilgrimage to Mecca led to further enlightenment and he began to attract large numbers of followers, breaking the normal Sufi practice of esoteric secrecy by public preaching, including reform of corrupt clerics. His movement was perceived as a threat by the highly corrupt religious establishment, and he suffered a fate similar to Jesus and the Apostles. Corrupt clerics accused him of blasphemy and he was imprisoned in Baghdad eight years, tortured, half-killed and exhibited on a scaffold. The Caliph, failing to force him to recant his beliefs, finally had him decapitated, burnt and his ashes scattered into the Tigris River.

SPIRITS OF THE WORLD AND THE ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE

The Islamic Golden Age is also reflected in my own work, the contemporary and futurist epic Spiritus Mundi. One of its characters Mohammad ala Rushdie is a novice Sufi of the Mevlevi Order, writer and also an activist for the creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly. He is taken hostage by terrorists and meets the Supreme Leader of Iran, later reciting to him a short story he has written "The Supreme Leader and the Three Messiahs," reminiscent of Dostoyevski's "The Grand Inquisitor" set in an Islamic setting. Part of the plot of the novel involves a geopolitical conspiracy of an allied China-Russia-Iran to execute a Pearl Harbor-like sneak attack invasion of the Middle-East oil reserves to sever the "oil jugular" of the West, leading to a threatened WWIII. It is foiled by a cosmic quest of the protagonists intoa mythic dimension and a change of heart in the Iranian Supreme Leader following a visit of the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) who commands him to "Open the Gates of Ijtihad" or creative reasoning against the tradition of blind precedent and conformity to the past as a means giving rebirth to the spirit of the lost Islamic Golden Age and preventing Armageddon and World War III.

For a fuller discussion of the concept of World Literature you are invited to look into the extended discussion in the new book Spiritus Mundi, by Robert Sheppard, one of the principal themes of which is the emergence and evolution of World Literature:

For Discussions on World Literature and n Literary Criticism in Spiritus Mundi: http://worldliteratureandliterarycrit...

Robert Sheppard

Editor-in-Chief

World Literature Forum

Author, Spiritus Mundi Novel

Author’s Blog:

http://robertalexandersheppard.wordpr...

Spiritus Mundi on Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...

Spiritus Mundi on Amazon, Book I: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CIGJFGO

Spiritus Mundi, Book II: The Romance http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CGM8BZG

african-literature

archetype

asian-literature

...more

2 likes

Comment

Elizabeth L'Abate

8 reviews

22 followers

January 30, 2008

best translation. Each prophet as a different Gnosis and practice....

2 likes

Comment

Profile Image for saïd.

said

5,904 reviews

565 followers

August 5, 2022

Read for research for Islamic reception paper

2_nonfiction

urduniy_w_al_asdiqeh

2 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Serdar.

serdar

75 reviews

6 followers

January 13, 2015

A strange book that replaces (your) questions with other questions. Have an excerpt here, as it's somewhat up-to-date.

Although Davud wished to build the Holy House and built it many times, the building whose construction was completed was demolished each time. When he complained about this situation to Allah, Allah Almighty revealed to him: “This house of mine cannot stand on the two hands of a person who shed blood.” David said: "Lord, have I not shed blood in your way?" Allah Ta'ala said: "Yes, but are they not My servants?"

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Lionkhan-sama.

Lionkhan-sama

168 reviews

7 followers

November 29, 2015

In all honesty, I am nowhere near the level of this book. The information contained is of the highest caliber, and not for the normal person. I have much to go before I can understand even a decent portion of Ibn AlArabi's words.

However, what tiny little pieces I did understand I enjoyed immensely. Ibn AlArabi gives an incredible perspective, and is most certainly worth trying to understand.

The translation is absolutely wonderful. Although translated from Arabic to English, I feel that the message and meanings of the original author were not faded.

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Özge Kurbetoglu.

Özge Kurbetoglu

63 reviews

10 followers

September 11, 2017

It was an amazing to read sufi teachings and the way of reaching Allah by all Prophets' stories, abilities.

Moreover than this, I have read in one of the sufi book that ibn arabi's fususul hikem couldnot be understood by 2-3 people through the years, it was saying. In any case, it was worth to read

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Kooshan.

Kooshan

6 reviews

Read

October 29, 2009

The book Fuss or Fuss al-Hakm by Sheikh Akbar Ibn Arabi is one of the famous books of Sufism and theoretical mysticism.

Due to its great importance and value, more than a hundred and ten different commentaries have been written on Fuss al-Hakm in different languages.

1 like

Comment

manager

7 reviews

17 followers

June 25, 2008

Best translation and critical edition available of oen of the masterpieces of Islamic mystical thought

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Hytham.

Hytham

43 reviews

33 followers

March 30, 2012

One of the best I've read in 2012.

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Hend.

Hand

2 reviews

November 6, 2014

One of the best books I ever read. Every time you read it, you gain new wisdom. Ibn Al Arabi has a unique style and unique knowledge; controversial, but absolutely great thinker.

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Mazen Alloujami.

Mazen Alloujami

617 reviews

10 followers

July 6, 2014

A summary of the wisdom of Ibn Arabi and his Sufi philosophy.

A wonderful book, but difficult to understand for the reader unfamiliar with the mystical experience.

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Maziar MHK.

Maziar MHK

174 reviews

151 followers

Read

February 10, 2019

At the end, a book with the name of Ibn Arabi kills people, but the heavy text drives people away.

1 like

Comment

Nicolas Name

218 reviews

14 followers

July 25, 2022

Horrible work. Only people praising it are Muslims starved of actual philosophers and serious thinkers, that they’re willing to upgrade some two rate hack up, as is done with Ibn Arabi.

The work takes some prophets from the Qur’an (missing many more from the Bible, but takes the ones specifically mentioned by Muhammad) and compliments them for representing one virtue or another.

It’s just not a critical appraisal of any one of these people (at least half of who never existed and are fictional characters, like Adam, Moses, and so on).

To add, it’s involves extremely bad apologetics. The Qur’an is not a miracle of a text, there are much better written books - in terms of creativity and truth - than the Qur’an. Anyone who says that the Qur’an is a miracle because of its spectacular quality isn’t a serious reader or is too deep in the Islamic kool aid. I could name at least a hundred books I’ve read that are better than Qur’an, just in terms of quality of writing (and that’s ignoring the message of the Qur’an, which is extremely hostile to every other religious faith besides Islam, is intolerant of atheism and polytheism, condones slavery, polygamy, is extremely sexist, condones wars, war crimes, rapes, and so on).

This is just terrible apologetics, and I wouldn’t have read it if it wasn’t recommended (by someone who hasn’t read Ibn Arabi, but just heard about how much of a “deep” thinker he is, but I digress). All in all, one shouldn’t recommend authors or books that one hasn’t read oneself.

Also, if someone has supposedly written 700 books, and they lived to be 75, that means they wrote 10 “books” a month for 58 years (meaning they wrote 10 “books since they were 17 years old). That means they were writing a “book” every 3 days. That’s not an author, that’s a 12th century blogger, at that point.

Comment

Profile Image for Volker Rivinius.

Volker Rivinius

175 reviews

10 followers

May 16, 2017

I think I would have needed an introduction to Sufism before diving into this text by Ibn Arabi and in order to grasp its nuances a little better. Not to mention that this is a text almost 800 years old and from a culture other than mine.

In short: the translator warns us from the outset that the translation is only partial and that many metaphors remain untranslatable. Of which act. We already knew that Islam borrowed some of its prophets from the Jewish or Christian religious tradition, we learn here that the interpretation that is made of it differs. Example: the famous story of Abraham summoned to immolate his son. While in the Bible, God wants to test the loyalty of the said Abraham (charming idea...), Ibn Arabi insists on the symbolism of this vision, on the need to interpret it. In other words, the word of God, when it manifests itself via dreams or visions, requires exegesis for it to be understood. We are therefore far from the interpretation to the letter.

Contrary to this altogether modern or at least reasoned idea, there are others, more traditional, like that of the inferiority of women, and this despite an apology for physical love.

It is of course a mystical text and not a philosophical one, but certain paradoxes nowadays engage a reflection in this direction, especially since the translation is full of philosophical terms. As the translation is already old, it will probably be necessary to be careful.

moyen-âge

Comment

Profile Image for Rana Yamout.

Rana Yamout

628 reviews

90 followers

September 16, 2020

The book is an analysis of the names of the prophets in a complex philosophical way following up on the names of God.

A lobe of naphthic wisdom in an objective word, that the gifts are either subjective or nominal, and the self-gifts are never without a divine transfiguration, so God highlighted that as an example that he set for his self-transfiguration so that the manifested one knows that he is what he saw. As for the nominal grants, they are all from the names, and that name is given to the Most Merciful, then it is a merciful gift. As for mercy mixed, then it is a divine gift.

A piece of Qudsi wisdom in the word Idrisi, height is two proportions, the height of a place, the height of a position, and the highest place is the place on which the millstone of the world of the spheres revolves, which is the orbit of the sun, and in it is the spiritual station of Idris. Below it are seven spheres, and above it are seven spheres, which is the fifteenth. Above it is the orbit of the Red, the orbit of Jupiter, the orbit of Kiwan, the orbit of the Mansions, the orbit of the Atlas, the orbit of the Zodiac, the orbit of the Throne, and the orbit of the Throne. And what is below it is the orbit of Venus, the orbit of the writer, the orbit of the moon, the sphere of the aqir, the sphere of passion, the sphere of water, and the sphere of dust.

book-2020

religion

Comment

voulpit

77 reviews

2 followers

January 26, 2018

A must read for everyone interested in Sufism.

Each Prophet has, in addition to his historic relevance, illustrations of certain particularities for human-God relationship, at a more universal level.

Too pity that we don't have full translations in all languages where this book is available.

Comment

Mansour

108 reviews

16 followers

January 1, 2018

The intuition of truth in women is the most complete

Comment

Hello Angela

15 reviews

4 followers

October 3, 2018

very wise piece of work but hard to understand, I had to read it twice.

Comment

Profile Image for ehsan karimkhani.

ehsan karimkhani

57 reviews

14 followers

June 11, 2020

Yazd Theological Seminary, I would sit for weeks and hours on the discussion and lessons of this book

and I would collapse and somewhere in my soul and mind something would be created.

What a pity that I finished and it was left unfinished.

Comment

Profile Image for Maed.

maid

15 reviews

May 11, 2021

amazing

Comment

Profile Image for Ahmed Sakr.

Ahmed Sakr

10 reviews

1 follower

May 17, 2021

A wonderful book and its magnificence stems from its seriousness. However, it must be noted that it is not suitable as an introduction to Sufi thought. The reader needs previous knowledge of Sufi thought in order to enjoy the words of Ibn Arabi, who is undoubtedly the greatest Sufi of all time.

Comment

Profile Image for Othman Al Qasmi.

Othman Al Qasmi

7 reviews

July 14, 2022

Amazing Book

Comment

Profile Image for Arwa.

He has fought

196 reviews

34 followers

June 15, 2016

I read the original Arabic book as well as the English translated version (The name of the translator was not mentioned). Mystical texts is known for its ambiguity the reason why I found some changes in the translated version. I looked into another translation by Nicholson and it was the same as the one before, if not worse. I think that it takes a mystic who is used to the terms and philosophies of the author to translate him. Nicholson is a specialist in Ibn Arabi but yet affected by his Christian understanding of Ibn Arabi's texts.

mysticism

philosophy

Comment

Profile Image for Maureen.

Maureen

726 reviews

87 followers

September 3, 2008

During the period when Ibn Al' Arabi wrote this book, he faced a general climate of backlash against Sufism from the orthodox majority. It is both a description and a commentary on psychological type, couched as a study of the twenty-seven prophets mentioned in the Koran. It is a difficult and powerful book written by the greatest Sufi theorist. The copy I read, translated by R.W.J. Austin, was superior to the other translations I have seen.

poetry

sufism

Comment

54 results

============

Show previous reviews

Profile Image for Kat.

Kat

49 reviews

5 followers

Read

November 3, 2009

4 likes

4 comments

Comment

Profile Image for Joseph.

Joseph

21 reviews

December 25, 2009

Some seriously crazy shit.

college

4 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Faisal Karkari.

Faisal Karkari

Author

3 books

96 followers

December 18, 2019

Whatever you think of the man, Ibn Arabi offers a book of unparalleled literary value. My journey with him was as follows:

Al-Qashani gave a full explanation, and it is almost impossible to distinguish between the writer Ibn Arabi and the commentator Al-Qashani. As if the two speak with one tongue and a common heart.

This book may be unfamiliar, but it is undoubtedly a great value for Arabic readers.

3 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Homan.

Homan

74 reviews

3 followers

September 11, 2021

https://hooman.bio.link/

Be who you are

religion

3 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Mohammad Ali Shamekhi.

Mohammad Ali Shamekhi

1,096 reviews

236 followers

Shelved as 'currently-released'

June 3, 2015

Religions and mysticism

3 likes

Comment

Firdous

6 reviews

May 24, 2018

Tip for reading - Before starting the book one can listen (youtube) or read lectures by Professor William Chittick on Arabi’s philosophy.

Here’s the link which has helped me a lot

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ib...

3 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Robert Sheppard.

Robert Sheppard

Author

2 books

83 followers

August 13, 2013

"THE INK OF THE SCHOLAR"---THE ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE

THE KORAN (QURAN) IN WORLD LITERATURE

PRE-ISLAMIC ARABIC POETRY---AL-KHANSA, CELEBRATED WOMAN POET

HAFIZ---FATHER OF THE GHAZAL GENRE OF LOVE POETRY

The house of hope is built on sand,

And life's foundations rest on air;

Then come, give wine into my hand,

That we may make an end of care.

Look not to find fidelity

Within a world so weakly stayed;

This ancient crone, ere flouting thee,

A thousand bridegrooms had betrayed.

Take not for sign of true intent

Nor think the rose's smile sincere;

Sweet, loving nightingale, lament:

There is much cause for weeping here.

What envying of Hafiz's ease,

Poor poetaster, dost thou moan?

To make sweet music, and to please,

That is a gift of God alone.

ABU-NAWAS---EROTIC COURT POET OF THE CALIPH HAROUN AL-RASHID OF THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS

RUMI----SUFI MYSTIC POET OF THE ECSTASY OF LOVE

AL-JAHIZ---THE GREATEST PROSE WRITER OF CLASSICAL ARAB CULTURE

through his dominance of prose writing in Arabic.

THE GREAT PHILOSOPHERS OF THE ARAB GOLDEN AGE

The Arab philosophers of the Islamic Golden Age also stimulated other non-Muslim philosophers such as Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides.

IBN TUFAIL AND IBN AL-NAFIZ---FATHERS OF THE ARABIC PHILOSOPHIC AND SCIENCE FICTION NOVELS

AL HALLAJ---SUFI MARTYR

SPIRITS OF THE WORLD AND THE ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE

For Discussions on World Literature and n Literary Criticism in Spiritus Mundi: http://worldliteratureandliterarycrit...

Robert Sheppard

Editor-in-Chief

World Literature Forum

Author, Spiritus Mundi Novel

Author’s Blog:

http://robertalexandersheppard.wordpr...

Spiritus Mundi on Goodreads:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...

Spiritus Mundi on Amazon, Book I: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CIGJFGO

Spiritus Mundi, Book II: The Romance http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CGM8BZG

african-literature

archetype

asian-literature

...more

2 likes

Comment

Elizabeth L'Abate

8 reviews

22 followers

January 30, 2008

best translation. Each prophet as a different Gnosis and practice....

2 likes

Comment

Profile Image for saïd.

said

5,904 reviews

565 followers

August 5, 2022

Read for research for Islamic reception paper

2_nonfiction

urduniy_w_al_asdiqeh

2 likes

Comment

Profile Image for Serdar.

serdar

75 reviews

6 followers

January 13, 2015

A strange book that replaces (your) questions with other questions. Have an excerpt here, as it's somewhat up-to-date.

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Lionkhan-sama.

Lionkhan-sama

168 reviews

7 followers

November 29, 2015

However, what tiny little pieces I did understand I enjoyed immensely. Ibn AlArabi gives an incredible perspective, and is most certainly worth trying to understand.

The translation is absolutely wonderful. Although translated from Arabic to English, I feel that the message and meanings of the original author were not faded.

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Özge Kurbetoglu.

Özge Kurbetoglu

63 reviews

10 followers

September 11, 2017

It was an amazing to read sufi teachings and the way of reaching Allah by all Prophets' stories, abilities.

Moreover than this, I have read in one of the sufi book that ibn arabi's fususul hikem couldnot be understood by 2-3 people through the years, it was saying. In any case, it was worth to read

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Kooshan.

Kooshan

6 reviews

Read

October 29, 2009

The book Fuss or Fuss al-Hakm by Sheikh Akbar Ibn Arabi is one of the famous books of Sufism and theoretical mysticism.

Due to its great importance and value, more than a hundred and ten different commentaries have been written on Fuss al-Hakm in different languages.

1 like

Comment

manager

7 reviews

17 followers

June 25, 2008

Best translation and critical edition available of oen of the masterpieces of Islamic mystical thought

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Hytham.

Hytham

43 reviews

33 followers

March 30, 2012

One of the best I've read in 2012.

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Hend.

Hand

2 reviews

November 6, 2014

One of the best books I ever read. Every time you read it, you gain new wisdom. Ibn Al Arabi has a unique style and unique knowledge; controversial, but absolutely great thinker.

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Mazen Alloujami.

Mazen Alloujami

617 reviews

10 followers

July 6, 2014

A summary of the wisdom of Ibn Arabi and his Sufi philosophy.

A wonderful book, but difficult to understand for the reader unfamiliar with the mystical experience.

1 like

Comment

Profile Image for Maziar MHK.

Maziar MHK

174 reviews

151 followers

Read

February 10, 2019

At the end, a book with the name of Ibn Arabi kills people, but the heavy text drives people away.

1 like

Comment

Nicolas Name

218 reviews

14 followers

July 25, 2022

Horrible work. Only people praising it are Muslims starved of actual philosophers and serious thinkers, that they’re willing to upgrade some two rate hack up, as is done with Ibn Arabi.

The work takes some prophets from the Qur’an (missing many more from the Bible, but takes the ones specifically mentioned by Muhammad) and compliments them for representing one virtue or another.

It’s just not a critical appraisal of any one of these people (at least half of who never existed and are fictional characters, like Adam, Moses, and so on).

Comment

Profile Image for Volker Rivinius.

Volker Rivinius

175 reviews

10 followers

May 16, 2017

Contrary to this altogether modern or at least reasoned idea, there are others, more traditional, like that of the inferiority of women, and this despite an apology for physical love.

middle ages

Comment

Profile Image for Rana Yamout.

Rana Yamout

628 reviews

90 followers

September 16, 2020

The book is an analysis of the names of the prophets in a complex philosophical way following up on the names of God.

book-2020

religion

Comment

voulpit

77 reviews

2 followers

January 26, 2018

A must read for everyone interested in Sufism.

Each Prophet has, in addition to his historic relevance, illustrations of certain particularities for human-God relationship, at a more universal level.

Too pity that we don't have full translations in all languages where this book is available.

Comment

Mansour

108 reviews

16 followers

January 1, 2018

The intuition of truth in women is the most complete

Comment

Hello Angela

15 reviews

4 followers

October 3, 2018

very wise piece of work but hard to understand, I had to read it twice.

Comment

Profile Image for ehsan karimkhani.

ehsan karimkhani

57 reviews

14 followers

June 11, 2020

Yazd Theological Seminary, I would sit for weeks and hours on the discussion and lessons of this book

and I would collapse and somewhere in my soul and mind something would be created.

What a pity that I finished and it was left unfinished.

Comment

Profile Image for Maed.

maid

15 reviews

May 11, 2021

amazing

Comment

Profile Image for Ahmed Sakr.

Ahmed Sakr

10 reviews

1 follower

May 17, 2021

Comment

Profile Image for Othman Al Qasmi.

Othman Al Qasmi

7 reviews

July 14, 2022

Amazing Book

Comment

Profile Image for Arwa.

He has fought

196 reviews

34 followers

June 15, 2016

mysticism

philosophy

Comment

Profile Image for Maureen.

Maureen

726 reviews

87 followers

September 3, 2008

poetry

sufism

Comment

54 results