An Endless Historiography: Tracing Scholarship on Ibn ʿArabi over Four Decades

An Endless Tajalli
A Historiography of Ibn ʿArabi
Ali Hussain
Introduction
It is perhaps safe to assume that any contemporary specialist
Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

in Islam’s intellectual and mystical traditions is familiar with
Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi (1165–1240).1 This figure’s thought has
proven to be a fecund intellectual soil for many Western spe-
cialists who authored biographies, expositions, commentar-
ies and works in other genres all revolving around his life and
writings. Over the past decades, the research surrounding this
thinker has flourished as the overall understanding of medieval
Islamic mysticism of these specialists has deepened and pub-
lished monographs in the genre have increased dramatically
in volume and range. Thus, whereas early works on Ibn ʿArabi
presented either a generic overview of his thought or transla-
tions of the shorter treatises and poems, published monographs
today on the Shaykh range from detailed expositional works
on specific concepts in his thought to comparative studies that
engage Ibn ʿArabi in an intellectual dialogue with various philo-
sophical trends in the modern world.
This study attempts to survey some of these major trends
and monographs published in the West on Ibn ʿArabi, particu-
larly over the past three to four decades. These works include
authoritative references like Chittick’s Sufi Path, Chodkiewicz’s
Seal or Addas’ Quest; detailed expositions like Haj Yousef’s
Time; comparative studies like Almond’s Sufism and, lastly,
some novel literary appropriations of Ibn ʿArabi’s image, such
as Meddeb’s Tombeau. However, before delving into the task
at hand, it is worthwhile first discussing a brief history of Ibn
1. Cf. Addas, Quest, 18, 287.

94 Ali Hussain
ʿArabi studies in the West prior to the period in focus in this

survey.
Considerable efforts to explore Ibn ʿArabi’s writings by West-
ern specialists can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th
century. Nicholson’s three major works – Studies, The Mystics
and the translation of Tarjuman al-Ashwaq – collectively explore
a wide array of themes and concepts prevalent in Ibn ʿArabi’s
prose and poetry.2 Horten’s Mystische Texte and Nyberg’s Kleinere
Schriften would continue Nicholson’s efforts, both offering Ger-
man renditions of some of Ibn ʿArabi’s treatises and poetry.
Meanwhile, Ayni’s La Quintessence, in a similar fashion to

Nicholson’s The Mystics, presents an outline of Ibn ʿArabi’s key
philosophical and metaphysical concepts.
In the mid-20th century, other trends were developed among
Western specialists in their approach to Ibn ʿArabi’s thought
and works. Palacios’ three works in Spanish: Abenmasarra, La
Escatologia Musulmana and El Islam Cristianizado attempt to sit-
uate Ibn ʿArabi’s thought within the larger history of Europe’s
intellectual and philosophical traditions, Islamic and other-
wise. In the genre of translations, Burckhardt’s French rendi-
tion of Fusus al-Hikam would inspire numerous later attempts
at translating this controversial and provocative work into
various Western languages. Also, Ralph Austin’s translation of
Ibn ʿArabi’s hagiographical works, Ruh al-Quds and Al-Durra
al-Fakhira, provided a unique insight into the latter’s percep-
tion of his milieu as he offers criticism of institutional Sufism in
Eastern Islamdom and lamentation for its Western counterpart.
Worthy of mention in this regard also are works that explore
a specific area of Ibn ʿArabi’s thought. Corbin’s L’Imagination
créatrice, published in 1958, remains an authoritative reference
2. Studies specifically discusses the theme of al-Insan al-Kamil and its
appropriation by later figures in the Akbari school, such as ʿAbd al-Karim
al-Jili; cf, Studies, 77. On the other hand, The Mystics and Nicholson’s
translation of Tarjuman al-Ashwaq both discuss Ibn ʿArabi’s poetry and the
theme of love predominant in this genre of writings. Moreover, Nicholson
debates in his translation of the Tarjuman the hostile position of another
Western specialist, Reinhart Dozy, in regards to Ibn ʿArabi’s authorship of
the Tarjuman; cf. Tarjuman al-Ashwaq, 9.
An Endless Tajalli 95
among today’s specialists on Ibn ʿArabi’s cosmological concept

known as the imaginal realm (ʿalam al-khayal). Even though
Corbin’s writing displays a striking Shiʿite bias, his reflective
exposition presents a novel, contextualized discussion of Ibn
ʿArabi’s ideas within the framework of Islamic Imamology.3 This
Shiʿite appropriation of Ibn ʿArabi is also prevalent in Corbin’s
other works, case in point being Histoire.
Corbin’s works and the other endeavors mentioned above
roughly describe the topography of Western research on Ibn
ʿArabi in the first half of the 20th century. Undoubtedly, these
works influenced the current trends in Ibn ʿArabi studies among

Western specialists, which this survey aims to discuss. The
study will begin by examining a diverse sample of crucial mon-
ographs that have been published roughly during the past three
decades. Due to the limited space allowed, the emphasis will
be on monographs published in Western languages, primarily
English, with some brief mention of works in French, Spanish
and German. These works are organized in various categories:
expositions, translations, polemics, sources of influence, biogra-
phies, comparative endeavors, bibliographies and study guides,
posteriority and, lastly, contemporary contextualizations. This
classification should in turn aid in sketching an outline of what
have been the major intellectual trends and genres of works
explored so far by specialists in their endeavor to approach Ibn
ʿArabi’s life and thought.
A concluding section will then offer some thoughts, based
upon the main discussion, on some unexplored academic
directions where future research and studies on Ibn ʿArabi
might proceed. These proposed directions include some areas
of the Shaykh’s thought that still require specialist attention:
for example, new translations of certain works of Ibn ʿArabi’s;
new endeavors to compare Ibn ʿArabi’s thought with other vari-
ous intellectual or spiritual traditions; and lastly, new efforts
to increase the understanding and awareness of the various
3. This term is used often by Corbin in L’Imagination and other works,
such as Histoire de la Philosophie Islamique, to refer to the devotion in
Shiʿism to the twelve imams.
96 Ali Hussain
sociopolitical, religious and cultural contexts within which Ibn

ʿArabi’s life and work developed.
Historiographical survey
Before delving into examining the sample of works in this sec-
tion, I should offer some cautionary remarks regarding this
study’s limitations. First, the monographs discussed are in
no way meant to be an exhaustive list of all the works pub-
lished on Ibn ʿArabi. Considering the tremendous amount of
literary output available at the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society

(MIAS) alone,4 not to mention also the practically innumerable
generic surveys on Islamic history, such as Hodgson’s Venture5
or Schimmel’s Mystical Dimensions,6 that include some kind of
mention, albeit en passant, of Ibn ʿArabi, it would clearly be
an indomitable task to include all of these works in the ensu-
ing discussion. Thus, the survey at hand is representative of
mostly English works, including some mention of monographs
in other key research languages, such as French, German and
Spanish.
Secondly, the choice of categories provided for this
bibliographical survey is certainly not the only possible clas-
sification for the Shaykh’s writings, which are rather difficult to
categorize. This is mostly due to the fact that Ibn ʿArabi’s meta-
physical and intellectual framework is somewhat intertwined
and organic, which means that a discussion on one topic
is bound to involve many other themes and concepts – that
is, exploring the theme of the perfect man (al-insan al-kamil)
inevitably requires mentioning the notion of manifestations
(tajalliyat) and other concepts in the cosmo-ontological frame-
work of unity of being (wahdat al-wujud). Although this prob-
lem rarely presents itself in book-length monographs where the
author usually has enough space to fully explore a theme or a
4. At least 175 articles, aside from the book-length monographs.

5. Hodgson, Venture, vol. 2, 226, 228, 232, 238–244, 246, 314, 331,
367, 334–335, 462, 464, 465.
6. Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions, 263–273, 279–286.
topic, it arises often in shorter papers where an amalgamation

of Akbari themes are almost always discussed.
Moreover, a reader familiar with Ibn ʿArabi’s thought will
note that while some of these categories and sub-categories
represent Ibn ʿArabi’s own motivations, such as prophetology
and sainthood, others reflect contemporary interests, such as
feminism or universalism. Other categories still, such as episte-
mology or ontology, represent mostly a personal choice and do
not necessarily reflect Ibn ʿArabi’s own motivations. Again, this
survey’s choice of categorization reflects mostly my own under-
standing of Ibn ʿArabi’s corpus, and is merely one of many

possible such classifications that inevitably vary according to
various personal motivations and commitments.
Lastly, the scope of this survey is limited to works on Ibn
ʿArabi authored by Western academic specialists. However, one
could consider extending this type of research to also include
monographs on Ibn ʿArabi authored by religious scholars,
enthusiasts and academics from other regions in the world,
especially Islamdom.7 Incorporating these additional works
into a survey such as this might reveal some new contexts
within which Ibn ʿArabi’s thought and image is being reshaped
and appropriated.
Expositions
Works that attempt to adumbrate and expound upon Ibn
ʿArabi’s thought and writings might very well be the most dif-
ficult set of monographs to classify. This is primarily due to the
fact that many of the authors in this genre tend to incorpo-
rate numerous Akbari themes in their writings, which in turn
makes these monographs difficult to categorize. Nevertheless, a
particular classification was sought in order to sketch a coher-
ent outline of those topics and concepts that have received the
7. In this regard, it is worthwhile referring to Keller’s Sea. Keller is a

shaykh in the Shadhiliyya tariqa and in this work he presents both a tra-
ditionalist exposition on Ibn ʿArabi’s Weltanschauung and criticism of the
Western academic appropriation of the latter.
98 Ali Hussain
most extensive coverage from specialists and those that are rela-
tively understudied and still merit investigation.
General, comprehensive overviews

The most pivotal works in this regard are Chittick’s monu-
mental monographs: Sufi Path (SPK) and Self-Disclosure (SDG).
Aside from the detailed commentaries, extensive translation
of numerous segments from the Futuhat and comprehensive
overview of Ibn ʿArabi’s thought, it is Chittick’s sophisticated
methodology of rendering Ibn ʿArabi’s works into English that

is of utmost importance. The author’s discussion on this issue,
found in the respective introductions of SPK8 and SDG,9 reveals
a crucial intellectual tension that inevitably faces any transla-
tor of Ibn ʿArabi’s works and those of other Muslim mystics.
This contentious dilemma is essentially the desire to present a
coherent outline of the Shaykh’s thought to the reader while
simultaneously transmitting the perplexing and paradoxical
incoherence inherent in many of these writings. Therefore,
Chittick’s endeavors, more than just merely adumbrations of
Ibn ʿArabi’s thought, are most importantly a crucial insight into
the academic sensitivity needed to approach and translate such
monumental and sophisticated works as those of Ibn ʿArabi and
other Muslim mystics.
Sainthood
The theme of sainthood (walaya) finds extensive interest among
Western specialists, Chodkiewicz’s Seal being perhaps the most
pivotal monograph in this regard. The author of this work does
not just discuss Ibn ʿArabi’s views on sainthood or the con-
troversial post of seal of saints (khatm al-walaya), but he also
expounds upon the intellectual genealogy of this concept going
back to al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi, the 9th-century Muslim mystic
8. Chittick, Sufi Path, ix–xx.

9. Chittick, Self-Disclosure, xxxv.
who purportedly introduced this concept.10 Thus, in this sense,

Seal is not only an excellent resource for understanding Ibn
ʿArabi’s views on walaya, but also for situating his framework
within the larger tradition of Islamic mysticism.
Prophetology
The most profound insight into Ibn ʿArabi’s perception of God’s
sent messengers arguably occurs in his controversial and famed
work Fusus al-Hikam. Thus, in works like Nettler’s Sufi Metaphys-
ics, one finds an extensive discussion on this very same topic

precisely as it is expounded upon in the Fusus. Similarly, Aus-
tin’s translation of this same work – to be discussed below –
includes an introduction at the beginning of every chapter that
provides a crucial insight into Ibn ʿArabi’s vision and method-
ology behind every prophetic figure’s esoteric realities and wis-
doms, an approach which has been followed by other specialists,
namely Elmore in ‘Qurʾanic Wisdom’. Aside from these works,
there have also been quite a few efforts that discuss Ibn ʿArabi’s
connection with and vision of specific prophets. Thus, Gloton’s
Jésus, Shah-Kazemi’s ‘Jesus’ and Hakim’s ‘The Spirit’ all discuss
Ibn ʿArabi’s relationship with the figure of Christ. Meanwhile,
Hirtenstein’s ‘Lunar View’ and ‘Brotherhood of Milk’ expound
upon Ibn ʿArabi’s association with two other prophetic figures,
Adam and Abraham, respectively.
Love and mercy

Ibn ʿArabi, as Corbin relates, is to be considered a prominent
figure in the cult of Fedeli d’Amore.11 This hypothesis certainly
finds ample evidence in the Shaykh’s writings. Thus, Austin’s
‘Meditations’, Beneito’s ‘On the Divine Love’ and Chittick’s
‘The Divine Roots’ all revolve around Ibn ʿArabi’s conviction
that all forms and displays of love are in actuality manifes-
tations of an essential longing for union with the divine. Of
10. Chodkiewicz, Seal, 27–32.

11. Corbin, Alone/L’Imagination, 100–101.
100 Ali Hussain
course, this theme is very much related to the larger cosmo-

ontological notion of breath of the merciful (nafas al-rahman)
– the underlying fabric and very livelihood of the cosmos. It is
not surprising then to find some of these same authors who dis-
cussed Ibn ʿArabi’s views on love also expound upon his cosmo-
logical and metaphysical conception of Mercy. Beneito’s ‘The
Presence’, Chittick’s ‘The Anthropology’ and works by other
specialists, such as Haj Yousef’s ‘Treasury’, supplement and situ-
ate the discussion on love within the larger context of celestial
and ontological mercy.

Exoteric foundations
An emerging trend since the 1980s among specialists has been
the motivation to explore some of the exoteric (zahir) founda-
tions of Ibn ʿArabi’s thought, in order to balance the somewhat
overemphasized esoteric (batin) aspect. The central work that
in a sense ushered in this trend is Chodkiewicz’s Ocean. This
intellectual excursion, much like the author’s above-discussed
Seal, is a thorough and detailed work. Chodkiewicz explores
Ibn ʿArabi’s exotericism by highlighting the seemingly Quranic
organization of the latter’s magnum opus, Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya
(The Meccan Revelations).12 Although Chodkiewicz is unique
in his usage of such structural comparative methods in order to
explore Ibn ʿArabi’s exoteric foundations, other authors have
nonetheless contributed considerably to this genre. Particularly,
Winkel’s similar endeavor, Islam, is a discussion of Ibn ʿArabi’s
remarkably rich, yet surprisingly scarcely explored, discourse on
Islamic law (fiqh).
Ethics
Specialist works revolving around Ibn ʿArabi’s views on ethics
usually take place under the heading of manners/etiquette
(adab). Knysh’s ‘Realms’ expounds upon and reveals Ibn ʿArabi’s
rather contentious perspective on this topic through the latter’s
12. Chodkiewicz, Ocean, 59–77.

cosmo-ontological foundations. Knysh explicates that although

certain human acts and traits might be considered evil in this
lower realm (al-hayat al-dunya) where divine command (taklif)
has jurisdiction, a more provocative reality presents itself in Ibn
ʿArabi’s eschatological views, whereby the essences of these very
same actions and traits are revealed as being utterly good, since
in actuality they were naught but the acts and attributes of the
Divine, the only real actor in a wujudi framework like Ibn ʿArabi’s.
Eschatology

Continuing with the above-mentioned theme of ‘end of times’,
there have been various works that specifically explore Ibn
ʿArabi’s eschatological views. For example, Morris’ ‘The Mahdi’
discusses the intellectual treatment of this highly messianic fig-
ure by Ibn ʿArabi as it occurs in Chapter 366 of the Futuhat.13
Similarly, Chittick’s Imaginal Worlds14 explores the themes of
the minor hour, death of a human being/microcosm (al-saʿa
al-sughra) and the major hour, death of the cosmos/macro-
cosm (al-saʿa al-kubra) through the Akbari prism of the isthmus
(ʿalam al-barzakh) and the imaginal realm (ʿalam al-khayal).
Feminism
A specialist familiar with Ibn ʿArabi’s writings most probably
is aware of the novel and somewhat provocative feminist ele-
ments in the Shaykh’s anthropic and deistic views. Hakim’s
‘Twofold perception’ and Shaikh’s Sufi Narratives are two of
these crucial works that explore the various appropriations of
this gender-sensitive topic by Ibn ʿArabi in his various mon-
ographs. Although both these authors’ discussions revolve
around the central cosmic role of women as a particular mani-
festation of God, Hakim attempts to specifically give a brief out-
line of the various roles a female subject plays in Ibn ʿArabi’s
thought, while Shaikh is motivated instead to situate a critical
13. Morris, ‘The Mahdi’, 1.

14. Chittick, Imaginal Worlds, 97–113.
102 Ali Hussain
analysis of this topic within the context of its appropriation by

other contemporary specialists, such as Nasr and Murata.15
Spiritual pedagogy
James Morris’ works have been pivotal in exploring the cen-
tral themes of moral discipline (tarbiya) and spiritual realization
(tahqiq) in Ibn ʿArabi’s Weltanschauung. In The Reflective Heart,
‘Communication’ and other expositions, Morris expounds
upon the quintessential motivation and intention underlying
Ibn ʿArabi’s works. Particularly, Morris reveals that the Shaykh

did not necessarily intend for his magnum opus to be read purely
as a philosophical treatise on cosmology or ontology. Rather,
Ibn ʿArabi’s underlying premise and supposition is that any
reader of his works would be very much engaged in the ongoing
process of tahqiq and tarbiya as relevant and pertaining to their
own context and set of predispositions.
Ontology
Various works have also expounded upon Ibn ʿArabi’s views
regarding the beginning of existence on a microcosmic and
macrocosmic level. Hameen-Antilla’s ‘Immutable Entities’,
Mesbahi’s ‘The Unity’ and Abadi’s ‘Aspects’ all revolve around
different aspects of Ibn ʿArabi’s ontology, from both a cosmo-
logical and anthropological perspective. Like numerous other
themes, this topic is explored within the larger metaphysical
notion of unity of being (wahdat al-wujud), of which Ibn ʿArabi’s
thought is an example par excellence.
Epistemology
Ibn ʿArabi’s views on knowledge and knowing are inter-
twined with the notion of gnosis (maʿrifa) and the two narra-
tions (ahadith), of questionable authenticity, often quoted by
the Shaykh and other Muslim mystics: ‘whomsoever knows
15. Shaikh, Sufi Narratives, 203–233.

himself, knows his lord’ (man ʿarafa nafsahu ʿarafa rabbahu)

and the purported saying of the divine: ‘I was a hidden treasure
and loved to be known. Therefore, I created the cosmos so that
I may be known’ (kuntu kanzan makhfiyyan, fa-ahbabtu an uʿraf,
fa-khalaqtu al-khalqa li-kay uʿraf). These two statements are the
basic framework underlying works like Houédard’s ‘Notes’,
Kalin’s ‘Knowing the Self’ and Abrahamov’s ‘Theory’, which
expound upon the human subject’s search for knowledge and
the role of this anthropic voyage in the Divine’s own love and
desire to witness Himself in the other.

Universalism
Ibn ʿArabi’s heart’s ‘acceptance of every form’ has been exten-
sively discussed by Western specialists, especially those belong-
ing to the MIAS. The organization’s original founder, Bulent
Rauf, consistently emphasized this aspect of Ibn ʿArabi’s
thought. The former’s effort was continued in works like
Young’s ‘Universal Nature’ and ‘Towards a Universal Point of
View’, Twinch’s ‘Circle’ and Dadoo’s ‘Religious Pluralism’. It is
worth mentioning also that specialists discussing this specific
topic usually tend to situate it in an overall contemporary con-
text. Thus, for example, one finds in Yiangou’s ‘The Globaliza-
tion’ an attempt to explore some of the major philosophical
movements and shifts in history, such as the Enlightenment,
Existentialism, Modernism and post-Modernism, through the
prism of Ibn ʿArabi’s understanding of universalism and unity.
Translations
This genre of works, as the title insinuates, includes the various
renditions of Ibn ʿArabi’s works from the original Arabic into
various Western languages – mostly English, French, German
and Spanish.
Fusus al-Hikam – There have been at least four renditions of

this controversial work throughout the past few decades. Two
notable English translations, the first by Austin and the second
104 Ali Hussain
by Rauf – the latter being in actuality a rendering of Hakki’s

own Ottoman Turkish version – were published in the 1980s.
In 2004, Dagli followed Austin and Rauf’s efforts with his own
English transcription titled The Ringstones. As regards transla-
tions in other Western languages, Gilis’ and Moulinet’s French
renditions are the latest important contributions.
Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya – Although Ibn ʿArabi’s magnum

opus has not received a comprehensive translation – which is
understandable considering its size and sophistication – there
have been nonetheless various efforts to expose a larger base of

readers to this monumental work. Worthy of mention in this
regard is Chodkiewicz’s, Chittick’s, Morris’ and Gril’s master-
ful rendition, titled The Meccan Revelations, of selected excerpts
from the Futuhat. Also noteworthy are the individual efforts
by Chittick, who translated two whole chapters, Shamash and
Hirtenstein’s collaborative effort to translate excerpts from the
Futuhat’s preface and the almost innumerable other renditions
that are dispersed throughout expositional works on Akbari
thought.16
Other works in prose – There have been numerous notable

efforts to translate Ibn ʿArabi’s various prose writings other than
the Fusus or Futuhat. Worthy of mention are Elmore’s English
rendition of ʿAnqaʾ Mughrib (The Fabulous Gryphon); Morris’
and al-Jerrahi’s translation of Ibn ʿArabi’s manual for spiritual
pedagogy Kunh ma la budda li-l-murid minh (What is indispensa-
ble for the Seeker); Austin’s previously-mentioned translation,
Sufis, of Ibn ʿArabi’s crucial hagiographical works Ruh al-Quds
(The Holy Spirit) and Al-Durra al-Fakhira (The Glorious Pearl);
Hirtenstein’s translation of Hilyat al-Abdal (The Four Pillars of
Spiritual Transformation) and, jointly with Notcutt, translation
of Mishkat al-Anwar (Divine Sayings); Taji-Farouki’s translation
of Al-Dawr al-Aʿla (A Prayer for Spiritual Elevation and Protec-
tion); Jaffray’s translation of Al-Ittihad al-Kawni (Treatise on
Unification); and numerous other similar endeavors.
16. Cf. the section on Expositions above.

Poetry – Perhaps the most noteworthy effort in this regard is

by Sells. This specialist has published numerous, critically ana-
lyzed, translated selections from Ibn ʿArabi’s poetry. Notable
among these are: Stations which includes some of the Shaykh’s
own verses and those of other mystics like Rumi; translation
of Qif bi-l-Manazil (‘At the Way Stations, Stay’) and other selec-
tions from Tarjuman al-Ashwaq (Ardent Translator of Desires)
such as the famed and controversial ‘Gentle Now, Doves of
the Thornberry and Moringa Thicket!’ Aside from Sells’ efforts,
McAuley’s recently published Ibn ʿArabi’s Mystical Poetics is
probably the most substantial expositional work on Ibn ʿArabi’s

collection of poetry, namely his Diwan. Incidentally, selec-
tions from this same compendium of poetry have been trans-
lated and expounded upon by other specialists, such as Austin,
Hirtenstein and Deladrière.
Polemics
There have been a few key works published in the West that
explore the entrenched, longstanding tradition of polemics sur-
rounding Ibn ʿArabi’s thought and writings, especially in Islam-
dom. Knysh’s Ibn ʿArabi in the Later Islamic Tradition provides a
detailed look into the defensive and detractive tracts surround-
ing the Shaykh that have been authored since his passing.
What makes Knysh’s endeavor particularly insightful is that the
author does not present an atomized or disconnected chrono-
logical recounting of these accounts; rather, a detailed investi-
gation is given whereby the reader can tell not only how Ibn
ʿArabi’s persona and thought were re-imagined by these various
polemicists, but also how some of the cited accounts themselves
were ‘whimsically’ appropriated to fit their author’s motivations
and commitments. In this regard, this effort remains one of the
most critical and comprehensive investigations into this histor-
ically charged aspect of Ibn ʿArabi’s works.
Also worthy of mention is Homerin’s ‘Ibn ʿArabi in the
People’s Assembly’. Whereas Knysh gives a broad, chronologi-
cal outline of the polemical debate surrounding Ibn ʿArabi,
Homerin explores closely one such event that took place
106 Ali Hussain
in 1970s Egypt and which revolved around the vote by the

People’s Assembly of Egypt (Majlis al-Shaʿb al-Misri) to ban the
publishing of Ibn ʿArabi’s entire works. Homerin’s exposition
masterfully discusses how a controversy that initially began
with the motivation to publish Yahya’s critical edition of the
Futuhat eventually developed into a full-scale national contro-
versy revolving around freedom of the press and intellectual
rights. Most importantly of course, ‘Ibn ʿArabi in the People’s
Assembly’ provides yet another crucial insight into the polemi-
cized and constantly re-appropriated image of Ibn ʿArabi in
contemporary Islamdom.

Lastly, Morris’ ‘An Arab Machiavelli’ is an investigation into
the subtle polemical strategies and methods by one of the
most famed Muslim historians and sociologists, Ibn Khaldun.
Whereas most readers of the latter’s Al-Muqaddima (The Pro-
legomena) would not perceive a visceral attack by the author
against Sufism, Morris reveals through close inspection vari-
ous aspects of this Occidental Muslim polymath’s writings that
belie not simply his criticism of Islam’s mystical tradition, but
specifically his wish to reformulate Sufism according to his own
understanding of ‘orthodoxy’ and moderation. Moreover, this
enterprise of religious fervor occurs, as Morris shows, within the
context of Ibn Khaldun’s political vision and hope for a utopian
Muslim society.17
Sources of influence
This genre represents perhaps the most crucial yet least explored
area of research in Ibn ʿArabi studies. The works in this category
investigate the possible sources of influence on the greatest
master that helped shape his intellectual Weltanschauung.
In a similar fashion to Chodkiewicz’s endeavor in Seal,18
Radtke’s ‘A Forerunner’ explores the possible influence this 9th-
century Muslim mystic had on Ibn ʿArabi, specifically in regards
to the notion of seal of sainthood (khatm al-walaya). The fact
17. Morris, ‘An Arab Machiavelli’, 4–7.

18. Cf. Expositions section above.
that Ibn ʿArabi designated a lengthy section in the Futuhat

to answering a list of approximately 150 questions posed by
Tirmidhi, who stipulated that only the seal of sainthood would
be able to correctly respond to these inquiries, further elevates
the importance of an intellectual connection between these
two pivotal Muslim mystics.
The enigmatic connection between Ibn ʿArabi and another
paragon of Islamic mysticism comes out in full force in Addas’
exposition ‘Abu Madyan and Ibn ʿArabi’. The seemingly tre-
mendous influence Abu Madyan has on Ibn ʿArabi’s thought,
which is apparent in the former’s extensive appearance in the

Futuhat, although the two figures never actually met, makes
this endeavor by Addas a particularly insightful look into the
Sufi saints’ (awliyaʾ) unique understanding of authenticity and
the legitimacy to be found in the sayings of the pious prede-
cessors (al-salaf al-salih), a theme that in itself was explored by
other specialists, such as Ernst in ‘The Man’. In much the same
way as Addas, Ernst sought to highlight Ibn ʿArabi’s creative
referencing and connection to yet another Muslim mystic and
pious predecessor, Bayazid al-Bistami.
Knysh’s short essay on Ibn ʿArabi in The Literature of Al-Anda-
lus presents an outline of the latter’s life in the Iberian Penin-
sula and the literary tradition of that region within which his
thought developed and matured. Knysh discusses some of the
central intellectual figures in Andalusia at the time, such as Ibn
Qasi and Ibn Barrajan, who might have possibly influenced Ibn
ʿArabi’s views and writings.19 This in turn provides an insight
into the possibly larger extent of influence that al-Andalus’
intellectual milieu, extending back to figures like Ibn Masarra,
might have had on Ibn ʿArabi.
In this regard, Palacios’ Abenmasarra and Morris’ Ibn Masarra
both explore the thought and influence of this controversial
mystic/philosopher on the Iberian Peninsula and consequently
Ibn ʿArabi himself. Meanwhile, Garrido’s various essays highlight
a specific area where Ibn Masarra could have inspired his Anda-
lusian successor, namely in the esoteric branch of mysticism
19. Knysh, ‘Ibn ʿArabi’ in The Literature of Al-Andalus, 337–341.

108 Ali Hussain
known as ‘science of [properties of] the letters’ (ʿilm al-huruf ).

Taking all these efforts into consideration, it is clear that
there has been considerable progress in situating Ibn ʿArabi
within the larger intellectual heritage of the Iberian Peninsula.
Extending this research further to include other central figures,
such as Ibn Tufayl or Ibn Rushd alongside some of the major
influences in Eastern Islamdom – where Ibn ʿArabi resided in
the second half of his life – such as Rasaʾil Ikhwan ahl al-safa
(Treatises of the Brethren of Purity) or the works of al-Ghazali
and al-Suhrawardi the martyr (al-maqtul), will make more clear
and vivid the extent of the dialogue Ibn ʿArabi had with his

environment and milieu.
Biographies
Related to the previous genre of works, there are also various
monographs that give a biographical outline of Ibn ʿArabi’s life,
including his various travels and teachers. The most detailed
and academically rigorous of these efforts is perhaps Addas’
Quest. Aside from the actual contents of this work, the author’s
introduction is equally crucial in its discussion of the tremen-
dous bias present in the various medieval monographs that
were used as the literary references and sources for Quest. This
hegemonic partiality seems to be primarily due to the fact that
many of the Muslim historians who authored biographical
accounts of Ibn ʿArabi were either defenders, detractors or
disinterested spectators.20 Although Quest and Addas’ newer,
shorter and more condensed biography, Voyage are not compre-
hensive insights into Ibn ʿArabi’s intellectual dialogue with the
various traditions of Western and Eastern Islamdom, they are
nonetheless groundbreaking efforts and quintessential starting
points for other specialists to continue this author’s effort.
Hirtenstein’s The Unlimited Mercifier is a particularly novel,
contemporarily contextualized biography of the Greatest Mas-
ter. As the author explicates in the preamble, his intention was
to provide an overview of Ibn ʿArabi’s life for the general, non-
20. Addas, Quest, 6–7.

specialist reader.21 One would have to concur, after reading this

monograph, that Hirtenstein’s motivation was accomplished
brilliantly. What grants The Unlimited Mercifier its novel and
captivating quality as a biographical narrative is the author’s
consistency in bringing out the contemporary relevance of Ibn
ʿArabi’s thought by highlighting certain aspects of the latter’s
life and the relevance of these events for the modern reader.22
Therefore, if Quest is an authoritative reference for special-
ists, then Hirtenstein’s endeavor is an excellent introductory
resource for general readers simply interested in an outline of
Ibn ʿArabi’s life and works.

Other crucial contributions to the genre of biographies in the
West have been the various works of Gerald Elmore. His three
papers ‘Early Life’, ‘On the Road’ and ‘Ibn al-ʿArabi’s Roots’ are
groundbreaking in both their interrogation of assumed facts
about Ibn ʿArabi’s early life23 in the Iberian Peninsula and inves-
tigation of the possible influences of that region’s various intel-
lectual traditions on the development of the latter’s thought. In
this sense, Elmore’s efforts, alongside Addas’ and Hirtenstein’s
biographical works, form a quintessential corpus that aids in
better understanding and situating Ibn ʿArabi’s life within the
larger context of 12th/13th century Islamdom.
Comparative endeavors
A genre of works that has received extensive attention by spe-
cialists are those that attempt to engage Ibn ʿArabi in a dialogue
with other intellectual and mystical traditions, Islamic or other
wise. These comparative endeavors are so diverse and numer-
ous that each major category deserves a separate discussion:
Mystical Traditions – Expositions that fall under this category

include on the one hand works like Kalin’s ‘Ibn ʿArabi and
21. Hirtenstein, The Unlimited Mercifier, ix.

22. Ibid., 3–7, 40–2.
23. Elmore, ‘Early Life’, 347. Especially challenging the purported
bourgeois status of Ibn ʿArabi’s family.
110 Ali Hussain
Mulla Sadra’ and Ohlander’s ‘The Relationship’, which explore

the similarities and differences between Ibn ʿArabi’s thought
and other mystical strands in the Islamic tradition, and on the
other hand works like Fenton’s ‘The Hierarchy’, López-Baralt’s
‘Saint John of the Cross and Ibn ʿArabi’ and Almond’s ‘Divine
Needs’, which compare Ibn ʿArabi’s thought with various mys-
tical strands in the Judaeo-Christian religious traditions.
Oriental Traditions – Perhaps the most crucial work in this

regard is Izutsu’s Sufism which seeks to compare Ibn ʿArabi’s cos-
mological, ontological and anthropological outlook with the

Oriental Taoist mystical and philosophical tradition of Lao Tzu.
Aside from the actual comparison, which peculiarly occupies
less than 20 pages of the 400-page work, it is perhaps Izutsu’s
remarkably lucid adumbration of Ibn ʿArabi’s thought which
grants Sufism its importance among the academic community.
Other notable works in this category include Murata’s Chinese
Gleams and ‘Unity of Being’, both of which explore the Chinese
Muslim scholar Liu Chih’s endeavor to formulate an Islamic
cultural framework that is rooted and intertwined with the vari-
ous Chinese intellectual traditions, case at point Confucianism.
Philosophy – The specialist with perhaps the most pivotal con-

tributions to this category is Salman Bashier. Among his various
works, Ibn ʿArabi’s Barzakh, Story and ‘Standpoint’ eloquently
host an intellectual dialogue between Ibn ʿArabi and various
figures from Western philosophy, ranging from Plato to Rorty.
Also, Almond’s Sufism compares Ibn ʿArabi’s understanding of
logos with the post-Modernist philosophical school of Decon-
struction and the writings of its iconic founder and epigone
Jacques Derrida. Almond explores a series of novel comparisons
between seemingly similar Derridean and Akbarian notions,
such as différence and al-Haqq (The Real) or l’écriture and scrip-
ture. Thus, whereas most specialists endeavored a comparison
between Ibn ʿArabi and pre-modern Western intellectual per-
sonas, Almond’s effort is unique in its attempt to engage the
Shaykh in a dialogue with a pivotal figure in 20th-century post-
Modernist philosophy.
Religio Perennis – In this perennialist school of René Guénon

and Frithjof Schuon, numerous works have been published that
attempt to bring out the common intellectual components in
the world’s major spiritual, religious and philosophical tradi-
tions. Shah-Kazemi’s Paths is a perfect example of such a work.
This exposition hosts a dialogue about cosmology, ontology,
psychology and a slew of other philosophical topics between
three sages, each representative of his own respective world-
renowned spiritual tradition: the Muslim Ibn ʿArabi, Christian
Meister Eckhart and Hindu Shankara. Whatever a critic’s opin-
ion might be of a devotion that attempts, at all costs, to reveal

an inherent, transcendent harmony between all spiritual and
religious traditions, Paths and other works by perennialists rep-
resent a unique attempt to bring Ibn ʿArabi into a discussion
between the longstanding spiritual and mystical traditions of
the world.
Bibliographies and study guides

The masterful endeavor by Yahya in the 1960s to present a
bibliographic list of all the works authored by Ibn ʿArabi, his
L’Histoire et Classification, was continued in the efforts of other
specialists, such as Notcutt’s ‘A Handlist’ and Hirtenstein’s
‘Selected Major Works’. Also, in this regard, the MIAS Archive
Project represents a crucial development in updating Yahya’s
classification based upon a new analysis of manuscripts, mostly
found in Turkey. Hirtenstein’s and Clark’s findings should shed
some light on how these manuscripts might refine specialists’
understanding of Ibn ʿArabi’s corpus.
Lastly, there have also been efforts to develop pedagogi-
cal manuals that instruct the reader on how to approach Ibn
ʿArabi’s works. Morris’ ‘Rhetoric’, ‘How to Study’, Harris’ ‘Ibn
ʿArabi’s al-Istilah’ and MacEwan’s ‘Beginning a Study’ are
examples of such endeavors.
112 Ali Hussain
Posteriority
Considering the tremendous amount of influence Ibn ʿArabi’s
writings and thought have had on Islamic mystical and intel-
lectual traditions, it is natural to find many monographs
authored on thinkers posterior to the Shaykh who propagated
and reformulated the latter’s works. The diverse endeavors by
Western authors in this genre range from general overviews of
Ibn ʿArabi’s influence and interpretation by his posteriors to dis-
cussions on the former’s fame in specific regions of the world.

General Overview – Morris’ two key studies, ‘Ibn ʿArabi and
his Interpreters’ and ‘Except His Face’ are groundbreaking and
authoritative surveys of various Muslim and non-Muslim inter-
pretations and reformulations of Ibn ʿArabi’s thought. Morris
investigates on the one hand Muslim thinkers like al-Jili, al-
Qashani, and al-Jazaʾiri, each of whom offered a personalized
treatment of Ibn ʿArabi, and on the other hand non-Muslim
specialists like Palacios, Valsan and Ruspoli who translated vari-
ous works of and about the Greatest Master.
Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi – There have also been numerous works

revolving around this foremost disciple of Ibn ʿArabi’s, many of
which have been published in the Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn
ʿArabi Society in a volume (JMIAS, vol. 49) specially dedicated to
al-Qunawi. These works mostly revolve around this disciple’s
contributions and influence on the posterior propagation and
spread of Ibn ʿArabi’s thought. Thus, Chittick’s ‘The Last Will’,
‘The Central Point’ and Khalifa’s ‘Al-Qunawi’s Discourse’ and
other monographs all explore the tremendous role this disci-
ple had in propagating Akbari thought in various regions of
Islamdom.
Akbari school – Aside from exploring al-Qunawi’s role in

spreading Ibn ʿArabi’s thought, there have also been efforts
to expound upon the various contributions of other thinkers
who were themselves disciples of Ibn ʿArabi or al-Qunawi. Chit-
tick’s ‘Jami on Divine Love’ explores certain mystical themes
in the works of a poet who, together with ʿIraqi, might both

be considered as poets of the Akbari school par excellence. Gril’s
translation of Kitab al-Inbah and Hirtenstein’s partial English
translation of Ibn Sawdakin’s K. al-Wasaʾil (‘I entrust to you a
bequest’), alongside Profitlich’s full German rendition of the
latter, both explore the theme of spiritual discipline (tarbiya) in
the writings of these direct disciples of Ibn ʿArabi who accom-
panied their teacher during his various travels. Also, Scatto-
lin’s ‘Key Concepts’ is a masterful translation of al-Farghani’s
introduction and commentary on Ibn al-Farid’s famed poem.
This student of Ibn ʿArabi’s intellectual school offers an onto-

logical narrative of the cosmos, thoroughly rooted in Akbari
thought, that provides an insight into the similarities between
Ibn ʿArabi’s and Ibn al-Farid’s respective worldviews.
Islamic Traditions – A considerable number of monographs

have also been devoted to exploring the spread of the Shaykh’s
thought in various Islamic intellectual and mystical traditions
all over Islamdom. For example, Godlas’ ‘Molla Fanari and
Misbah al-Uns’, Tahrali’s ‘A General Outline’ and Kiliç’s ‘The
Ibn ʿArabi of the Ottomans’ all explore the spread of Akbari
thought in Anatolia. On the other hand, Lipton’s ‘South Asian
Heir’ and Stavig’s ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s influence in Muslim India’ both
explore the contemporaneous spread of Akbarism in the Asian
Subcontinent. McGregor’s Sanctity,24 Chodkiewicz’s ‘Diffusion’,
Holbrook’s ‘Ibn ʿArabi and Ottoman Dervish Traditions’ and
Algar’s ‘Reflections’ specifically investigate Ibn ʿArabi’s influ-
ence on Sufi paths/organizations (al-turuq al-sufiyya). Lastly,
miscellaneous other works such as Cornell’s ‘Islamic Hermeti-
cism’, Weismann’s ‘God and Perfect Man’, Tamari’s ‘The ʿalim’
and Benaïssa’s ‘The Diffusion’ all explore the similar spread of
Ibn ʿArabi’s thought in other regions and among various think-
ers in Islamdom.
24. This is a particularly novel contemporary study that explores Ibn

ʿArabi’s influence on the tariqa Shadhiliyya in general and the Wafaʾiyya
branch of this tariqa specifically.
114 Ali Hussain
Western Traditions – Few works have also discussed the spread

and influence of Akbarism in the various Occidental intellec-
tual traditions of Europe and America. Frazee’s ‘Ibn al-ʿArabi
and Spanish Mysticism’, El-Moor’s ‘The Occult Tradition’ and
Morris’ ‘Ibn ʿArabi and the Far West’ discuss these diverse
appropriations and treatments of Ibn ʿArabi within the various
Occidental traditions over the past nine centuries.
Contemporary contextualizations
Although this genre could be included in the initial section on

expositions, it is a rich area of research that merits its own sec-
tion. There have been tremendous contributions by Western
specialists over the past few decades that do not merely com-
pare Ibn ʿArabi with contemporary thinkers, as discussed in the
above section.25 Rather, these diverse works range from those
that investigate modern movements and thinkers that have
appropriated the greatest master’s thought to those that repre-
sent an author’s attempt to view their own experiences through
the prism of Ibn ʿArabi’s Weltanschauung.
This personalized experiential exploration is clearly visible in
the works of various novelists and poets. Meddeb’s Tombeau is
a colorful self-reflection by an author who seeks to make sense
of his own Oriental and Occidental lineage and heritage by
investigating his life experiences poetically through the prism
of both Ibn ʿArabi’s love poetry and Dante’s affection for Bea-
trice.26 One finds a similar approach in the writings of Gamal
al-Ghitani, a famed contemporary Egyptian novelist. Al-Ghita-
ni’s ‘Originality’ and Knysh’s discussion in ‘Sufi Motifs’ of the
former’s Tajalliyat (Manifestations) both reveal a Sufi-leaning
author who was mesmerized by Ibn ʿArabi and Islamic mys-
ticism in general and therefore attempted to explore his own
experiences and hardships through the latter’s life and works.
Another crucial work in this genre is Taji-Farouki’s Beshara
and Ibn ʿArabi. This historical study discusses the genesis of the
25. Cf. Comparative Endeavors section above.

26. Meddeb, Tombeau.
MIAS and Beshara school going back to its epigone and founder,
Bulent Rauf. However, this work is not merely a chronological
adumbration of these two institutions’ intellectual and organi-
zational development; rather, Taji-Farouki masterfully explores
the various 20th-century European sociopolitical, cultural,
spiritual and intellectual dynamics and how those shaped the
motivations and commitments of Rauf and others who estab-
lished this monumental paradigm for propagating, teaching
and researching Ibn ʿArabi’s thought in the West. The extraor-
dinary success and importance of Rauf’s efforts have seized the
attention of other scholars, most notably Jeffery-Street, who

authored another study on the history of the MIAS and Beshara
school entitled Ibn ʿArabi and the Contemporary West.
Ibn ʿArabi’s thought has also been the subject of various
surveys and discussions on contemporary thought – philoso-
phy, cosmology, psychology, etc. Perhaps the most prominent
work in this regard is Coates’ Ibn ʿArabi and Modern Thought,
which explores modern theory in a wide array of topics ranging
from Weber’s sociological paradigms to Freudian psychology,
all the while contemporaneously viewing these various themes
through Ibn ʿArabi’s works. Similarly, Haj Yousef’s Time attempts
to view certain theories on cosmology and time in modern
physics, such as String Theory, through Ibn ʿArabi’s own view
of the cosmos as logos (kalam al-haqq).27 The theme of time and
the cosmos in Ibn ʿArabi’s thought was also investigated by the
likes of Dagli in ‘The Time’ and Carroll in ‘Timelessness’. More-
over, these efforts in general are complemented by works like
Morris’ ‘Contemporary Appeals’ and Yiangou’s ‘Human Poten-
tial’, both of which give a brief outline of Ibn ʿArabi’s overall
contextual importance for the contemporary reader.
27. Intriguingly this seems to be only one of two works, the other being
Burckhardt’s Clé Spirituelle de l’Astrologie Musulmane, that expounds upon
Ibn ʿArabi’s cosmology.
116 Ali Hussain
Conclusion
This survey has discussed a sample of works authored by aca-
demic specialists on Ibn ʿArabi during the past thirty years.
These range from book-length monographs to short papers and
essays, mostly published through the MIAS. By presenting a
classification of these works, this study has roughly sketched an
outline of the major recent intellectual trends among Western
specialists in approaching Ibn ʿArabi’s thought and works.
It is worthwhile at this point to note some of the intellec-
tual lacunae present in the academic understanding of Ibn

ʿArabi’s thought that this survey might reveal. In order to have
an organized perspective on these gaps and possible new ave-
nues of research, a separate discussion on each of the genres
mentioned above might be a more efficient and comprehen-
sive approach to this problem. As previously mentioned, the
ensuing recommendations are based upon the surveyor’s own
research interests and understanding of the current research
surrounding Ibn ʿArabi in the West:
Expositions – Ibn ʿArabi’s thought has certainly received exten-

sive coverage by numerous specialists who adumbrated and
expounded upon various components of the former’s works.
Nevertheless, there remain certain aspects of Akbari thought
that are very much understudied and deserve further atten-
tion. First, Ibn ʿArabi’s exoteric foundations, as discussed in
Chodkiewicz’s Ocean and Winkel’s various works, need to be
further explored and analyzed. This is especially crucial con-
sidering the extensive, lengthy section in the Futuhat which
Ibn ʿArabi dedicates to the esoteric secrets of fiqh (jurisdic-
tion). Second, it is worthwhile researching further the Shaykh’s
sophisticated etymology and linguistic approach. Although not
mentioned in the above discussion, works like Lory’s ‘The Sym-
bolism’ are indeed a step in this direction, which needs further
attention and continuation.
Translations – A brief overview of this discussed sample reveals

that the Shaykh’s works have received extensive attention from
translators. Although Ibn ʿArabi’s magnum opus, as discussed,

has indeed been rendered into various Western languages by
quite a few specialists, it remains, as a monumental literary work
of Islamic mysticism, deserving of further attention and long-
term vision for a comprehensive, contextualized transcription.
Polemics – The sample of three works discussed in this section

reveal an intellectually rich area of research that is unfortu-
nately not given enough emphasis. Most of the discussions on
the polemics surrounding Ibn ʿArabi are generally concerned
with the central detractors like Ibn Taymiyya, al-Fasi, or Ibn al-

Ahdal, and key apologetics like al-Jili, al-Fayruzabadi or al-Nab-
ulusi. However, there are numerous other less known figures
like al-Alusi and al-ʿAydarus who on the one hand had great
respect and high regard for Ibn ʿArabi, while on the other hand
were continuously struggling to keep novice students of reli-
gious knowledge (tullab al-ʿilm) and the lay populace (ʿawamm)
away from reading the former’s works out of the fear of mis-
guidance and disorder (fitna). Traces of these contentious moti-
vations are predominantly visible in many of these works, and
the authors’ consequential attempts at conciliation often result
in creative and intriguing literary techniques that merit further
attention.
Sources of Influence – It is unfortunate that there is such a scar-

city of works in this genre. This would be an especially intrigu-
ing historical aspect to delve into considering the extensive
travels of the Shaykh all over Eastern and Western Islamdom.
Moreover, certain key aspects of Ibn ʿArabi’s thought, such as
his usage of science of letters (ʿilm al-huruf) and discussion
in the beginning of the Futuhat, allude to significant occultic
influences on the Shaykh possibly by preceding Muslim eso-
tericists, such as Ibn Qasi and Ibn Masarra or even figures from
other, non-Islamic traditions. Thus, it is worthwhile to explore
these sources of influence not as two, Occidental and Orien-
tal, distinct strands, rather as an ongoing, possibly contentious,
intellectual dialogue that Ibn ʿArabi engaged in throughout his
travels and interactions.
118 Ali Hussain
Biographies – It is clear from the preceding discussion that

there have been crucial biographies of Ibn ʿArabi by Western
specialists. However, there still remain lacunae in the under-
standing of how the Andalusian mystic fits into the larger
tradition and intellectual genealogy of the Iberian Peninsula.
Although Elmore’s works have contributed tremendously in
this direction with regards to Ibn ʿArabi’s life in the Occident,
extensive research is still needed to determine the influences
of the Oriental traditions on the Shaykh’s thought during the
latter half of his life, as well as the changes in his intellectual
motivations and commitments after his geographical transition

from one region to the other.
Comparative Endeavors – Alongside the numerous exposi-

tional works on Ibn ʿArabi’s thought, comparative endeavors
are perhaps the most extensively covered area of research. As
discussed, numerous works have been authored that compare
Akbari thought with all sorts of spiritual, religious or philo-
sophic traditions. Perhaps the most intriguing figure in this
regard is Corbin and his intellectual infatuation with Ibn ʿArabi’s
leanings and influences by Shiʿism. Considering the monumen-
tal works Shiʿite thinkers like Mulla Sadra have contributed
to Islamic mystical theosophy and the crucial impact Akbari
thought has had on these thinkers’ respective philosophies, it
is worthwhile extending the academic research and intellectual
dialogue between the various strands of Shiʿi thought and Ibn
ʿArabi’s writings and thought.
Bibliographies and Study Guides – Any specialist in Ibn

ʿArabi’s thought ought to be familiar with the monumental
philosophical framework, complex language and sophisti-
cated rhetoric utilized by the author in his works, most espe-
cially the Fusus and Futuhat. It is worthwhile continuing and
combining the efforts mentioned in this section to develop a
comprehensive study guide for beginning readers who wish to
become acquainted with Ibn ʿArabi’s works. Without doubt,
the tremendous number of monographs published on Ibn
ʿArabi in the West so far is a monumental and diverse corpus
of works that can sufficiently serve as a resource for such an

endeavor.
Posteriority – This has indeed been and remains a productive

area of research for Western specialists. However, the intellec-
tual efflorescence of the European Renaissance and later move-
ments in the Americas deserve further attention. Medieval
thinkers like Thomas Aquinas or Raymond Lull, modern figures
like John Locke and even post-modernist critical theorists such
as Derrida and Foucault, have a monumental corpus of writings
that might illuminate, through comparative studies, certain

aspects of Ibn ʿArabi’s thought and vice versa, thereby provid-
ing an insight into the possible influence of the latter upon the
formers’ works.28
Contemporary Contextualizations – Clearly, this genre of

works continues to receive extensive literary emphasis from
today’s specialists. What makes these various endeavors of con-
temporarily contextualizing Ibn ʿArabi’s thought different from
the previously discussed comparative expositions is, in each
case, the author’s attempt to not merely compare the former’s
works with modern thought, but rather to view the modern
world through the prism of Akbarism. This is truly an admira-
ble intellectual and literary excursion. However, if a thorough
investigation of Ibn ʿArabi’s sources of influence and intellectual
roots in 12th/13th-century Western and Eastern Islamdom were
attempted, a higher perception of the Shaykh’s contemporary
importance would be achieved whereby not only an intellec-
tual dialogue may be endeavored with his works and writings,
but more importantly perhaps a comprehension of the various
tools and hermeneutical processes that Ibn ʿArabi went through
28. The legitimacy of such an endeavor gains importance by the fact

that some of these same figures – Locke and Aquinas – have been shown
to share some intellectual similarities with other Muslim thinkers, mainly
al-Ghazali. Considering that the latter spent his entire life in Eastern Islam-
dom while Ibn ʿArabi lived the first half of his in the Iberian Peninsula, it
is worthwhile investigating the possible dialogue these intellectuals might
have had with Ibn ʿArabi’s works.
120 Ali Hussain
to simultaneously minimize the dissonance and maximize the

harmony between the various Islamic traditions’ theoretical
underpinnings and Islamdom’s sociopolitical, cultural and reli-
gious dynamics at the time. This dialogue and discourse of Ibn
ʿArabi with his milieu is the subtle, underlying essence of all
his writings that remains to be investigated and interrogated by
specialists.
As mentioned in the introduction, the purpose of this survey
is not to give a comprehensive list and classification of all the
contemporary academic works on Ibn ʿArabi or merely adum-
brate the major intellectual trends followed by specialists in

approaching the Shaykh’s works. Rather, the underlying pur-
pose of this endeavor is to expose some yet unexplored areas
in Ibn ʿArabi’s thought that would hopefully provide specialists
with both new academic directions with which to approach the
Greatest Shaykh and the enthusiasm to extend the temporal
and quantitative scope of this project. If both of these motiva-
tions were even remotely achieved, then this endeavor might
indeed be considered a success.
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fia hispano-musulmana. Madrid: Editorial Maestre, 1914.
—— El Islam cristianizado: estudio del ‘sufismo’ a través de las obras de
Abenarabi de Murcia. Madrid: Editorial Plutarco, 1931.
—— La escatologia musulmana en la Divina Comedia: seguida de la his-
toria y critica de una polemica. Madrid: Editorial Maestre, 1961.
Austin, Ralph. ‘Meditations on the Vocabulary of Love and Union
in Ibn ʿArabi’s Thought’ JMIAS 3 (1984), 6–19.
—— ‘Three one-line poems from the Diwan of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 16
(1994), vi.
Ayni, Mehmet. La Quintessence de la Philosophie d’Ibn ʿArabi. Paris:
P. Geuthner, 1926.
Bashier, Salman. Ibn ʿArabi’s Barzakh: The Concept of the Limit and
the Relationship between God and the World. New York: SUNY
Press, 2004.
—— ‘The Standpoint of Plato and Ibn ʿArabi on Skepticism’ JMIAS
30 (2001), 19–34.
—— The Story of Islamic Philosophy: Ibn Tufayl, Ibn al-ʿArabi and
Others on the Limit between Naturalism and Traditionalism. New
York: SUNY Press, 2011.
122 Ali Hussain
Benaïssa, Omar. ‘The Diffusion of Akbarian Teaching in Iran during
the 13th and 14th centuries’ JMIAS 26 (1999), 89–109.
Beneito, Pablo. ‘On the Divine Love of Beauty’ JMIAS 18 (1995),
1–22: www.ibnarabisociety.org/articlespdf/loveofbeauty.pdf
—— ‘The Presence of Superlative Compassion’ JMIAS 24 (1998),
53–86: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/rhm.html
Burckhardt, Titus. Clé Spirituelle de l’Astrologie Musulmane d’après
Mohyiddîn Ibn Arabî. Milano: Arché, 1974.
Carroll, Jane. ‘Timelessness and Time’ JMIAS 29 (2001), 77–86:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/carroll.html
Chittick, William. ‘The Anthropology of Compassion’ JMIAS 48 (2010),
1–17.

—— ‘The Central Point: Qunawi’s Role in the School of Ibn ʿArabi’
JMIAS 35 (2004), 25–46: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/
centralpoint.html
—— ‘The Divine Roots of Human Love’ JMIAS 17 (1995), 55–78:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/divinerootsoflove.html
—— Imaginal Worlds: Ibn ʿArabi and the Problem of Religious Diversity.
New York: SUNY Press, 1994.
—— ‘Jami on Divine Love and the image of wine’ Studies in Mystical
Literature 1/3 (1981): 193–209.
—— ‘The Last Will and Testament of Ibn ʿArabi’s Foremost Disciple,
Sadr al-Din Qunawi’ Sophia Perennis IV no. 1 (1978): 43–58.
—— The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn al-ʿArabi’s Cosmology.
New York: SUNY Press, 1998.
—— The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn ʿArabi’s Metaphysics of Imagina-
tion. New York: SUNY Press, 1989.
Chodkiewicz, Michel. ‘The Diffusion of Ibn ʿArabi’s Doctrine’ JMIAS
9 (1991), 36–57: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/
diffusion.html
—— An Ocean Without Shore: Ibn ʿArabi, The Book, and the Law. New
York: SUNY Press, 1993.
—— Seal of the Saints: Prophethood and Sainthood in The Doctrine of
Ibn ʿArabi. Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 1993.
Coates, Peter. Ibn ʿArabi and Modern Thought: The History of Taking
Metaphysics Seriously. Oxford: Anqa Publishing, 2002.
Corbin, Henry. Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the
Sufism of Ibn ʿArabi. New Jersey: Princeton, 1969.
—— Histoire de la Philosophie Islamique. Paris: Gallimard, 1964.
Cornell, Vincent. ‘The Way of the Axial Intellect: The Islamic Her-
metism of Ibn Sabʿin’ JMIAS 22 (1997), 41–79.
Dadoo, Y. ‘Religious Pluralism for Ibn ʿArabi: The Outcome of
Divine Love and Mercy’ Religion and Theology 14 no. 1–2
(2007): 116–146.
Dagli, Caner. ‘The Time of Science and the Sufi Science of Time’
JMIAS 41 (2007): http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/time
ofscience.html
Deladrière, Roger. ‘The Diwan of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 15 (1994), 50–6.
El-Moor, Jereer. ‘The Occult Tradition of the Tarot in Tangency
with Ibn ʿArabi’s Life and Teachings’ JMIAS 31–32 (2002):
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articlespdf/tarot1.pdf,
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articlespdf/tarot2.pdf
Elmore, Gerald. ‘New Evidence on the Early Life of Ibn al-ʿArabi’
Journal of the American Oriental Society 117 no. 2 (1997): 347–349.
—— ‘On the Road to Santarem: Ibn ʿArabi’s Conversion to the Path

of Peace’ JMIAS 24 (1998), 1–20.
—— ‘Poised Expectancy: Ibn al-ʿArabi’s Roots in Sharq al-Andalus’
Studia Islamica 90 (2000): 51–66.
—— ‘Quranic Wisdom, Prophetology, and Ibn al-ʿArabi’s Fusus
al-Hikam’ JMIAS 42 (2007), 71–111.
Ernst, Carl. ‘The Man Without Attributes: Ibn ʿArabi’s Interpreta-
tion of Abu Yazid al-Bistami’ JMIAS 13 (1993), 1–18: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/abuyazid.html
Fenton, Paul. ‘The Hierarchy of Saints in Jewish and Islamic Mysti-
cism’ JMIAS 10 (1991), 12–34.
Al-Ghitani, Gamal. ‘Originality Under the Guardianship of Ibn
ʿArabi’ JMIAS 23 (1998), 1–8.
Garrido, Pilar. ‘Edición crítica del K. jawass al-huruf de Ibn Masarra’
Grupo de investigación ‘Al-Andalus–Maghreb’ Universidad de Cádiz
(2007).
Gilis, Charles-André. Le Livre des Chatons des Sagesses. Beyrouth: Al-
Bouraq, 1998.
Gloton, Maurice. Jésus le fils de Marie dans le Quran et selon l’enseign-
ment d’Ibn ʿArabi – ʿIsa ibn Maryam. Beyrouth: Albouraq, 2006.
Godlas, Alan. ‘Molla Fanari and the Misbah al-Uns: The Commen-
tator and The Perfect Man’ Uluslararasi Molla Fanari Symposium:
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articlespdf/molla_fanari_by_godlas
.pdf
Gril, Denis. ‘The Kitab al-inbah of ʿAbdallah Badr al-Habashi: an
account of the spiritual teaching of Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi’
habashi_text.html
Haj Yousef, Mohamed. Ibn ʿArabi: Time and Cosmology. New York:
Routledge, 2008.
—— ‘Ibn ʿArabi: The Treasury of Absolute Mercy’ JMIAS 48 (2010):
55–72.
124 Ali Hussain
Hakim, Souad. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s Twofold Perception of Woman: Woman
as Human Being and Cosmic Principle’ JMIAS 39 (2006), 1–14:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/women.html
—— ‘The Spirit and the Son of the Spirit: a reading of Jesus (ʿIsa)
according to Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 31 (2002), 1–28: http://www.
ibnarabisociety.org/articles/spirit.html
Hameen-Anttila, Jaakko. ‘The Immutable Entities and Time’ JMIAS
immutable_entities.html
Harris, Rabia. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s al-Istilah al-Sufiyyah: Translation of Sufi
Terminology’ JMIAS 3 (1984), 27–54.
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘The Brotherhood of Milk: Perspectives of

Knowledge in the Adamic Clay’ JMIAS 33 (2002), 1–21: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/brotherhood.html
—— ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s Bequest and two other passages from the Kitab
al-Wasaʾil by Ismaʿil Ibn Sawdakin’ Newsletter of the Muhyid-
din Ibn ʿArabi Society (1997): http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/
articles/ibnsawdakin.html
—— ‘Lunar View, Air-glow Blue: Ibn ʿArabi’s Conversations with
the Prophet Adam’ JMIAS 16 (1994), 51–68.
—— ‘Manuscripts of Ibn ʿArabi’s Works: Some Preliminary Notes
on al-Diwan al-kabir’ JMIAS 39 (2006), 111–120: http://www.
ibnarabisociety.org/articles/mssdiwan.html
—— ‘Selected major works of Ibn ʿArabi’ in The Unlimited Mercifier:
The spiritual life and thought of Ibn ʿArabi. Oxford: Anqa Pub-
lishing, 1999.
—— The Unlimited Mercifier: The spiritual life and thought of Ibn
ʿArabi. Oxford: Anqa Publishing, 1999.
Hodgson, Marshall. The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a
World Civilization. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1974.
Holbrook, Victoria Rowe. ‘Ibn ʿArabi and Ottoman Dervish Tra-
ditions: The Melami Supra-Order (Part One)’ JMIAS 9 (1991),
18–35: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/melami1.html
Homerin, Emil. ‘Ibn ʿArabi in the People’s Assembly: Religion,
Press, and Politics in Sadat’s Egypt’ Middle East Journal 40 No.
3 (1986): 462–477.
Horten, Max. Mystische texte aus dem Islam. Drei gedichte des Arabi
1210. Bonn: A. Marcus und E. Weber, 1912.
Houédard, Dom Sylvester. ‘Notes on the more than human
saying: “Unless you know yourself you cannot know God”’
notesonsaying.html
Ibn al-ʿArabī, Muhammad. ‘Book of the Quintessence of What is
Indispensable for the Spiritual Seeker’, trans. James Morris
(www.ibnarabisociety.org/articlespdf/sp_seeker.pdf)
—— Les Clefs d’Ibn Arabi: Commentaire intégral du kitab Fusus
al-hikam, le livre des chatons des sagesses d’Ibn Arabi, trans.
Philippe Moulinet (Beyrouth: Dar Albouraq, 2010).
—— Divine Sayings: 101 Hadith Qudsi: The Mishkat al-anwar of Ibn
ʿArabi, trans. Stephen Hirtenstein and Martin Notcutt (Oxford:
Anqa Publishing, 2010).
—— The Four Pillars of Spiritual Transformation: The Adornment of the
Spiritually Transformed (Hilyat al-abdal), trans. Stephen Hirten-
stein (Oxford: Anqa Publishing, 2009).

—— Ibn ʿArabi: The Bezels of Wisdom, trans. Ralph Austin (New
Jersey: Paulist, 1980).
—— ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s Book of the Fabulous Gryphon (ʿAnqaʾ
al-Mughrib)’, trans. Gerald Elmore (JMIAS 25 (1999), 61–87:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/anqamughrib.html)
—— ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s “Gentle Now, Doves of the Thornberry and Moringa
Thicket” (the eleventh poem from the Tarjuman al-Ashwaq)’,
trans. Michael Sells (JMIAS 10 (1991)), 1–11.
—— Ismail Hakki Bursevi’s translation of and commentary on Fusus
al-hikam by Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi, trans. Bulent Rauf (Oxford:
Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, 1986).
—— The Meccan Revelations, ed. Michel Chodkiewicz, trans. William
Chittick and James Morris (Pir Publications, 2002).
—— A Prayer for Spiritual Elevation and Protection, trans. Suha Taji-
Farouki (Oxford: Anqa Publishing, 2007).
—— Ringstones of Wisdom (Fusus al-Hikam), trans. Caner Dagli (Chi-
cago: Kazi Publications, 2004).
—— Sufis of Andalusia: Ibn ʿArabi’s The Ruh al-Quds and al-Durrat
al-Fakhirah, trans. Ralph Austin (Roxburgh: Beshara Publica-
tions, 1971).
—— ‘Translation of an extract from the Preface to the Futuhat’, trans.
Layla Shamash and Stephen Hirtenstein (JMIAS 4 (1985)), 4–6.
—— ‘Translation of What the Student Needs: Ibn ʿArabi’s Ma La
Budda Minhu Lil-Murid’, trans. Tosun al-Jerrahi (JMIAS 5 (1986)),
28–55.
—— ‘Two Chapters from the Futuhat’ in Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi: A
Commemorative Volume, ed. S. Hirtenstein and M. Tiernan.
Shaftesbury, UK: Element Books, 1993: 90–123.
—— The Universal Tree and the Four Birds, trans. Angela Jaffray
(Oxford: Anqa Publishing, 2006).
—— ‘At the Way Stations, Stay: Ibn ʿArabi’s Poem 18 (Qif bi
126 Ali Hussain
l-Manazil) from the Translation of Desires’, trans. Michael Sells
(JMIAS 18 (1995)), 57–65.
Izutsu, Toshihiko. Sufism and Taoism: A Comparative Study of Key Phil-
osophical Concepts. Los Angeles: University of California, 1983.
Jeffery-Street, Isobel. Ibn Arabi and the Contemporary West. Sheffield,
UK: Equinox Publishing, 2012.
al-Jerrahi, Tosun. ‘Translation of What the Student Needs: Ibn
ʿArabi’s Ma La Budda Minhu Lil-Murid’ JMIAS 5 (1986), 28–55.
Kalin, Ibrahim. ‘From the Temporal Time to the Eternal Now: Ibn
al-ʿArabi and Mulla Sadra on Time’ JMIAS 41 (2007), 31–62.
—— ‘Knowing the Self and the Non-Self: Towards a Philosophy of
Non-Subjectivism’ JMIAS 43 (2008), 93–106.

Keller, Nuh. Sea Without Shore. Maryland: Amana Publications,
2011.
Kiliç, Mahmud. ‘The Ibn al-ʿArabi of the Ottomans, ʿAbdullah Sala-
haddin al-ʿUshshaqi 1705–82’ JMIAS 26 (1999), 110–120.
Khalifa, Laila. ‘Al-Qunawi’s Discourse: Influences and differences
with respect to Ibn ʿArabi, the case of al-Fukuk and al-Fusus’
JMIAS 49 (2011), 83–106.
Knysh, Alexander. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’ in The Literature of Al-Andalus. UK:
Cambridge University, 2000, 331–345.
—— Ibn ʿArabi in the Later Islamic Tradition: The Making of a Polemi-
cal Image in Medieval Islam. New York: SUNY Press, 1999.
—— ‘The Realms of Responsibility in Ibn ʿArabi’s al-Futuhat al-
Makkiyya’ JMIAS 31 (2002), 87–99: http://www.ibnarabisociety
.org/articles/knyshresponsibility.html
—— ‘Sufi Motifs in Contemporary Arabic Literature: The Case of
Ibn ʿArabi’ Muslim World 86 (1996): 33–49.
Lipton, G.A. ‘Muhibb Allah Ilahabadi: South Asian Heir to Ibn
ʿArabi’ JMIAS 45 (2009), 89–119.
López-Baralt, Luce. ‘Saint John of the Cross and Ibn ʿArabi: The
Heart or Qalb as the Translucid and Ever-Changing Mirror of
God’ JMIAS 28 (2000), 57–90.
Lory, Pierre. ‘The Symbolism of Letters and Language in the Work
of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 23 (1998), 32–42.
MacEwan, Richard. ‘Beginning a study of the work of Ibn ʿArabi’
JMIAS 1 (1982), 20–25.
McAuley, Denis. Ibn ʿArabi’s Mystical Poetics. Oxford: Oxford Uni-
versity Press, 2012.
McGregor, Richard. Sanctity and Mysticism in Medieval Egypt: The
Wafaʾ Sufi Order and The Legacy of Ibn ʿArabi. New York: SUNY
Press, 2004.
Mesbahi, Mohamed. ‘The Unity of Existence between the Ontological
and ‘Henological’ in Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 37 (2005), 51–66.
Meddeb, Abderwahab. Tombeau of Ibn ʿArabi and White Traverses.
New York: Fordham University, 2010.
Morris, James. ‘An Arab “Machiavelli”?: Rhetoric, Philosophy and
Politics in Ibn Khaldun’s Critique of “Sufism’’ ’ Proceedings of
Harvard Ibn Khaldun Conference (2003), 1–49.
—— ‘Communication and Spiritual Pedagogy: Exploring the Meth-
ods of Investigation (tahqiq) in Classical Islamic Thought’ in
Time, Space and Motion in Islam. Washington: Islamic Thought
and Science Institute, 2003.
—— ‘Contemporary Appeals of Ibn ʿArabi’s Thought’ JMIAS 48
(2010), 73–96.

—— ‘Except His Face: The Political and Aesthetic Dimensions of
Ibn ʿArabi’s Legacy’ JMIAS 23 (1998), 1–13.
—— ‘How to Study the Futuhat: Ibn ʿArabi’s Own Advice’ in
Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi: A Commemorative Volume, ed. S. Hirten-
stein and M. Tiernan. Shaftesbury, UK: Element Books, 1993,
73–89.
—— ‘Ibn ʿArabi and his Interpreters’ Journal of the American Orien-
tal Society Vol. 106 (1986): 539–551, 733–756. Vol. 107 (1987):
101–119.
—— ‘Ibn ʿArabi in the Far West: Visible and Invisible Influences’
JMIAS 29 (2001), 87–122.
—— Ibn Masarra: A Reconsideration of the Primary Sources.
—— ‘The Mahdi and His Helpers’ in Ibn ʿArabi: The Meccan Revela-
tions. New York: Pir, 2002.
—— The Reflective Heart: Discovering Spiritual Intelligence in Ibn
ʿArabi’s Meccan Illuminations. Louisville: Fons Vitae, 2005.
—— ‘Rhetoric and Realization in Ibn ʿArabi: How Can We Commu-
nicate His Meanings Today?’ The Proceedings of the International
Conference on Ibn ʿArabi and the World Today (2002): http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/spiritualpractice.html
Murata, Sachiko. Chinese Gleams of Sufi Light: Wang Tai-yu’s Great
Learning of the Pure and Real and Liu Chih’s Displaying the Con-
cealment of the Real Realm. New York: SUNY Press, 2000.
—— ‘The Unity of Being in Liu Chih’s “Islamic Neoconfucian-
ism”’ JMIAS 36 (2004), 39–58: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/
articles/islamicneoconfucianism.html
Nettler, Ronald. Sufi Metaphysics and Qurʾanic Prophets: Ibn ʿArabi’s
Thought and Method in the Fusus al-Hikam. Cambridge: Islamic
Texts Society, 2003.
Nicholson, Reynold. The Mystics of Islam. London: G. Bell and Sons,
1914.
128 Ali Hussain
—— Studies in Islamic Mysticism. Cambridge: The University Press, 1921.
—— The Tarjuman al-ashwaq, a collection of mystical odes, by
Muhyi’ddin ibn al-ʿArabi. London: Royal Asiatic Society, 1911.
Notcutt, Martin. ‘Ibn ʿArabi: A Handlist of Printed Materials: Parts I
and II’ JMIAS 3–4 (1984,1985), I:55–64, II:65–74.
Nyberg, H.S. Kleinere Schriften des Ibn al-ʿArabi. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1919.
Ohlander, Eric. ‘Between Historiography, Hagiography and Polemic:
The Relationship between Abu Hafs ʿUmar al-Suhrawardi and
Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 34 (2003), 59–82.
Profitlich, Manfred. Die Terminologie Ibn ʿArabis Im Kitab Wasaʾil
As-Saʾil Des Ibn Saudakin: Text, Ubersetzung Und Analyse. Ger-
many: K. Schwarz, 1973.

Radtke, Bernd. ‘A Forerunner of Ibn ʿArabi: Hakim Tirmidhi on
Sainthood’ JMIAS 8 (1989), 42–49: http://www.ibnarabisociety
.org/articles/hakimtirmidhi.html
Rauf, Bulent. ‘Concerning the Universality of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 4
(1985), 1–3: http://www.ibnarbisociety.org/articles/universality
_ibnarabi.html
Scattolin, Giuseppe. ‘The Key Concepts of al-Farghani’s Commen-
tary on Ibn al-Farid’s Sufi Poem, al-Taʾiyyat al-Kubra’ JMIAS 39
(2006), 33–83.
Schimmel, Annemarie. Mystical Dimensions of Islam. North Caro-
lina: University of North Carolina, 1975.
Sells, Michael. Stations of Desire: Love Elegies from Ibn ʿArabi and New
Poems. Jerusalem: Ibis Editions, 2000.
Shah-Kazemi, Reza. ‘Jesus in the Qurʾan: Selfhood and Compas-
sion: An Akbari Perspective’ JMIAS 29 (2001), 57–76: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/rezashah.html
—— Paths to Transcendence According to Shankara, Ibn ʿArabi and
Meister Eckhart. Bloomington: World Wisdom, 2006.
Shaikh, Saʾdiyya. Sufi Narratives of Intimacy: Ibn ʿArabi, Gender, and
Sexuality. North Carolina: University of North Carolina, 2012.
Shamash, Layla and Stephen Hirtenstein. ‘Translation of an extract
from the Preface to the Futuhat’ JMIAS 4 (1985), 4–6.
Stavig, Gopal. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s influence in Muslim India’ JMIAS 45
(2009), 121–132.
Tahrali, Mustafa. ‘A General Outline of the Influence of Ibn ʿArabi on
the Ottoman Era’ JMIAS 26 (1999): http://www.ibnarabisociety
.org/articles/ottomanera.html
Taji-Farouki, Suha. Beshara and Ibn ʿArabi: A Movement of Sufi
Spirituality in the Modern World. Oxford: Anqa Publishing, 2007.
Tamari, Steve. ‘The ʿalim as Public Intellectual: ʿAbd al-Ghani al-
Nabulusi as a Scholar-Activist’ JMIAS 48 (2010), 121–140.
Twinch, Cecilia. ‘The Circle of Inclusion’ JMIAS 40 (2006), 89–100.
Weismann, Itzchak. ‘God and the Perfect Man in the Experience of
ʿAbd al-Qadir al-Jazaʾiri’ JMIAS 30 (2001), 55–72.
Winkel, Eric. Islam and the Living Law: The Ibn al-Arabi Approach.
USA: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Yahya, Osman. L’Histoire et Classification de l’Oeuvre d’Ibn ʿArabi.
France: Institut Français de Damas, 1964.
Yiangou, Nikos. ‘Ibn ʿArabi, Human Potential and the Postmodern
Self’ JMIAS 50 (2011), 97–116.
Yiangou, Peter. ‘The Globalization of Consciousness’ JMIAS 44
(2008), 39–52.
Young, Peter. ‘Ibn ʿArabi: towards a universal point of view’ MIAS

Symposium (1999): http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/
pyoung.html
—— ‘Universal Nature’ JMIAS 6 (1987), 21–32.
Works not mentioned within the text of the survey

This section is an extended reference list for works that were not
mentioned in the survey, yet are nevertheless crucial monographs
that amply represent the classification discussed above. It should
also be noted that this extended bibliography is presented and
organized topically according to the categories of the classification.
Also, any subcategories marked with an asterisk (*) signify genres
that were altogether left out of the survey due to limitations of
space and scope.
Expositions
General comprehensive surveys
Afifi, Abul Ela. The Mystical Philosophy of Muhyid Din-Ibnul ʿArabi.
New York: AMS Press, 1974.
Al-Attas, Mohammad. Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam: An
exposition of the fundamental elements of the worldview of Islam.
Kuala Lumpur: International Institute of Islamic Thought and
Civilization (ISTAC), 1995.
Chittick, William. Ibn ʿArabi: Heir to the Prophets. Oxford: One-
world, 2007.
Corbin, Henry. History of Islamic Philosophy. New York: Kegan Paul
International, 1962.
Husaini, Abdul Qadir. The Pantheistic Monism of Ibn al-ʿArabi.
Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1970.
130 Ali Hussain
Landau, Rom. The Philosophy of Ibn ʿArabi. London: Allen & Unwin,
1959.
Nasr, S. Hossein. Three Muslim Sages: Avicenna, Suhrawardi, Ibn
ʿArabi. New York: Caravan Books, 1964.
Radtke, Bernd. Neue Kritische Gange: zu Stand und Aufgaben der Sufik-
forschung. Utrecht: Houtsma Stichling, 2005.
Sainthood
Abadi, Avraham. ‘The Seal of Saints: A Prophet and an Heir’ JMIAS
11 (1992), 23–37.
Beneito, Pablo. ‘The Time of Deeds and the Time of Spiritual Know
ledge: The past and future of gnosis and sainthood in Ibn
ʿArabi’s Kitab al-Isfar’ JMIAS 50 (2011), 34–44.

Elmore, Gerald. ‘The Uwaysi Spirit of Autodidactic Sainthood as the
‘Breath of the Merciful”’ JMIAS 28 (2000), 35–56.
Hakim, Souad. ‘The Way of Walaya (Sainthood or Friendship of
God)’ JMIAS 18 (1995), 23–40: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/
articles/wayofwalaya.html
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘Universal and Divine Sainthood’ JMIAS 4
(1985), 7–23.
Houédard, Dom Sylvester. ‘The Golden Bricks of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS
8 (1989), 50–58.
Prophetology
Singh, D.E. ‘An onto-epistemological model: Adam-Muhammad as
the traditional symbols of humanity’s all-comprehending epis-
temic potential’ Muslim World 94 no. 2 (2004), 275–302.
Love and mercy
Addas, Claude. ‘The experience and doctrine of love in Ibn ʿArabi’
addas1.html
Austin, Ralph. ‘The Lady Nizam – an Image of Love and Know
ledge’ JMIAS 7 (1988), 35–48: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/
articles/nizam.html
—— ‘On Knowing the Station of Love’ JMIAS 8 (1989), 1–4: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/poemsfutuhat78.html
Beneito, Pablo. ‘The Servant of the Loving One: On the Adoption
of the Character Traits of al-Wadud’ JMIAS 32 (2002), 1–24:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/alwadud.html
Gloton, Maurice. ‘The Quranic Inspiration of Ibn ʿArabi’s Vocabulary
of Love: Etymological Links and Doctrinal Development’ JMIAS
27 (2000), 37–52: http://www.ibnarbisociety.org/articles/gloton
vocabulary.html
Gril, Denis. ‘Love Letters to the Kaʿba: A presentation of Ibn
ʿArabi’s Taj al-Rasaʾil’ JMIAS 17 (1995), 40–54: http://www.
ibnarabisociety.org/articles/tajalrasail.html
Halpern, Manfred. ‘Rediscovering Ibn ʿArabi’s path to Wisdom,
Compassionate Love and Justice in Contrast with Our Other
Three Choices of Life’ JMIAS 29 (2001), 45–56.
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi: The Treasure of Com-
passion’ Beshara Magazine 12 (1990): http://www.ibnarabisociety
.org/articles/treasureofcompassion.html
Morris, James. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s “Short Course” on Love’ JMIAS 50
(2011), 1–22.
Shamash, Layla. ‘The Cosmology of Compassion or Macrocosm in

the Microcosm’ JMIAS 28 (2000), 18–34.
Exoteric Foundations
Gril, Denis. ‘Hadith in the work of Ibn ʿArabi: the uninterrupted
chain of prophecy’ JMIAS 50 (2011), 45–76.
Winkel, Eric. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s Fiqh: Three Cases from the Futuhat’
ibnarabifiqh.html
Ethics
Addas, Claude. ‘The Paradox of the Duty of Perfection in the
Doctrine of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 15 (1994), 37–49: http://www.
ibnarabisociety.org/articles/dutyofperfection.html
Gril, Denis. ‘Adab and Revelation: One of the Foundations of the
Hermeneutics of Ibn ʿArabi’ in Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi: A Com-
memorative Volume, ed. S. Hirtenstein and M. Tiernan. Shaftes-
bury, UK: Element Books, 1993, 228–263.
Hall, Elton. ‘Ibn ʿArabi and the Perfectibility of Man’ JMIAS 16
(1994), 69–81.
Morris, James. ‘Freedoms and Responsibilities: Ibn ʿArabi and the
Political Dimension of Spiritual Realization, Part I’ JMIAS
38 (2005), 1–22: http://dcollectionsbc.edu/R/?func=collections
-result&collection_id=1685
—— ‘Seeking God’s Face: Ibn ʿArabi on Right Action and Theo
phanic Vision’ Parts 1 and 2, JMIAS 16, 17 (1994–1995), 1:1–
38, 2:1–39.
Rundgren, Frithiof. ‘On the Dignity of Man’ JMIAS 6 (1987), 7–20:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/dignityofman.html
Eschatology
Atlagh, Ryad. ‘Paradoxes of a Mausoleum’ JMIAS 22 (1997), 1–24.
132 Ali Hussain
Chodkiewicz, Michel. ‘The Banner of Praise’ in Praise, ed. S. Hirten-
stein. Oxford: MIAS, 1997, 45–58: http://www.ibnarabisociety.
org/articles/bannerofpraise.html
Gilis, Charles-André. La Prière sur le défunt (salat al-janaza): dans
l’enseignement d’Ibn ʿArabî. Beyrouth: Albouraq, 2001.
Morris, James. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s Messianic Secret: From “the Mahdi” to
the Imamate of Every Soul’ JMIAS 30 (2001), 1–18.
—— ‘Seeing Past the Shadows: Ibn ʿArabi’s Divine Comedy’ JMIAS
12 (1992), 50–69.
Feminism
Austin, Ralph. ‘The Feminine Dimension in Ibn ʿArabi’s Thought’
JMIAS 2 (1984), 5–14.

Murata, Sachiko. ‘Women of Light in Sufism’ A journal of Tradi-
tion and Modernity 12 (2003): http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/
articles/womenoflight.html
Spiritual Pedagogy
Austin, Ralph. ‘Aspects of Mystical Prayer in Ibn ʿArabi’s Thought’
in Prayer & Contemplation, ed. S. Hirtenstein. Oxford: MIAS,
1993, 6–17.
Cass, Aaron. ‘Stillness, Motion, and the non-existence of the Trav-
eller’ in The Journey of the Heart, ed. J. Mercer. Oxford: MIAS,
1996, 25–40.
Hafizović, Rešid. ‘ʿArif – The Illuminated as Tekke and City of God
Within Us’ JMIAS 34 (2003), 83–101.
Hakim, Souad. ‘Invocation and Illumination according to Ibn
ʿArabi’ in Prayer & Contemplation, ed. S. Hirtenstein. Oxford:
MIAS, 1993, 18–41.
Khalifa, Laila. Ibn ʿArabî: l’initation à la futuwwa: illuminations, con-
quêtes, tasawwuf et prophétie. Beyrouth: Albouraq, 2001.
Morris, James. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s Esotericism: The Problem of Spiritual
Authority’ Studia Islamica LXXI (1990), 37–64.
—— ‘Introducing Ibn ʿArabi’s Book of Spiritual Advice’ JMIAS 28
(2000), 1–18.
—— ‘Listening for God: Prayer and the Heart in the Futuhat’ JMIAS 13
(1993), 19–53: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articlesmorris.html
Shamash, Layla. ‘People of the Night’ in Prayer & Contemplation, ed.
S. Hirtenstein. Oxford: MIAS, 1993, 42–52.
Twinch, Cecilia. ‘The Beauty of Oneness Witnessed in the Empti-
ness of the Heart’ JMIAS 25 (1999), 34–50, MIAS Symposium
(1997): http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/twinch.html
Winkel, Eric. ‘Holding on and Letting go: Emotional Qualities of
Subconscious Remembrance’ JMIAS 23 (1998), 43–52.
Ontology
Anguita, Gracia Lopez. ‘On the Inner Knowledge of Spirits Made
of an Igneous Mixture: Chapter 9 of the Futuhat al-Makkiyya’
futuhat_ch009.html
Beneito, Pablo. ‘The Ark of Creation: The markab Motif in Sufism’
JMIAS 40 (2006), 21–57.
Elmore, Gerald. ‘Four Texts of Ibn ʿArabi on the Creative Self-
Manifestation of the Divine Names’ JMIAS 29 (2001), 1–43:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articlespdf/fourtexts.pdf
—— ‘The Genesis of Man in Chapter Seven of the Futuhat
al-Makkiyya’ JMIAS 37 (2005), 1–50.

Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘Aspects of Time and Light’ JMIAS 6 (1987),
33–49.
Netton, Ian. ‘Theophany as Paradox: Ibn al-ʿArabi’s Account of
al-Khadir in His Fusus al-Hikam’ JMIAS 11 (1992), 11–22.
Rahmati, Fateme. Der Mensch als Spiegelbild Gottes in der Mystik Ibn
ʿArabis. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2007.
Yahia, Osman. ‘Theophanies and Lights in the Thought of Ibn
ʿArabi’ JMIAS 10 (1991), 35–44: http://www.ibnarabisociety
.org/articles/osmanyahya.html
Epistemology
Chodkiewicz, Michel. ‘The Vision of God according to Ibn ʿArabi’
in Prayer & Contemplation, ed. S. Hirtenstein. Oxford: MIAS,
1993, 53–67: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/visionof
god.html
Hall, Elton. ‘Gnosis: Images of the Real’ JMIAS 12 (1992), 34–49.
Kakaie, Ghasem. ‘“Know Yourself”, according to Qurʾan and Sunna:
Ibn ʿArabi’s View’ JMIAS 42 (2007), 39–57.
Zine, Mohammed. Ibn ʿArabi gnoséologie et manifestation de l’être:
Ibn ʿArabi et la perception mystique du savoir. Alger: Editions El-
Ikhtilef, 2010.
Universalism
Clark, Jane. ‘Universal Meanings in Ibn ʿArabi’s Fusus al-hikam: Some
Comments on the Chapter of Moses’ JMIAS 38 (2005), 105–129:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/clarkmoses.html
Cornell, Vincent. ‘Practical Sufism: An Akbarian Foundation for a
Liberal Theology of Difference’ JMIAS 36 (2004), 59–84: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/cornellpracticalsufism.html
El-Moor, Jereer. ‘The Fool for Love (Foll Per Amor) as Follower of
Universal Religion’ JMIAS 35 (2004), 47–74.
134 Ali Hussain
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘O Marvel! A paradigm shift towards integra-
tion’ JMIAS 46 (2009), 57–66.
Noer, Kautsar. ‘The Encompassing Heart: Unified Vision for a Uni-
fied World’ JMIAS 43 (2008), 75–91.
Yiangou, Peter. ‘The Globalisation of Consiousness’ JMIAS 44
(2008), 39–51.
Textual Analysis*
Chittick, William. ‘The Chapter Headings of the Fusus’ JMIAS 2
(1984), 41–94: http://www.ibnarbisociety.org/articlespdf/fusus
chapterheadings.pdf
—— ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s own Summary of the Fusus: The Imprint of the
Bezels of the Wisdom’ JMIAS 1 (1982), 31–93: http://www.

ibnarabisociety.org/articlespdf/naqshalfusus.pdf
Gril, Denis. ‘The Enigma of the Shajara al-nuʿmaniyya fi’l-dawla
al-ʿUthmaniyya, attributed to Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 43 (2008), 51–74:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/shajaranumaniyya.html
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘“Day of the One”: A presentation of Ibn
ʿArabi’s Prayer for Sunday’ in Praise, ed. S. Hirtenstein. Oxford:
MIAS, 1997, 3–18.
Morris, James. ‘Introduction to the Meccan Revelations’ in The Mec-
can Revelations. New York: Pir Inc., 2002.
Notcutt, Martin. ‘An Introduction to Ibn ʿArabi’s Mishkat al-Anwar’,
in Divine Sayings: The Mishkat al-Anwar of Ibn ʿArabi. Oxford:
Anqa Publishing, 2004, 1–19.
Manuscripts*
Clark, Jane. ‘Manuscripts of Ibn ʿArabi’s Works: Some Notes on
the Manuscript Veliyuddin 51’ JMIAS 40 (2006), 101–115: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/mssveliyuddin51.html
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘Manuscripts of Ibn ʿArabi’s Works: Names
and Titles of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 41 (2007), 109–129.
Journey*
Chodkiewicz, Michel. ‘The Endless Voyage’ in The Journey of the
Heart, ed. J. Mercer. Oxford: MIAS, 1996, 71–84: http://www.
ibnarabisociety.org/articles/endlessvoyage.html
Gril, Denis. ‘The Journey through the Circles of Inner Being accord-
ing to Ibn ʿArabi’s Mawaqiʿ al-nujum’ JMIAS 40 (2006), 1–20:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/journeyofbeing.html
Hakim, Souad. ‘The Resources of the Human Spirit: A journey through
the spiritual experience of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 45 (2009), 21–43.
Jassemi, Bahram. ‘The Dimensions of the Mystical Journey’ JMIAS
mysticaljourney.html
Morris, James. ‘“He moves you through the land and sea...” Learn-
ing from the earthly journey’ in The Journey of the Heart, ed. J.
Mercer. Oxford: MIAS, 1996, 41–70.
Animals*
Chittick, William. ‘The Wisdom of Animals’ JMIAS 46 (2009), 27–37:
http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/wisdom-of-animals.html
Khan, Pasha. ‘Nothing But Animals: The Hierarchy of Creatures
in the Ringstones of Wisdom’ JMIAS 43 (2008), 29–50: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/nothing-but-animals.html

Stations*
Abadi, Avraham. ‘The Station of Proximity’ JMIAS 20 (1996), 1–14.
Benaïssa, Omar. ‘The Degrees of the Station of No-Station: Regard-
ing the End of the Journey’ JMIAS 37 (2005), 67–97: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/nostation.html
Cohen, Marty. ‘Stations of No Station’ JMIAS 31 (2002), 45–56.
Rauf, Bulent. ‘Union and Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 3 (1984), 20–26: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/union_ibnarabi.html
Young, Peter. ‘Concerning the Station of Purity’ JMIAS 8 (1989),
33–41.
Imagination*
Addas, Claude. ‘The Ship of Stone’ in The Journey of the Heart, ed. J.
Mercer. Oxford: MIAS, 1996, 5–24: http://www.ibnarabisociety
.org/articles/shipofstone.html
Austin, Ralph. ‘Image and Presence in the Thought of Ibn ʿArabi’
imageandpresence.html
Corbin, Henry. Alone with the Alone: Creative Imagination in the
Sufism of Ibn ʿArabi. New Jersey: Princeton, 1969.
Harris, Rabia. ‘The Relevance of Retreat: A Reflection on the Reli-
gious Imagination’ JMIAS 25 (1999), 1–33.
Young, Peter. ‘Between the Yea and the Nay’ JMIAS 2 (1984), 1–4.
Language*
Dupré, Adam. ‘Expression and the Inexpressible’ JMIAS 8 (1989),
59–69.
Twinch, Cecilia. ‘Penetrating Meaning’ JMIAS 20 (1996), 67–79.
136 Ali Hussain
Miscellaneous*
Abrahamov, Binyamin. ‘Abandoning the Station (tark al-maqam),
as Reflecting Ibn al-ʿArabi’s Principle of Relativity’ JMIAS 47
(2010), 23–46.
Addas, Claude. ‘The Muhammadian House: Ibn ʿArabi’s concept of
ahl al-bayt’ JMIAS 50 (2011), 77–95.
Batubara, Chuzaimah. ‘Towards the Straight Path of God: Ibn ʿArabi’s
Conception of Soul’ JMIAS 27 (2000), 21–36.
Chittick, William. ‘Presence with God’ JMIAS 20 (1996), 15–32.
Chodkiewicz, Michel. ‘“We Will Show Them Our Signs ...”’ JMIAS
50 (2011), 23–33.
Derin, Suleyman. ‘Whoever loses himself finds Me, and whoever

finds Me never loses Me again’ JMIAS 42 (2007), 23–38.
Elmore, Gerald. ‘Hamd al-hamd: The paradox of praise in Ibn
al-ʿArabi’s doctrine of Oneness’ in Praise, ed. S. Hirtenstein.
Oxford: MIAS, 1997, 59–93.
Gril, Denis. ‘Commentaries on the Fatiha and Experience of the
Being According to Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 20 (1996), 33–52: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/fatiha_commentaries.html
—— ‘There is no word in the world that does not indicate His praise’
in Praise, ed. S. Hirtenstein. Oxford: MIAS, 1997, 31–43: http://
www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/indicatehispraise.html
Hakim, Souad. ‘Unity of Being in Ibn ʿArabi: A Humanist Perspec-
tive’ JMIAS 36 (2004), 15–37: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/
articles/unityofbeing.html
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘Between the Secret Chamber and the
Well-trodden Path: Ibn ʿArabi’s exposition of the wajh al-khass’
JMIAS 18 (1995), 41–56.
—— ‘The Land of the Olive: Between East and West – Orientations
towards the Sun of Unity in the work of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 40
(2006), 67–88.
—— ‘The Mystic’s Kaʿba: the cubic wisdom of the Heart according
to Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 48 (2010), 19–44.
Jaffray, Angela. ‘Watered with One Water: Ibn ʿArabi on the One and
the Many’ JMIAS 43 (2008), 1–20: http://www.ibnarabisociety
.org/articles/watered.html
Kaukua, Jari. ‘I in the Eye of God: Ibn ʿArabi on the Divine Human
Self’ JMIAS 47 (2010), 1–22.
Mangera, Huzayfa. ‘Three Dimensions of the Ruh’ JMIAS 38 (2005),
23–50: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/dimensionsofruh
.html
Rustom, Mohammed. ‘Ibn ʿArabi on Proximity and Distance:
Chapters 260 and 261 of the Futuhat’ JMIAS 41 (2007), 93–107.
Twinch, Cecilia. ‘The Wisdom of the Heart: “A turning sphere, a
travelling star”’ JMIAS 46 (2009), 39–55.
Yiangou, Alison. ‘There’s No Time Like The Present!’ JMIAS 41
(2007), 63–73. http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/no-time
-like-present.html
Translations
Fusus al-Hikam
Burckhardt, Titus. La Sagesses des Prophètes (Fusus al-Hikam). Paris:
A. Michel, 1955.
Gilis, Charles-André. Le Livre des chatons des sagesses. Beyrouth: Al-

Bouraq, 1998.
Kofler, Hans. Fusus al-Hikam. Das Buch der Siegelringsteine der
Weisheitssprüche. Graz: Akadem, 1970.
al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya
Ruspoli, Stéphane. L’alchimie du bonheur parfait: Mohyiddin Ibn
ʿArabi. Paris: Berg, 1981.
Other Prose Writings
Abadi, Avraham. ‘Translation of Ibn ʿArabi’s The Book of Alif (or) The
Book of Unity’ JMIAS 2 (1984), 15–40.
—— ‘Translation of Ibn ʿArabi’s Theophany of Perfection’ JMIAS 1
(1982), 26–29.
Palacios, Miguel Asin. Vidas de santones andaluces: la ‘Epistola de la san-
tidad’ de Ibn ʿArabi de Murcia. Madrid: Impr. de E. Maestre, 1933.
Austin, Ralph. ‘The Mystery of Prayer: A poem from al-Futuhat
al-Makkiyya’ in Prayer & Contemplation, ed. S. Hirtenstein.
Oxford: MIAS, 1993, 1.
Beneito, Pablo and Stephen Hirtenstein. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s Treatise on
the Knowledge of the Night of Power and Its Timing’ JMIAS 27
(2000), 1–19.
—— ‘The Seven Days of the Heart: Prayers for the days and nights
of the week (Awrad al-usbuʿ)’, review by J. Clark. JMIAS 30
(2001), 107–112.
Elmore, Gerald. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s Testament on the Mantle of Initiation
(al-Khirqah)’ JMIAS 26 (1999), 1–33: www.ibnarabisociety.org/
articlespdf/nasab.pdf
—— ‘A Selection of Texts on the Theme of Praise from some Gnomic
Works by Ibn al-ʿArabi’ JMIAS 23 (1998), 58–85.
Fenton, Paul. ‘The Hidden Secret Concerning the Tomb of Ibn
ʿArabi: A treatise by ʿAbd al-Ghani an-Nabulusi’ JMIAS 22
(1997), 25–40.
138 Ali Hussain
Gilis, Charles-André. The Secrets of the fast. Beirut: Editions Al-
Bouraq, 1999.
Gril, Denis. Le dévoilement des effets du voyage. Paris: Editions de
l’éclat, 1994.
Hakim, Souad and Pablo Beneito. Las Contemplaciones de los
misterios. Murcia: Regional de Murcia, 1996.
Hirtenstein, Stephen and Layla Shamash. ‘Translation of Kitab
al-fanaʾ fi-l mushahadah’ JMIAS 9 (1991), 1–17.
Morris, James. ‘The Spiritual Ascension: Ibn ʿArabi and the Miʿraj’
Journal of the American Oriental Society 107 (1987): 629–652.
Rizvi, Sajjad. ‘A Treatise Attributed to Shaykh Muhyi al-Din on the
Ultimate Reality (Haqiqat al-haqaʾiq)’ JMIAS 35 (2004), 1–24.

Ruspoli, Stéphane. Le livre des théophanies d’Ibn Arabi: introduc-
tion philosophique, commentaire et traduction annotée du Kitab
al-tajalliyat. Paris: Cerf, 2000.
Poetry
Cass, Aaron. ‘The Ransom and the Ruin’ Ibn ʿArabi Symposium on
Poetry 1998: http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/cass.html
Elmore, Gerald. ‘A Poem by Ibn ʿArabi, “The Kiss”’ JMIAS 24 (1998), v.
Hameen-Antilla, Jaakko. ‘Journey through desert, Journey towards
God: The use of Metaphors of Movement and Space in Ibn
ʿArabi’s Tarjuman al-Ashwaq’ JMIAS 37 (2005), 99–125.
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘A Poem by Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 20 (1996).
Lings, Martin. Sufi Poems: A Medieval Anthology. Cambridge: Islamic
Texts Society, 2004.
McAuley, Denis. ‘ “See Him in a tree, and see Him in a stone”: Ibn
ʿArabi’s ultra-monorhyme in comparative perspective’ JMIAS
47 (2010), 63–86.
Sells, Michael. ‘Ibn ʿArabi’s Poem 18 (Qif bi l-Manazil) From the
Translation of Desires’ JMIAS 18 (1995), 57–65: http://www.
ibnarabisociety.org/articles/sellstarjuman.html
—— http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/articles/sellswaystations.html
—— Mystical Languages of Unsaying. Chicago: University of Chi-
cago, 1994.
—— ‘Poem: “Dead on the Trail in Dhat al-Ada”’ JMIAS 50 (2011), vii.
Polemics
Knysh, Alexander. ‘Ibn ʿArabi in the Yemen: His Admirers and
Detractors’ JMIAS 11 (1992), 38–63.
Massignon, Louis. La passion de Husayn ibn Mansur Hallaj: martyr
mystique de l’Islam exécuté à Bagdad le 26 mars 922. Paris: Gal-
limard, 1975.
Sirry, M. ‘Jamal al-Din al-Qasimi and the Salafi Approach to Sufism’
Brill Academic Publishers 51 no. 1 (2011), 75–108.
Sources of Influence
Chodkiewicz, Michel. ‘Miʿraj al-kalima: from the Risala Qushayriyya

to the Futuhat Makkiyya’ JMIAS 45 (2009), 1–19.
Garrido, Pilar. ‘The Science of Letters in Ibn Masarra: Unified Word,
Unified World’ JMIAS 47 (2010), 47–61.
Twinch, Cecilia. ‘Created for Compassion: Ibn ʿArabi’s work on
Dhul-Nun the Egyptian’ JMIAS 47 (2010), 109–129.
Comparative Endeavors
Mystical Traditions
Dobie, Robert. Logos & Revelation: Ibn ʿArabi, Meister Eckhart, and
mystical hermeneutics. Washington: Catholic University of
America Press, 2010.
Dupré, Adam. ‘Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi and St. Albertus Magnus of
Cologne’ JMIAS 1 (1982), 12–25.
Frazee, Charles. ‘Ibn al-ʿArabi and Spanish Mysticism of the Six-
teenth Century’ Numen 14 no. 1 (1967): 229.
Kakaie, Ghasem. ‘Interreligious Dialogue: Ibn ʿArabi and Meister
Eckhart’ JMIAS 45 (2009), 45–63: http://www.ibnarabisociety
.org/articles/interreligious-dialogue.html
Pacheco, José Anton-. ‘Ibn ʿArabi and Swedenborg: Proposals for a
Figurative Philosophy’ JMIAS 42 (2007), 59–70.
Smirnov, Andrey. ‘Nicholas of Cusa and Ibn ʿArabi: Two Philoso-
phies of Mysticism’ Philosophy East and West 43 no. 1 (1993):
65–85.
Zargar, Cyrus. Sufi Aesthetics: Beauty, Love and the Human Form in
the Writings of Ibn ʿArabi. South Carolina: University of South
Carolina, 2011.
Sufi Tradition
Benaïssa, Omar. ‘The Unity of the School of Ibn ʿArabi and Rumi’
JMIAS 44 (2008), 53–64.
140 Ali Hussain
Ceyhan, Semih. ‘Al-Qunawi’s influence on the Ottoman Mathnawi
Commentary Tradition: History, intellectual context and the
case of Abdullah al-Bosnawi’ JMIAS 49 (2011), 35–68.
Safi, Omid. ‘Did the Two Oceans Meet?’ JMIAS 26 (1999), 55–88.
Philosophy
Golan, Michael. ‘A Brief Sketch of a Guide for the Bewildered:
Perplexity in the thought of al-Ghazali, Ibn ʿArabi and the
modern philosophy’ JMIAS 48 (2010), 97–120.
Khatami, Mahmoud. ‘Descartes and Ibn ʿArabi on The Illuminative
Path to the Self’ JMIAS 31 (2002), 29–43.
Miscellaneous*
Keller, Carl-A. ‘Praise as a means to mystical advancement, accord-

ing to Ibn ʿArabi and other religious traditions’ in Praise, ed. S.
Hirtenstein. Oxford: MIAS, 1997, 19–29.
Neumann, Wolfgang. Der Mensch und sein Doppelgänger: Alter
ego-Vorstellungen in Mesoamerika und im Sufismus des Ibn
ʿArabi. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag GmbH, 1981.
Posteriority
Sadr al-Din Qunawi
Aladdin, Bakri. ‘The Mystery of Destiny (sirr al-qadar) in Ibn ʿArabi
and al-Qunawi’ JMIAS 49 (2011), 129–146.
Ceyhan, Semih. ‘Al-Qunawi’s Influence on the Ottoman Mathnawi
Commentary Tradition: History, intellectual context and the
case of Abdullah al-Bosnawi’ JMIAS 49 (2011), 35–68.
Chittick, William. ‘Qunawi on the One Wujud’ JMIAS 49 (2011),
111–128.
Clark, Jane. ‘Early Best-sellers in the Akbarian Tradition: The Dis-
semination of Ibn ʿArabi’s Teaching through Sadr al-din
al-Qunawi’ JMIAS 33 (2003), 22–53: www.ibnarabisociety.org/
articlespdf/bestsellers.pdf
—— ‘Towards a Biography of Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi’ JMIAS 49
(2011), 1–34.
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘The Image of Guidance: Sadr al-Din al-
Qunawi as hadith commentator’ JMIAS 49 (2011), 69–82.
Hirtenstein, Stephen, and Hulya Kucuk. ‘Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi’s
al-Nusus: considerations of al-Haqq and tahqiq’ JMIAS 49
(2011), 107–116.
Sahin, Bekir. ‘The Library of Sadruddin al-Qunawi’ JMIAS 49 (2011),
147–154.
Akbari School
Hirtenstein, Stephen. ‘Malatyan soil, Akbarian fruit: From Ibn
ʿArabi to Niyazi Misri’ JMIAS 51 (2012), 103–132.
Koç, Turan. ‘All-Comprehensiveness According to Daud al-Qaysari,
and its Implications’ JMIAS 27 (2000), 53–62.
Rustom, Mohammed. ‘Dawud al-Qaysari: Notes on his Life, Influ-
ence and Reflections on the Muhammadan Reality’ JMIAS 38
(2005), 51–64.
Islamic Traditions
Addas, Claude. ‘“At the distance of two bows’ length or even
closer”: The figure of the Prophet in the work of ʿAbd al-Karim
Jili (Part One)’ JMIAS 45 (2009), 65–88.

Ballanfat, Paul. ‘Reality and Image in the Tafsir of Kubra and Razi’
JMIAS 35 (2004), 75–108: http:/www.ibnarabisociety.org/
articles/realityandimage.html
Chittick, William. ‘Notes on Ibn al-ʿArabi’s influence in the subcon-
tinent’ The Muslim World 82 no. 3–4 (1992): 218–241.
Culme-Seymour, Angela. ‘Bulent and the Blue Fusus’ JMIAS 26
(1999), 34–42.
Hafizović, Rešid. ‘A Bosnian Commentator on the Fusus al-hikam’
JMIAS 47 (2010), 87–107.
Langhi, Fatima Ahmad. ‘ʿAjami Mysteries of Sitt ʿAjam Bint al-Nafis:
a Feminine Hermeneutic of an Heiress of Ibn ʿArabi’ JMIAS 46
(2009), 67–101.
Ryan, Christopher. ‘The Life and Interesting Times of Osman Fazli’
JMIAS 43 (2008), 107–127.
Shelley, Christopher. ‘Abdullah Effendi: Commentator on the Fusus
al-Hikam’ JMIAS 17 (1995), 79–85.
Weismann, Itzchak. A Taste of Modernity: Sufism, Salafiyya, and Ara-
bism in Late Ottoman Damascus. Leiden, 2000.
Contemporary Contextualizations
Brown, Vahid. ‘A Counter-History of Islam: Ibn ʿArabi within the
Spiritual Topography of Henry Corbin’ JMIAS 32 (2002), 45–65.
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An Endless Historiography: Tracing Scholarship on Ibn ʿArabi over Four Decades

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An Endless Tajalli

A Historiography of Ibn ʿArabi

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

1. Cf. Addas, Quest, 18, 287.

ʿArabi studies in the West prior to the period in focus in this

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

among today’s specialists on Ibn ʿArabi’s cosmological concept

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

sociopolitical, religious and cultural contexts within which Ibn

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

4. At least 175 articles, aside from the book-length monographs.

topic, it arises often in shorter papers where an amalgamation

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

7. In this regard, it is worthwhile referring to Keller’s Sea. Keller is a

General, comprehensive overviews

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

8. Chittick, Sufi Path, ix–xx.

who purportedly introduced this concept.10 Thus, in this sense,

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

Love and mercy

10. Chodkiewicz, Seal, 27–32.

course, this theme is very much related to the larger cosmo-

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

12. Chodkiewicz, Ocean, 59–77.

cosmo-ontological foundations. Knysh explicates that although

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

13. Morris, ‘The Mahdi’, 1.

analysis of this topic within the context of its appropriation by

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

15. Shaikh, Sufi Narratives, 203–233.

himself, knows his lord’ (man ʿarafa nafsahu ʿarafa rabbahu)

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

Fusus al-Hikam – There have been at least four renditions of

by Rauf – the latter being in actuality a rendering of Hakki’s

Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya – Although Ibn ʿArabi’s magnum

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

Other works in prose – There have been numerous notable

16. Cf. the section on Expositions above.

Poetry – Perhaps the most noteworthy effort in this regard is

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

in 1970s Egypt and which revolved around the vote by the

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

17. Morris, ‘An Arab Machiavelli’, 4–7.

that Ibn ʿArabi designated a lengthy section in the Futuhat

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

19. Knysh, ‘Ibn ʿArabi’ in The Literature of Al-Andalus, 337–341.

known as ‘science of [properties of] the letters’ (ʿilm al-huruf ).

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

20. Addas, Quest, 6–7.

specialist reader.21 One would have to concur, after reading this

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

Mystical Traditions – Expositions that fall under this category

21. Hirtenstein, The Unlimited Mercifier, ix.

Mulla Sadra’ and Ohlander’s ‘The Relationship’, which explore

Oriental Traditions – Perhaps the most crucial work in this

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

Philosophy – The specialist with perhaps the most pivotal con-

Religio Perennis – In this perennialist school of René Guénon

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

Bibliographies and study guides

Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, Vol. 52, 2012

Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi – There have also been numerous works

Akbari school – Aside from exploring al-Qunawi’s role in