Ibn 'Arabi in the Later Islamic Tradition: The Making of a Polemical Image in Medieval IslamThis book examines the fierce theological controversy over the great Muslim mystical thinker Ibn 'Arabi (1165 1242). Even during his lifetime, Ibn 'Arabi's conformity with the letter of the Muslim dogma was called into doubt by many scholars who were suspicious of the monistic (unitive) tendencies of his metaphysical teaching, of his claims to be the Prophet's successor and restorer of the true meaning of the Islamic revelation, and of his allegorical interpretation of the Qur'an. Following Ibn 'Arabi's death, these misgivings grew into an outright condemnation of his teachings by a number of influential thirteenth through fifteenth century theologians who portrayed him as a dangerous heretic bent on undermining the foundations of Islamic faith and communal life. In response to these grave accusations, Ibn 'Arabi's advocates praised him as the greatest saint of Islam who was unjustly slandered by the bigoted and narrow-minded critics. As time went on, these conflicting images of the mystical thinker became rallying points for various political and scholarly factions vying for lucrative religious and administrative posts and ideological denomination. In thoroughly analyzing the heated debates around Ibn 'Arabi's ideas throughout the three centuries following his death, this study brings out discursive strategies and arguments employed by the polemicists, the hidden agendas they pursued, and the reasons for the striking longevity of the issue in Islamic literature up to the present day. On the theoretical level, this book reassesses the validity of such common dichotomies as orthodoxy versus heresy, mainstream versus mystical interpretations of Islam, and communalism versus individualism as well as other issues related to the history of Islamic thought. |
Contents
VI | 17 |
VII | 21 |
VIII | 25 |
IX | 34 |
X | 38 |
XI | 40 |
XII | 41 |
XIII | 44 |
XLIV | 146 |
XLV | 153 |
XLVI | 158 |
XLVII | 161 |
XLVIII | 167 |
L | 169 |
LI | 172 |
LII | 176 |
XIV | 45 |
XV | 49 |
XVI | 52 |
XVII | 54 |
XVIII | 58 |
XIX | 60 |
XX | 61 |
XXI | 63 |
XXII | 66 |
XXIV | 72 |
XXV | 74 |
XXVI | 77 |
XXVIII | 79 |
XXIX | 82 |
XXX | 87 |
XXXI | 88 |
XXXII | 96 |
XXXIII | 99 |
XXXIV | 100 |
XXXV | 105 |
XXXVI | 106 |
XXXVII | 113 |
XXXIX | 118 |
XL | 120 |
XLI | 133 |
XLII | 138 |
XLIII | 141 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Addas Ahmad al-Andalus Al-Bidaya al-Biqaʻi al-Bukhari al-Burayhi Al-Daw al-Dhahabi al-din Ibn al-Fasi al-Fayruzabadi al-Habshi al-Jabarti al-Jili al-Maqqari al-Qunawi al-Safadi al-Sakhawi Al-Sufiyya al-Taftazani Andalusi anti-Ibn Arabi antimonistic Arab Ayyubid biographical Chapter Chittick Chodkiewicz condemnation controversy critics Damascus disciple divine Egypt Egyptian fatwa followers Fusus Futuhat God's Greatest Master hadith Hanbali heresy heretical Homerin Ibid Ibn Abd al-Salam Ibn al-Ahdal Ibn al-Farid Ibn al-Imad Ibn al-Khatib Ibn al-Muqri Ibn al-Raddad Ibn Arabi Ibn Arabi's legacy Ibn Arabi's teaching Ibn Hajar Ibn Kathir Ibn Khaldun Ibn Sabʻin Ibn Taymiyya idem interpretation Kashf Knysh later Maghribi Mamluk Manaqib Masadir Massignon metaphysical monistic Muhammad Muqaddimah Muslim Nafh opponents passim philosophical polemical Prophet qadi Qur'an Rasulid Rawdat al-taʻrif religious rulers saint scholarly scholars Shadharat Shafi'i sharia Shaykh Sufi Sufi master Sufi Path Sufism sultan Tabaqat Tanbih theological thinkers tion tradition treatise ulama wahdat al-wujud Yahia Yemen Zabid