Ibn Arab and his interpreters

. Pt. 1, Recent French translations

Author: James Winston Morris

Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/4228

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Published in Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 106, no. 3, pp. 539-551, 1986
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IBN cARASI AND HIS INTERPRETERS

PART I: RECENT FRENCH TRANSLATIONS
JAMES WINSTON MOUIS
IN~ OF IsMAILI STUD~ PUIS

Part I of this review article introduces a numba' of recent U'aDllaboDl and related studies of
worb by the peat Islamic mystical thinker Ibn cArabY (d. 638/1240) that tOFther illustrate the
many represeDtative faeeu of his thoqllt, writiq. aDd inteJratiOD of earlier bI8mic traditiolll. Part
II, to appear in two follown., iuues, OUtliDCISODle of the maiD lines of interpmation and influmce
that awbd the reception of his t ouPt by IIIb1equent 1J1aaUc writcn iD wide raqe of
discipli
and historical seuinJl, .po bMed on survey of recent publications (primarily
truslatiODl) iD several .........

interested specialists to this large body of new publications aDd to fomp scholan (lome of them yaun, aDd
DOt yet widely known) working in this flCld. ' But
secoDcllr, given tbe potentially wider interest of the
subject, we shall also try to provide the non-specialist
with lome basic bactpound for approachina these
translations.

INftODUCTION
ScHOLAU wamNG (or teachin&> about the elaborate
dilciplines of later Islamic thoupt-philOIOphy, kaIam,
SufISm, etc.-inevitably encounter a dilemma that
must be shared by -Oricntalists" studYina other similar
traditions: in the absence of an adequate body of
appropriate translations, they can either aaume an
intimate acquaintance with the texts and traditions in
question, in which case their audieace' effectively
limited to a handful of colleagues with the requisite
philolosical trainiq; or they can undertake the difTlCUlt
task of explanation and abstraction for a hypothetical
-general" audieace, an effort whose intrinsic limitations
are evident in even the best of the secoDclary literature
on these subjects. This dilemma is all the more frustratins when ODe recoaniza that the interests aDd capacities
required for appreciating the deeper intellectual and
spiritual dimensions of those traditions, if only sufficient translations were available, are fortunately much
more common than the vocation and training required
to decipher them in their originallanpaae and cultural
setting. In this context, the recent appearance of more
than a dozen translations of works by the famous
Islamic mystic: Ibn cArabI(d. 638/1240) aDd later SufIS
of his school is a remarkable phenomenon; these
books-and others promised by the same scbolanmay open the way not only to a wider appreciation and
undentandina of the MGreatest M ter" (aJ-Sbaykh alAkbar, as he is traditionally known) and his teachings,
but also for substantially improved acc.a to the
various Islamic traditions that are integrated in his
ork.
The purpose of this review article is therefore twofold.
Ymt, is customary, we . h to draw the attention of

I We have also made ewry effort to mention the receat

EnaJisb-laDpaae trauJaUons (aDd some importaDt Arabic
publicatio ) in tbe field, either in tbe tellt or footnota,
have avoided any detailed commenuso _ DOt to preclude the
full-scale reviews each of those orb c1etetVa. Althoup it
falls outside the limited scope of this article, we mUll also at
IeaIt mention the recent appearance of Prof. Sucid aI-l;lakrm's
tJ-MuCjtun aJ-$UjT: 1Il-lJiJcnfII flIJudi1d td-KMi1rM (Beirut:
Daodala publi hers. 1981). which is tnaly a milestone in the
study of Ibn cArabI~the pateIt achievementiDce
Osman Yallia'. bio-bibliopaphy (n. 3 be10 )-and will be an
iDdilpensable tool for every serious student and translator of
the Sbayth from now 00. This monumental ork (1311 pp.)
provides (in addition to the K.oranic and lexical bacqrOUDd)
defmitioos and ciWions, drawn from the FwfiI.tJI and
other orb by Ibn cArabI, iUustratiq some 706 of his key
technical terms. (The Ktual number of terms diJcuaed.liven
the additional crOll-references. synonyms, and related roou,
is in the thousand..)
1 It is a sipif"lCUlt aDd iDIeratin& fact (especially for nonIslamicist raders of this J01U"DaI) tlW available WeatcmJaaauaae studies of IbD cArabJ baed on a comparison with
copate traditiOlll of Hindu. eopiatOllic. ChriItiaa, Budcl . to
ud even Tao mystical tbouPt are perhaps more nWDerO
aDd more aa:esaible thaD works praeatiDa him primarily in
the contellt of his own IsJamic tladitioDl ud soun:a.

S39

JOumJll O/IM AmnictIn Oriental

Due to the great number and diversity of the works
to be covered, this article hu been divided into parts.
Part I is devoted to the translations of Ibn cArabrs
own writinp, preceded by a brief introduction to the
complexities facing all students and interpreters of the
Shaykh. Part II, to appear in two future issueI, will
focus on the historical trends and influcnc:cs illustrated
by the recent translations of works by Ibn cArabIs
later followen, colDDlcntaton, and critics (as weD as
certain "apocrypha" widely attributed to him). However, as we shall see, most of those historical tendencies
in interpretation are already reflected in the approaches
of contemporary schoWs.
PAaTI

Students of Ibn cArabT, whether specialists or bcginnen, face four dauntins obstacles to an intqrated and
comprehensive appreciation of his wort: (I) the sheer
volume and variety of his writinp, possibly unparalleled
in Islamic civilization;) (2) the extreme divcnity of
symbols, allusions, rhetorical forms, and subjects which
are brought tOJCthcr, often in radically new contexts,
in his works; (3) his distinctive personal "inspjml" and
(most often) nOD-linear writing style, with its complex
parallels to the Koran itself; and (4) his presumption,
in most of his worts (including all the most famous
ones), of a specialized audience with a high degree of
spiritual development and immersion in the practice
(and vocabulary) of the Sufi path. These difficulties,
which readen will find amply illustrated in the translations mentioned below, have often given rise to impressions (whether amoDglbn <:ArabI'l historical critics or
in modem secondary literature) reminiscent of Rumi's
fable of the blind men and the elephant! To transcend

The standard biblioaraPhicai RfeRDCe wor~ Osman

y.ma's two-volume Histon et Chu3ificllliorr de 1'00000re

d7b" CArllbr(Damucus: IDititut Fr~ de 1>aJuI, 1964),
mentioDS some 846 titlcs; even if a number of these aR
apocryphal, excerpts from IlltlCr worb, or dupticale titles,
Ibn cArabl'. own penonallists of his writinp (the FIJrrU aDd
ljaza discussed by Yama), oomposed for disciples late in his
life, e.:h contain Dearly 2SO worts. The sheer n....ber of these
writiDp should not ObscuR the comprehensive aDd authoritative IWUre of Ibn cArabI' 111-FutU/.tM aI-MakId)ltl (wrbc
Mec:can Inspirations") which wu oomposed and added to
throupout the last 30 yean of his life, and which coven
the full ranae of subjects and disciplines treated in his many
otberworb.
One bouJd also not minimize the extent to which t~
clifrlCUlties reflect certain rhetoric:al features of Ibn CAnbY's

Soc~ty

106.3 (1916)

these initial obstacles and discover the unifying vision

and intention in Ibn cArabI's works requires extraordinary efforts and abilities on the part of both the reader
and the translator, for the translator- ifbc is seriously
trying to communicate with the non-specialist-must
also act 81 commentator and guide through this labyrinth of symbols.
One traditional response to tbele problems was to
focus on a single "representative" text and interpretive
penpective, most often the philosophical, conceptual
analysis of Ibn cArabY's FUIilI al- QIkam (MBezels of
Wisdomj. This approach, initiated by Ibn CAnbY's
son-in-law and close disciple SUr ai-DIn al-QOnawi
aDd carried out in a line of douns of extensive
commentaries down to the present day, j is now readily
accessible in Enatish throup the superb study by
Toshihito lzutsu and a complete translation of the
FUlfil by R. W. J. Austin.' These two worts, because
worb that may have been oonscioUily intended either to
dissuade unqualif'Jed readen or-mOR, positively-to induce
a state of l}tIyra (~") leadins to the traDJceDdeD<:e
of establiJbcd mental eatqorics and judlJDClltl. as with the
"oem-lite wla1)iit (-ecsaabc paradoxes") favored by certain
famous SufIS. In any ellie, the bizarre epithets one sometimes
finds applied to Ibn cArabr, whether in Islamic or modern
Western 10W"CCI--e.1-, -incoherent,to pantbeist,.. ""heretic,"
""monist," madman;" dC.-aR undenaandablc lea as reasoned judpaents about tlae wbole of his wort than as
reactions to tbe difficult cba11enae of unifyina and intepatinl
sucb diverse and challeoainl materials.. One of the peat
advantqa of thex new tnulllatioDl is that readers can at last
beain to form their own judp:lenh on the basis of more
representative sample of . writinp.
.s This process and referenca to QOnawl, K hlDI, and
other important figures will be disaaued in Pan II. See in
particular, in O. y~ op. cit., the list of 120 commentaries
on the Faqiq (I, pp. 241-S6) and the list of some 64 critics aDd
defenden of the Fupq (I, 114-35); neither liItina is to be
taken u exhaustive of the available soun::a in tbis reprd.
, Tr. R. W. J. Austin, TM IWuIJ of Wudom (New York:
Paulist Ina, 1980); another oomplete EaaJish translation,
1M &als of Wirdo"" Ir. A. cAbd ai-Rahman at-TaIjumana
(Norwich, UK: Diwan Ina, 1980), is somewhat DIOR readable, but unfortunately inKauate in many places. Both
tran.lations should be lupplemented, WheR poaaible, by the
partial translation of T. Burckhardt (EnaJ.isb tr. from the
French by A. Culme-Scymour), 1Jte Wwo", ofthe Prophet,
(Aldlworth, UK: BesbaraPublicatioDS, 1975), hichcontains
more of the commentary and reference to the underlyina
Arabic that is often needed to follow the details of Ibn
cArabl's 81'JU1DeDts. However, the Burckhardt translation
16

16

S41

MoulS: Ibn 'Arabi tmd his InterptYtns. Part I

of their comprehensiveness, maturity and faithful reflec..
tion of a Ionl tndition of commentary, provide an
ideal starting point for the study of Ibn cArabL However, relyinllolely on the FU#iI-or more specifacally,
on the scholastic tradition of commentary focusing
primarily on the systematic metaphysical underpimainp
of Ibn cArabY's thought-ultimately gives a one-sided
aDd hiahly misleading image of the Shaykh's writinp,
his historical influence, and his own character and
pcnonality.
Two other aspects of Ibn cArabI's wort are at leut
u essential to an adequate, intepated undentandina
of his writinp (includina the Frq;q): they are his
concern with the practice aDd methods of Sufmn, his
lifeloDl activity as teacher and spiritual guide, from
Andalusia to Anatolia; and his consistent focus on the
Koran and teaching of the Prophet Muhammad as the
source and context of all his work. These two interrelated upecQ, which underly Ibn CArabI's conception
ofbia own unique role I I the ~ of the Muhammwlan
Sainthood" (/chQtm aJ-waJijytl tll-mul;Jommtltiiya) and
help account for his subsequent veneration as the
"Greatest Master" among a wide range of Islamic
schools and spiritual paths, may well have been taken
for granted in the trMitionallslamic teaching context
(including the commentators of the FUlfil); but their
centrality-which is most marked in the F~t-is
not at all reflected in the available English sources.7
iacluda only 9 fuU chapters (out of 27) and does Dot have the
importaDt IDtroduetioa to the Fupq.
The recent publication of a DeW, revised editioa of Toshihiko
Izutsu's Sujbm tmd Taoism: A ComptUtIliw Study of Key
Pld/moplticaJ Cortpu, (University of California Pta&, 1984)
[title sliahtly different than the original two-volume edition
(Totyo: Keio IDStitute, 1967)], should help mate more accessible this cIusic study of Ibn cArabt's "philosophic" thouaht.
(For those uafamiliat with this work, it should be stressed
that Part I of the boot is an entirely independent study of the
FIlfWI, relyilll especially on the famous COIlllllellWy of CAbd
aI-RazzIq UshInI [see Pt. 11], separate from the relativdy
shorter Taoist and comparative sections; the section on Ibn
CAnbY is not only cleat aDd reliable, but also com.iDI helpful
translations of perhaps J5-2O% of the Fupq.)
7 This is in no way intended a criticism of the modem
authon in question, who most often are the mOlt colllCious of
tbe limitations of their particular studia, in view of their
direct contact with Ibn cArabl's writinp. Unfol'tUllatdy, most
raden-includin. many .-nOOn of secondary literature and
translaton from Wcstcm Iaa&u-.es bid into Arabic-lactina
adequate finthaacl acquaintance with IbD cArabt', actual
haft naturally tended to tate the limited pcnpecti~
~

writ.

The point is not a minor ODe. Many of the standard

criticisms and misundentandinp of Ibn 'Arabi', work
(e.g., "'incoherence," Mrepetition," Mlack of focus" or
Morder,'" Mcontradictioo," Mextravapace," etc.) arise
from misconceptions of his intention as Mapplying'" a
pre-cooceived doctrine or interpretation to traditional
materials, disciplines, etc.' For the unifying intentions
and actual rhetorica) fuDctiODl of his writinp only
become evident when they are viewed in their original
penpedive of practice and realization; the same is true
if one is to appreciate the depths of his treatment of the
Koran, 1)lIdrth, and blamic rites and pndicel. Since
the actual integration of these interpretive upects of
Mtheory" and pfllCtice only becomes .pparent throup
extensive reading and familiarity with Ibn cArabI's
writinp (especially the Fllti1l}4t) and their cultural
context, one of the most important contributions of
the new translatioDl discussed below is the way they
bring out more forcefully these euential and too often
DeJIected aspeets of his work..
The translations are mentioned here roughly in
order of their accessibility and importance (in terms of
representativeness and scope of issues treated) for nonspecialists approachina Ibn cArabI's writings, other
than the Frq;q aJ- IfiJuun, for the
time. In addition,
readen familiar with tbe standards and procedures of
American or German scholarly publishing should be
cautioned that most of these books are marked by a
relative lack of indexes, bibliography, adequate

rant

intcrats, and methods of presentation found in such studies

to be lCpl'CleDtative of the Shayth's ort .. a bole. The
resultiD. distortions haft beeD especially remarkable where
modern Muslim writcn have derived their imqe of Ibn
l;Arabi from lICCountJ aDd JClectiODl inteDdecl to "introduce"
him to a non-Islamicist audieDce (sec n. 21).
a Unfortunately, there is Aill no inb'oduetory study Mequately prcscntiDl the CIIeDtia) '-rhetorical" aspect of Ibn
cArabI's writiaat, Le.. the way be UDites many methods, styles,
and traditional subjects in view of certain I'CCUJ'fCIlt spiritual
intcntiOftS-a leek that is DOt too .urprisin& liven the cultural
bKklfound, profound tllOWlcdae of Arabic, aDd insi&bt that
tuk would require. Howner, tbc best illustration of tbc
Deeded *CIlSitivity to that crucial dimension of Ibn cArabJ'.
writi.... usually phrased in terms of COIlUDCllU on -SufISm" in
aeneral, is to be found ia tJac various coIledioDl of essays by
F. Scbuon OD Islamic subjects; sec, &IDona others. u SowflSrM.
Voile et Quinlnsenu (Paris: Dcrvy-Livrcs, 1980) and Approchn du Plthtomhv ReliVna (Paris: i.e Courricr du
Livre, 1914). However, those reflections BeDerally presuppose
a peat familiarity with both the writinp of IbD cArabI and tbe
broMer Sufi traditio of which they are a pan.

JOIImtIl 01 1M Americtm OrimUJI Sody 106.3 (1986)

proofreadin~ and scholarly peer review, features
which-whether due to consideratioDJ of economy or
tradition-are not limited to this particular area of
French publishina- Hopefully, agrowina awareness of
the obstacles this poses for readers unfamiliar with the
oriainaJ Arabic will encouraae areater attention to
these mallers in the future.' For those interested in
consultina the Arabic orilinals. each translation has
been identified by its number in O. Yahia's "dpertoire
aelX~ the standard bibliOJl'8Ptiical reference for Ibn
cArabJ. 10

"

, Due to tbe rdati~ abUDdaDce of translated material (M

Ie_ compared with most areas of Islamic studies), writen on
Ibn cArabi hopeluDy will soon be&in to sift increasina
thouabt to the onaoioa, cumulative aature of their on aDd
to their respoasibilitics to a widei' interested public. ODe sian
of this interest (ill addition to the sheer volume of receat
writins) is the recent orpnization of a MMuhyiddin Ibn cArabr
Society" in Oxfo~ EJIIIaDd. and their publicatiOD (siDee
1982) of a biannual Jounwl, which may serve ODe means of
communication and coordination in this field. In any case.
readen attemptiDa to compare two or more translations will
quickly recognize tbe Deed for fuD indexes of Koran and
J,tuJrt1t (inc1udin. important allusions as well direct citatiODS) and of technical tmnino1o&Y (keyed to the underIyina
Arabic expressio... liven the inevitable variations in choice
of equivaleDu by many translators). likewise, ai~ the
practic:al impossibility of reaclina all relevant worb on IbD
cArabi, it' important that translations (and especially DOtes
and commentary) reflect the input of other qualified scholan
in the fld.d-somethina that wa clearly not the case with
aneral of the otb reviewed bete.
10 See n. 3 &bow. Readen unfamiliar with Prof. Yahia's
work should be amed that many of Ibn CArabi's writinp
were known under multiple titles. even in his own lifetime,
and tbM the titles frequently are only vapely or symbolically
related to tile primary subjects of the worb in question. This
belps explain why translaton-addilll to the confusion-have
frequently chosen to use their own, more representative titles.
As a J"CIult, Dr. Yabia's dClCriptiOD of the contents of worb
he WU DOt able to examiJle din:c:tJY. where baled on indicationa in the titles, are not always completely accuraae. In
additioD, the work is by DO means complete in ill citation of
earlier tranaJatio . a correcteeI aDd updMeci list, by M.
N01Cutt. is liven in tbe above mentioned JOUTIIGl of 1M
MuI)yiddin Ibn cA,tlbr SocWty. In (1984). and should be
supplemented in fonhc:omina issues.
For traDllatiolll from the Futlll)at (O.Y., o. 1lS), liwn
the v.t extent of that wort, we haft cited the chapter number
(same in all editio ) and the volume aDd pqa KCOrdina to
the 1329 Cairo edition, frequently reprinted in Beirut (011'

I. The new translation of M. AsfN PALACIOS' classic

study, L 7sklm chriltianlll: buM $lIT Sou.f'/RM d1bn
CArabl tk Mur~ [Tr. B. DURANT. Pp. 379. Paris: GUY
TamANIEL/ EDmONS DE LA MAUNIE. 1982.], despite
the age of the oJiaina1 (1931) and the evident limitations
of the approach IUuestcd by its title, still remains the
best available introduction to Ibn cArabY's own life and
spiritual practice, and to those crucial practical and
experiential aspects of his work which were shared
with earlier SufISm (and ultimately with mystics of
many religious traditions). As such, it provides an
indispensable complement to the metaphysical, ~ret
ical" aspect emphasized in the FUIiiI 111- 8iklmt and the
studies of Izutsu and most other available sources in
English. The fruit of decades of study and reflection on
Ibn cArabI'. work H (and the often unavowed inspiration of many subsequent studies), Alin's work contains
almost as many pages of tran lation and 81 wide a
range of topics a all the other books reviewed below
taken together. The volume is divided into what can be
regarded as three distinct books: (a) a detailed bio,raphy of Ibn cArabi, based on his own autobioJI1lphical remarks throupout the FuttiJ;I41 (pp. 23-90);
(b) an anthology of representati~ excerpts, focusin,
on the Sbaykh's spiritual method and experience, from
a number of key works (pp. 209-378); and (c) a
comparative study of Ibn cArabY's spiritual method
and "psycholol)'," to a areat extent typical of SufISm
more generally, which must be approached with
caution (pp. 91-208).
The biopaphical section, while by no means exba
ina the references available in the FutQhal (and other
works),12 does Ii e an indispensable self-portrait of the

~ldir) and dlewbere, aDd followed in Prof. aJ-l;Iakrm's

lexicon of Ibn cArabI's technical vocabulary (n. 1 abo~).
(Osman Yabia'l new. 1Cieatif'Je: edition of tile FUJiiJJ4t. with
extensive and invaluable indexes. has not yd reached the end
of Volume I of the oIcIer editions, and a tberd'ore not used
for any of the tranIlatioDl reviewed hac.)
II We may mention in partic:u1ar tbe (abridp) English
translation of his hl4m tIIUI t~ DiviM Comedy. tr. H.
Sutherland. (London: Frank Cas and Co. Ltd. 1968-reprint
of t
1926 ("tnt edition), which retains ita usefulness u the
best available study of Ibn cArabT's esc oJoay aDd its
soun:a in Islamic t.nMlition, nm ifit is no ouadated u far
the question of infIueftCCS OD Dante' coocemed.
12 It should be nOled that AJfn's refereoces are to the older.
BQ1Iq lithoarapbed cclition of t
Fu~, also in four
volumes, but with entiRly different paaination from t
edition most often cited in more modern worb OD Ibn cArabi

543

MoulS: Ibn cArdi tmd lab IlIlnpmen. PtlTt 1

Shayth and his dramatic penonality-a portrait that

not only offen a vivid sense of Ibn cArabl as a
"practicing" Sufi, but also may IUgest some of the
underlyiDJ reasons for the oDJoiq hostility and uspicion his works encountered (both during and after his
lifetime) amoDJ certain aroupl of mo~ sober-minded
theologians, lawyen, aad philosophen. Jl This portrait
of Ibn cArabI and his Sufi milieu is perfectly complemented by the deICriptioDS of his own masters and
companions in the biosraphical sections of his RQl;a
aI-Quds and aI-Durrat al-F4Jchira. readily available in
Austin. translation- 14 In addition, Asm. quotations
(pp. 79-85) of some of Ibn cArabrs own descriptions
of his distinctive, t6inapired" method of composition in
virtually all of his works. and of the way the FUlfil and
FlltQ1.r4t were meant to be read. should be required
readinl for anyone who sets out to study those
writinp.IS
(cairo. 1329: cf. n. 10 abo~). IsJamieists shoUld be able to
decipher the transliteration of references. proper names, etc.,
which-since the translator dearly .u unfamiliar with the
underlyina Arabic-bas sometimes taken some peculiar tums
in the passaae from Spanish to French (e.,., al-Mariq aIMobadam for ai-Malik aI-MuC~).
The inflUCDCe of Asfn Palacios' biographical selections in
this ort (and the pervasiveness of tbe phenomena alluded to
in n. 7 above) is ill rated by the frequcoc:y with which its
panial Arabic translation by t:.A. BadawI (Ib" t:..AI'Gbr: U.
yatuJru wtI MIIIiJrJuIbuJru. Cairo. 1965) is no cited in contemporary Arabic cliscuuions of Ibn cArabr instead of references
to the correspondina pauaJCI from the FUliU;t41 itJelf.
1) See Part II for further refcrcnca to this problem. These
historical phenomena are otherwise almost impossible to
comprehend if one approaches the problem from a "doctrinal,"
purdy conceptual study of his writinp.
Sufu of .A1UItIJwitl, tr. R. W. J. Austin. (London: Georae
AUcn. Unwin, 1971). The boot Ius also been translated into
French, by G. Leconte,
Soufu d"A1tdIJJ0ruie. (Paris:
Sindbad/ Editions Orientales, 1979). but without the indexes
and helpful biblioaraPhy provided in the oriainal Eoaliah
version. Althoup Asfn docs not usually quote from the
RiiJ.r tIl-Qutb, be docs Jive frequent refCreocel to tbe corrcspondiq biographical entries, which can be c-.iIy matd1ed
with Austin's translation.
IS Given the diversity and diJtiDCti'Ye1lCll of Ibn CAnbY's
style of writins. even in comparison with other forms of Sufi
literature, a comprehensive study of his methods of writina
and rhetorical techniques, in the laraer context ofhiJ spiritual
method-bued on the many indications scattcred throup
the FUI~ill-issurely one of the peat needs in this fJeld. (Sec
also n. 8 above.)

Probably the most valuable aspect of the work are

Asfnt translations from six different treatiJa by Ibn
cArabl (plus another work now attributed to a later
Turkish author) focusina on the Shaykhs spiritual
advice and his own discussions-often illuminated by
accounts of his penonal experience-of ..... and
conditions of the Sufi path. These seleaioDJ although
systematically leavina out the more diffacult metaphysical and cosmological passages, are repreaentative
of a central and still virtually unstudied dimension of
Ibn cArabI's work that is elaborated. for example, in
huDdrecb of pqes of the FlltQJ.r4t. Three of tile selections are co~ primarily with what may be broadly
called the tId4b aspect of SuflSlll, "rules" or advice
conceminl spiritual practice and method. The treatise
on "The Essence of What is Indispensable for the
Novice" (O.U. N- 352) has since become available in a
complete EnaJish translation; 16 in clear aDd ItI'aiptforward terms. it lives an excellent idea of what Ibn
cArabi would have PR:IilPposed as the very minimal
conditions for most readers of his worb. The "rmn
Rule Conceminl the Conditions Necessary for the
People of God's Path" (K. a/-Amr aI-MuJ;rJcam . . ,
O.U. 28) is a considerably more advanced work.
including fascinatina advice to spiritual JUides on the
types of languaae and teachil18 they should offer to
different audiences and types of students-remarks
which could be usefully applied to the interpretation of
Ibn cArabi's own writinp. The brief paaages from the
K. aI-Tat/built al-1IahlJ'd (O.Y. 716). while not really
representative of that major work as a whole,11 include
brief but pointed re~ for both novices and more
advanced seeken. that should be exmmely intereltiq
to students of the practical and socio-historical side of
Sufism. Such students will fmd that frequently Ibn
cArabi's !lugestions-e-g., on questions of JDmiIC or
the inadvisability of frequent traveti., etc.- are often
t

us

"Instructions to a Postulant,"tr. Arthur Jeffery. pp. 640SS in bis A R~ 011 lsliun, (London, 1962).
, See the edition. and cspecially the 10Dl German introduction (pp. 1-162). of H. S. Nybera's Kkltwn Sdlri/tm da Ibn
aJ-cArtlbl. (Lcidcn: E. J. Brill, 1919), hicb pves a detailed
analysis of some of tbe mclaphysical concepts of tho and
related early orb. It would appear that the relative aa:eslibility of Nybcra's study of Ibn cArabJ"1 ""tbeoIophica1lystcm"
(pp. 29-160)-0 account hich siva DO inklin& e.8-, of the
dimensions repracntecl by Asfn's IClcctions from the Tlldbrrilthelps cxplain the predominance of this aspect in ublequcnt
Western secondary literature and popular conceptions of thc
Sbayth (see n. 7 abovc).

JourNIl of tM American Oriental Society /06.3 (19116)

contrary either to popularly accepted imaaa of SufISm
or to common Sufi p ~ in other rqions and
periods of the Islamic world.
The other three selections are primarily concerned
with the phenomenology and (in the broadest possible
sense) "psychology" of the spiritual path, subjects
whic:h in Ibn cAmbrs writings-unlike some of the
earlier, "clauical" Sufi literature in this area-are
usually closely integrated with his mystical theology,
metaphysics, etc. The briefest treatise, the R. al-Anwar
(O.Y. 33), while explicitly concerned with the pheDOmena experienced duriDa klullwtl, or spiritual retreat,
is also a concise survey of some key stages of the
spiritual path, and has often been commented on in
that context. II Ibn cArabI's much longer Mtlwiiqi C alNujQm (0.Y. 443), summarized and partially translated
here, coven an extraordinary ranae of spiritual phenomena and insiJhts in a relatively accasible form,'
and was even more widely read and studied by later
SufIS. The culminatina selection (pp. 337-78) is made
up of long passap from chapter 78 of the FutUl)4t, on
divine and human love; his subtle analysis of that
theme-althOUgh its overall role is by no means as
predominant in Ibn cArabI's work as with the famous
Sufi poets, for example-is perhaps unsurpassed in
Islamic mystical literature. 20

The central, analytical section of Asin's book is

undoubtedly the most dated and problematic, Jiven his
avowed intention of"explaining" Ibn cArabrs spiritual
method by reference to Christian mystical precunon.
However, it is not too difficult for an attentive reader
to transform that historicist penpedive into a more
appropriate comparative one, thereby bringing out the
universality of the underlyina phenomena. ADd for
more specialized readers with access to the Arabic texts
frequently cited, As{n's detailed references (mainly to
works other tban the FutilJ;Jat) represent tbe fruits of
yean of JaCuch that would be diff'lCUlt to duplicate.
More daqerous than the explicit historicist peaspective,
however, is tbe repeated UIC of alien and inappropriate
interpretive eategories-e.g., 1Jantheist," -..nonist,"
...heoI0IY," "heterodox/ orthodox," etc. -which, aIhoup undentaDdable in terms of Alin's intended
audience, cannot but mislead thole lackina a finthand
acquaintance with Ibn cArabl's works. Surely nothing
has done more to pRVeDt serious study and understanding of Ibn CArabi than the virtuaUy universal repetition
of such formulae in modern secondary literature by
authors who (unlike Asin) have had no inkling of their
appropriateness and limitations. 21 Finally, readers must
be cautioned that the author here-as in his Is/tun and
the Divine Co~dy-has offered only the evidence
that j]]ustrates his thetis; as a rauh, not surprisingly,

I'

This work hal also recently been translated into English,

under the descriptive title JOUT1WY to 1M Ltxd 0/ POwn', IT.
R. T. Harris, (New York: Inner Traditions International,
1981), aloDI Yiitb iJDponant seleetio from tbe tommeotary
by cAbd al-KarrmmT(to be discussed in Part II). O. Yahia(I,
p. 162) mentions ICVeO alternative titles aDd, toldher witb
Broctelmann, almost SO maDusaipts. The full traD5lation of
tbe staDelard title wouJd be --rhe Lipts Conceminl the
Mysteries (or secrets) Beatowe<l on ODe Who it in Retreat
(kJuJlwIl)." Sec also the translation and extensive commentary
on tbis work-drawml especially on JfiT's commentary and
corresponding paaaga from tbe FWQ/:r4t (chapters 167 and
367)-in Michel Chodkiewicz'
&ellU
sainu: hophltk
~t Ubtltll dtmJ III docltlnt d7bn CAtabr. (Pari. Gallimard,
1986), pp. 181-221. [This major new study of Ibn C Arabi's
conception of prophecy aud sainthood, bued on a tboroUib
study of the FWUl}a1 and many other writinp, appeared too
recently to be included in the bodyoftbis artide.]
., The subject ()( this work. which has little to do witb
trolOJY of any sort, is better indicated by the alternative title
(0. Yahia, II, p. 37S) X. Sirr III-A$'''' WII rmIIIUIIti ciJm 111according to Yahia, it was abo commented on by
cAbd a1-RazzIq al-Kisbini (also discussed in Part II).
20 Lone quotations from the same chapter (78) are also
available in the EnPsh tranIlation (by R. Mannheim) of
H. Corbin's CTNIM ImtJPrIIlion in 1M S,qum o/Ibn cA'lIbT,

lib,., ... ;

.$

Bollinsen Series XCI, (Princ:eton: Princeton University Pras,

1969), cspccia11y in the nota to the chapter on the -dialedic of
love." Alin'. lC~ons-toup1y IG-IS% of the orilinal
cbapacr (= FUI~, II, pp. 320-62), althoup not indXated
such in tbis traDalation-lcave out the complex metapbysical-tbeolo,ical dilcuaioDS that fonn the pater body of
the chapter; tbe selec:tion makes for easier readinJ, but is not
wbolly representative as a result.
The fOUf openine pap (pp. 333-36) are taken from
witb the imporunidentified lCCtions of the FwUJ,at,
tant diffcr~ between the -Sufi," aDd the MMiIIbtlUry,,"
(or mlll4mr)'d, the foremost of whom beina the Prophet
Muhammad), in Ibn cArabl's distinctive usaae of that term:
this subject and related spiritual .....nks" and functions are
discussed in detail in chapter 73 (beainnina of Vol. II) of the

dew.

FIdiiI.t4t.
21 The most gIarin. instana:, almost inacapable in secoocIary
lileralUR refcrrin. to Ibn cArabr, is tbe formula ~ 111wujUd" (roulbly translatable as tbe "'transceodent Unity of
Beinej-a phrase
have not 10Qtcd anywhere in Ibn
cArabI'. own writ.inp (but see the remub on BalylnJ and tbe
school of Ibn SabcTn in Pan II). Sucb formulae may have a
certain usefulness as a sort of .. hortband" when used by
specialists wellllCQuainted .tb their intended references (and
intrinsic limitatiODl), but their use for a wider audience

Mouu: Ibn cATllbi tmd hb InurpTetns. Part I

one comes away with little sense of the overwhelming
role of Koran and ~th in all of Ibn cArabY's
writings, in his own self-image (as tbe ~aI of Muhammadan Sainthood"), or in his later influence throuJbout
the Islamic world. Fortunately, however, the translations discussed below offer a much more balanced
impression of that aspect of his work.
U. Despite its brevity, this translation of Ibn CArabi's
K. al-Ftma' fi al-MwhiiJu1d4 (O.Y. 125), 1.1 Livre

tk rExtinction dmu fa Contnnpkltion [Tr.

MICHEL
V.(LSAN.
57 (translation pp. 25-50). Paris: LBS
EDITIONS DE L 'OEuvRE. 1984.] offen a remarkable

pp.

introduction to some of the central and recurrent

concerns of all his writing. n Above all, Ibn cArabi
explicitly stresses throughout this treatise-what is
often only implicity elsewhere-the decisive importance
of the appropriate spiritual realization (ta/:Jqlq) for a
true awareness of each of the classical sufi topia he
discusses: the consciousness of divine Unicity (aJ.uuI1ya)
and the illusions of unif1C81ion" (IttiJ:JadJ; the necessity
of carefully crafting one's speech and action when
discussing the realities of spiritual "unveiling" (kahj)
in the midst of those who are unaware of them;23 the
functions of himma (Minner intention; and especially
its highest spiritual degrees, culminating in the pure
devotion (ilchliq) of the mu1}tIqqiqiin; the differences
between the revealed Reliaion (din) of the Prophet
(and earlier prophets) and the divene teachings instituted by non-prophetic saaes (the ~:J);24 and the
M

inevitably ends up conveyina iOmcthin. quite different from

what ori.inally intended-a diff"lCulty that is especially
compounded in tbe case of Muslim (or more secular) readers
entirely unaware of tbe complex theoloaicaJ iuua and personal commitments that underly the use of these and other
tbeolOJica1 categories lDd judatnents in this section of Asm's
wort (or, to take an even more influential cue, in the writin..
of Masaianon). The most effective antidote seems to be
extended contact with the Shaykh's actual writinp tbemJclves.
22 The concision and clarity of this work, which recommend
it for teaebin. and oral exposition, may also explain its plac:e
at the very beJinnins of the widely reprinted Byclerabacl
(1948) edition of the R/ua>iJ Ibn aJ-CA,abr, pp. 2-9. A new
EngliJb translation, with more complete commentary, would
be a welcome 1C1'Yice for students approacmn, this field.
23 The dimension of-csotericism" in Ibn cArabY's writinpUDderIyin, sucb crucial problems the interpretation of his
cosmolOlialsymbolism. his understanding of Islamic tradition, the relation of his different writiup and their intended
audiences, etc.-is still virtuaDy untouched in tbe available
scholarly discussions of his work (see notes 8 aDd IS above).
24 The contrast between the relative e1l'ectiveoas and limitations of Caql (unaided reason," in this context) and Juulrf
M

S45

contrast between the Sufi and both literalist and

rationalist undentandinp of the realities of Faith
(rman), epitomized in the famous /.uIdith on "l/p6n"
(*WoRmp God as thouah you law him ... j.
The density of Ibn CArabI's allusions in this text and
the concision of his treatment of subjects developed
at great length elsewhere (especially in the FutW)4t)
offer a difficult challenge to any commenwor, so that
the late translators annotation in this instance is
something of model in its genre. Not only have most
of the Koranic and lpu/flh references been clearly
identifIed and commented on,2S but the Shaykh '8 technical terminology (usually with the Arabic tetms given
in parentheses) has been carefully explained wherever
necessary, often with references demonstrating a profound acquaintance with the FUIiiJ}at. Above all, the
commentary is clearly thought out and consistently
directed toward the reader's undentanding of the text
itself; that sort of dilciplined pedagogical unity and
intelligence is a rare phenomenon not only in translations of Ibn 'Arabi, but in writing on Islamic mysticism
in general. 26

('"illumination" or spiritual"discovery" based on tbe deepenin.

of scriptural indications and prescriptions) is one of the
tealrretlt themes of tbe FrlliiI)4J, especially, bcarilll on virtually all the topics Ibn 'ArabI disawes-most notably, his
understandina of spiritual practice or method, and the central
role of tbe interiorilation of tbe ,luuc, the revealed Path of tbe
Prophet. The implications of these discussions, bile impossible to summarize bere, are certainly different from bat one
might pther simply from the analysis of the Fupq and its
philosophic commentaries taken by thenuelves.
n One of thl major diff'lCUlties witb most available translations of Ibn (ArabI (mcludina those of the Fupq, n. 6
above), is the inadequate discussion of allusions (as wen as
direct quotations) to the Koran aDd 1)4drlh, witboul which
large parts of the tex~ are frequently incomprehensible or at
least quite puzzling. Even simple paae or verse references
(witbout full, appropriate retranslations aDd often elaborate
contextual explanations) are often of little usc to those
without a serious tnowledF of clauical Arabic, ready aaas
to tbe /.uuIfth collections, and a tborough acquaintance with
Ibn cArabi's often tecbnical use (build ina on earlier Sufi
authon) of those traditional SO\lKCl. This IOrt of apparatuseucntial for molt modem readers, includin. many Mualimscorresponds to a bacqround and preparation Ibn cArabI
took for ....nted amons most of his intended audience;
obviously the impression or rhetorical dfec:t is racially
different in the t 0 caes. (See also nota 4, 8, and 15 above.)
26 In this reprinted version, the editor bas also added an
index of Arabic technical terms (thoqb not of their French
equivalents), wbich is very useful in this cue since tbe

Jour1lll1 of tM Amme.n Orlentlll Sockt, 106.3 (1986)

According to the editor's note, this is only the rtnt in
a series of republications of the late Mr. VIIsan\ many
translations from Ibn cArabI (including some eleven
shorter chapten of the FutQ/;rill, as weD as many of the
treatises included in the Hyderabad edition of the
RJu8~/) which oJiainally appeared in the journal
&u.s traditionnella,11 and which together constitute
perhaps the largest body of translations of Ibn cArabI
<apart from the FUfiif) available in any Western lanauaae. While not devoid of mistakes and occasional
disputable interpretations, these translations and their
1CC0mpanyina annotation and commentary are of a
quality considerably above the average in this fJeld,
and their republication would be a most valuable
contribution to all students of Ibn cArabY, and of
SufISm aDd Islamic spirituality more genera1ly.

DI. 1.11 Niche da LunaJirel [Tr. MUHAMMAD VXLSAN

(son of preceding translator). Pp. 156. Paris: LEs EDInONS DE L'OEuvu. 1983.1 a truslation of Ibn cArabrJ
personal coUcction of lOllpJdrth qudrrentitled Mbhlc4t
ai-Anwar (0. Y. 480 and 11),11 is marked by a simtranslator hu si~ the underlying Arabic expression in
parentheses in most places where a translation alone might be
inadequate. Although this procedure does make for a cluttered
and perhaps leu immediately Mreadable" translation, it is
probably essential for any more serious study of Ibn cArabi,
especially by DOn-Arabilts, liven tbe lack of a dir~tly
equivalent tectmical vocabulary in non-Islamic 1aJl&uaIes.
(The situation is no different than with translations of philosophic or mystical texIS from Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, etc.)
The need for common reference to the Arabic is compounded
when, u is now the case, students are fKed with venioDS of
Ibn cArabY's worb by a dozen or more translaton.
27 A full bibliography of those translations is Jiven in a
recent collection entitled L'lslimr el hi Fonetlon de ReM
Guhwn, (Paris: Les Editions de l!()euvre, 1984), pp. 194-96;
the bibliolFaphy also lists the same author's many translations
of chapters from al-KllhlnI's commentary OD the Koran,
often (faJsely) attributed to Ibn cArabt (sec Part 11). The same
coUection also includes the author's translations of part of tbe
Foreword to the FwQ/.tat (pp. 180-91) and of chapter 20, on
the "mowled. of Jesus" (pp. 13-82); unfortunately, the
apparatus in these lattCl' two cases is more oriented to the
author's GumoDian preoccupations, amply illustrated in the
remaininl articles of this collection.
11 The full title-in this version; O. Yam. (11, 390) mentions
eight other titles from other manuscripts-is "n.e Niche of
Liihts Cooceminl the Reports (aJchb6r) Related From God."
(This book, incidentally, is quite distinct from a famous and
frequently translated Sufi work by aI-GbazIlI whose title
beains with tbe &aIDe words.)

plicity~ directness, and accessibility that makes it not

only an indispensable reference for students of Ibn
cArabl, but also an excellent introduction to this
fundamental and frequently misundentood aspect of
Islamic devotional and spiritual life. Its usefulness for
students-liven the decepti~ "simplicity" of the Arabic
of many 1;Iadllh-is further enhanced by the addition
of a facin& fuDy vowelcd Arabic text. The translator's
brief but dense introduction (pp. 7-14) focuses on Ibn
cArabl as a mubaddllh, mentioniDJ his teaehen in that
domai~ his favorite sources, and a number of other
penonal collections of his (most now lost) refemcl to
in his writings. However~ this information, while
important, does not even beain to convey the funda- .
mental importance of I;uldTth as sources for all of the
Shaykb'. work. Those who study attentively e\'CIl thelc
few examples, though, win soon recopize to wbat a
great extent worb such as the Frqiq and FuI~ ~
in fact woven out of exteDli~ reflection and commentary on these and other I;uldrlh. which function
much like musicalleitmotifs.19 For the most part the
ethical and spiritual intentioDl of these 1)Gdfth (which
frequently recall portions of the Gospels) are readily
apparent, and eschatological themet are panicularly
predominant. 30
As Ibn 'ArabI expl8ins in his introduction (p. 16),
this collection consists of three parts (of 40, 40, and 24
2' See the extensive indexes of /JtMl1th refereoca in each
volume of O. Yahia's new, Ongoinl edition of IIl-FuJiIJ,4II1IMllklclytl, and the selcetiw dilcusaion of 44 of the most
important of these (nol inducled in the Ml.shk4t m-A.rrwar) at
the end of S. al-l:Iatrm;s IIl-Mu7am 1Il-$UfT (n. 2 above),
pp. 12S7-69. The importaoe:e of this element in Ibn cArabY's
writinp underlies and eumplda his daim to be the aseal of
MuhammlNlan Sainthood" (ie., among other thinlS, tbe
exemplary interpreter of the inner meanins of the onl and
ceadtiop of tbe Prophet), and belps to explain-far more
than his diff"lCUlt metaphyaical doctrines-the extent of his
widespread veneration in the Islamic world u the "patest
Shaykh... Unfortunately, most available studies of Islam (and
of /.uIdr'h in particular) fail to convey tbe central importance
of selected J.wJa1r (maoy or which are often literally inseparable
from the Koran in popular consciousness) in the reliaioUl
experience of people from all Islamic rCJioDl, sects, and
periods. This spiritual dimension, quite distinct from the
Mprofeaional" use of 1)tId1I1t in qat and thcolosial contextl
that has been the object 01 much modem historical raearcb,
is the main foe of Ibn cArabI's interest in and pedaaoaiW
use of /.uIdIIlt.
)0 Especially intcratinc in that rcprd is the I}IMJTth tllmtlWik[i1 (tbe "stations" of the Resurrection), here Jiven in
several parts in the last t 0 sections, which mates up much of

MODIS:

Ibn CArabl IIItd his Intnpreter8. Part I

luJdrth, respectively, the fant group with their full imIld

IOml back to the Prophet (who relates them from God
or via Gabriel), while the second arlHlCWI aR related
directly from God. (The translator has added an
interestinl appendix, pp. 14S-SI, from an 18th-century
Maprebi Sufi writer, concerniDa the distinctions which
were necessarily drawn between these widely recognized
"divine ..yinp~ and the words of the Koran iuelf.) It
may be pointed out, given the widespread prejudices to
the contrary (at least in modem secondary literature),
that the peat majority of the J.uu/1th collected here,
includinl all of tbose in the first part, are taken from
the standard canonical recensions, and were not Min_
vented" by Sufi tradition. This point is further emphasized and elaborately demonstrated in W. A. Graham's
Div;' Word and Prophetic Word in Eiuly blilm,3' a
work (apparently unknown to Mr. Vilsan) which took
Ibn cArabr's collection as one of its points ofdeparture,
and which contains English translations of thole hDdrth
from the MishJcJIt that are also included in the canonical
collections.
IV. Stcphane Ruspoli's translation of chapter 167 of
the FllIiil)Qt, L "tIkhimit du bonheur JHUfait [Tr. S.
RUSPOLI. Pp. lSI. Paris: Boo INTEINATIONAL (collection"L'De verte"). 1981.] is certainly the most ambitious
and pioncerinl effort among tbe studies reviewed here,
since it is the fust complete Western translation32 of a
chapten 64-6S of the Futiil)at, on the stases of the Resurrection and the states of the bIeaed in Paradise.
Uafortunately, the lack of any iDdex-althoulh it would
admittedly have been a areat deal of ork-somewhat limits
the usefuloeu OCth.ii translatioli ai referenee (with reaard to
other writinp of Ibn cArabI) (or those who are not able to
memorize its conteDts.
31 The H.,..e: MOutoDA Co., 1977. Prof. Graham's work is
by no means exhaustive of the I}tu/flh qudsT iDcluded in tbe
canonical collections; a recent COllecb\4e survey of the -Six
Boob," al-A~tJr 1I1-Q&ubfya, (Cairo: Wizlrat aIAwqlf ... , 140(/1980), cites in fun some 400 eumples,
iDdudina fun references to the originailOurca. Many of tbae
I]adTtJr qudii, not included in the Mw.Jc1J al-AnwIT, are
litewiac repeatedly cited aDd interpreted in IbD cArabl'
worb (e.&-, the "'Iiiq Ill-jIuuwI," pp. 470. iD the abovementioned urvey, which is at the heart of his escbatoloaica1
diKuaions in the FUliiblt).
n The problems posed by complete translations of extensive
sections from the FutUl)iIt (u oppoRd to translatina only
short, self-contained chapters or 1C1eded pusqa, in Asfn
Palacios' book above) are basically twofold: (I) wbat to do
with phrases one doesn\ really uDdentand, but wbole "'key"
pcobably liven IOmewhere else in that massiYe wort (which

547

long chapter of the FutUJ,iit (14 pages of Arabic text,

or roughly .S% of the book)-oDe of its most complex
and allusive passages, and one whose eludication and
undentaDdina inevitably requires references to many
other sections of tbat immense work. The narrative
framework of the chapter is the quest for spiritual
perfection undertaken by two friend , a "follower of
Muhammad 19 (with aU that implies for Ibn cArabT) and
an ambitious "'hcoretician" (part mutaJudlim, part
philosopher) wbo relies on his own tbeoloaical cosmological reasonings. n The contrast of their very different
paths and experiences, in the context of the traditional
stales of the Prophet'S spiritual ascension (miCrjjj),
enables Ibn cArabI to allude to many of his most
essential spiritual insiabts and reaIizations wbile continually reminding tbe reader of their practical and
penona! presuppositions.
However, just as in Ibn cArabI's other works using
the MiCrllj framework (especially tbe long chapter 367
of the FutiiJ)(lt, recountinl the Sbaykb's own penonal
miCrjjj, and tbe K.. m_brjj"),M the variety of subjects
and symbols brought into play in this chapter is so
great that an adequate commentary-which the translator bas promised for a future volume-would have to
be many times longer than the actual translation. In
the interim, this venion does provide illuminatinl and
essential notes at many points,J' and readers acquainted
mi&bt take a decade to rU4 aad annOble ill its efttirety); aDd
(2) what to do where, _ is often the case, adequate explanation of a .inale aUusioD may require whole p8.ICI of commentary drawn from other cbapten or orb by Ibn cArabl1
It is DO doubt the presence or lDUIy substantial collllDClltarin,
ubltantidy eliminatifti taw. two IJ'C*l obstacles, that helps
explain the focus of academic interest on tbe Frq;q al-Qilumt.
J) This symbolic exprasion of a recurrent theme in the
FutiiJ.tllt, tbe contrat betWCCD the two paths of /uuhf and clU/l
and their relative efficacity (see al 0 n. 24 above) raises a
DUmber of diffICUlt problems for modem readers and interpreters, and perhaps calls into question tbe adequacy of some
of the traditional approaches to the FUIfJI. At tbe Yery least,
this attitude wa not without its repercussions in the later
attacks on Ibn cArabt's orb and his Sufi defenden by
certain theologians and pbilosophen (see Part II).
14 Chapter 367 = FutU/:t4t III, 340-S4; K. ai-JR." ...
(O.Y., o. 313) = RtuallllHr a/-cArIlbT(Hycierabad, 1948),
Pt. I, 13th treatise (pp. 1-92). An ex1cnsiYe summary of the
/;uIdrtlr and ~oranic soun:es and ymbolism used in these
chapters, a well _ a broad outline ( ithout interpretation) of
each of them, can be found in ARn Palacios' [8"'" tmd tM
Divine COlMdy (full ref. at D. II above).
lS The usefulness of Dr. Ruspoli'. notes and the advance
they represent can be measured apinst an earlier, partial

S48

JDUmIII 01 the Amniam OrimtDl Society 106.3 (1986)

with the FUIiJI, for example, will recognize discussions

of many of the same questions of metaphysics and
mystical theology. Moreover, the discussions of 001mololY and principles of created beiDa in the concluding sections also form an exceUent complement to
the equally condensed pn:sentations of those matters in
the works translated by D. Gril and M. Gloton discussed below. However, even allowing for the serious
challenges posed by this chapter, the quality of the
translation and commentary alike show evidence of a
certain haste and carelessness that will limit its usefulness for the general reader, and may even give a
misimpression of confusion or disorder that does not
truly reflect the Arabic original.
V. The two studies dealt with in this section are likely
to prove less accessible for those approaching Ibn
cArabI for the first time. Both of them, in highly
condensed and symbolic language, touch on limited
aspects of a complex symbolic framework of cosmology, cosmogony, and metaphysical concepts (the InslIn
Kiimil, "Muhammadan Reality", etc.) which-in its
twofold interrelations with the traditional sources of
the Koran and I,atulith, on the one hand, and their
spiritual realization and verifICation on the otherunderlies virtually all of Ibn cArabY's writing. Unfortunately, there is really no single work to which
non-specialists can refer for 16keys" (or even adequate
clues) for fully decipherinl these and many similar
symbolic treatises of Ibn cArabT. l6 But even if these
texts cannot really be "understood" in isolation,]7 they
translation of this same chapter by G. Anawatj, ML 'AJchimie
du Bonheur, d1bo cArabi." pp. 353-86 in the RnIW ell
rbutUut Domilllc.u. d'tude$ OrimltJln du CiliTe, Mlhmge$
6 (Cairo, 1959-61).
l6 In Western 1anIuaaes, the best introduction is certainly
the tudy of the FU#4 a1- QiJuI", by T. Izutsu (see n. 6 above),
to be supplemented by the German introdue:tion to H. S.
Nybera's Klmwn Sehri/tm tk$/b" cArabf(n. 11 above). The
broadest and most useful refereDte, fOt tbose able to read Ibn
cArabl in Arabic, is now no doubt the -.gufi lexicon" of
S. aI-"aklm (n. I above), under tbe appropriate beadinp;
see, e.., the entry for tl/-iluiln tll-Umi/ (entry no. 66,
pp. 158ff.) aJJd its forty synonyms in Ibn cArabY's technical
terminology for ,hal key term alone.
)7 Nor can it be assumed that such brief symbolic writinp
weR always meant to be Mgnderstood" in a systematic SCDJe;
dependifll on the case, one can hypothesize a number of
aesthetic, pedaaogical, Or eYen socio-political explanations of
certain of these puzzlina treatises. It is worth notiaa. in this
coDDedion, tbat Ibn cArabT often praises tbe condition of

do offer representative cases of important stylistic and

rhetorical aspectl of Ibn cArabJ'. work which we have
not already encountered.
M. Oloton'. translation of the Shajorat til KJzwn

(0.Y. 660), L 'Arbre du Morule [Tr.

MAV.lCE GLOTON.

Pp. 230. Paris: Us DEUx OcEANS. 1982.~ previously

translated into Enalish by Arthur Jeffery, I is perbap
most noteworthy for its extensive commentary and
additional references (the actual translation covering
only pp. 48-108). That e planatory material includes
not only long passages from the Koran an4 I;uItllth
(e.g., those underlyiDl the notion of the "Muhammadan
Reality"), JurjlnI's dcfmitions of Sufi technical terms,
and sections of the FUIUI not otherwise available in
French, but aliO certain pteYio Iy UDtranllated parts
of the Fut~t-the most important being chapter 63,
on the borztlkh (both the intermediate, O&imaginal" level
of reality, and the esc:batologicaJ state loosely resembling purgatoryj.39 Ibn cArabY's work itself is divided
into three D'&ain ptl1U:J (pp. 49-62) a brief cosmological
outline of the "Tree of Being" using primarily Koranic
symbolism; (pp. 63-92) a discussion of the levels and
aspects of this cosmic whole (incJuding its microcosmic
correspondences) in terms of tbe "Muhammadan Reality"; (pp. 93-1(6) a symbolic recounting, in this CO$Dlic
context, of the archetypal spiritual uc:ension of the
Prophet, somewhat shorter than the venion in the
work translated by Dr. Ruspoli above. While the
extensive references illuminate tbe many individual
U

""yrtl, of one'. ego beiDI"at a loss"-and thus more receptive

to tbe spiritual Truth-ill comparison with tbe (relatively)
superficial and schematic son of undentaDdin, normany
soulbt by the unenJilbteDed ctlql.
31 Mlbn AI.cArabt"s Sbajarat aI-Kawa," Studis IdtllJlktl, X
(1959), pp. 43- and XI (1960), pp. 113~ recently reprinted
in boot form in Lahore, Pakistan (1980). The annotation in
Jeffery's venion is not as useful nor as complete as that in this
new FRncb translation, but the translation itself IeC1I1S mOR
readable, perhaps partly because it bas Dot been so systematically ubclivided.
)t We must note the commendable provision of a detailed
Index'alouary (COftrilll both Arabic terms and their French
equivalents here) and a helpful introductory bibliography. In
aeneral, while the wealth of references offered by Mr. Gloton
may be Rduftdam and poaibly even annoyin. to scholars
already havin, such bacqroUDd. it shoulcl surely be of IervLce
to students approacbinl this wort for the rust time.
40 Our description heR docs not correspond exactly to the
translator's own far moR elaborate system of seetiODS and
subclivisions-a useful device which may have been carried
too far in this case.

No als: Ibn cArtlbi tIIUi IJU Interpreter'. Port I

terms and symbols of the discussion, neither they nor
the translator's introduction really provide the commentary that would be necessary to make sense of this
work as a whole.
Prof. D. Gril's translation of the R. al-iltihild 111ktlW1l1(O.Y. 319), L'Arbn e' 1D QlMure OIsellux [Tr.
DENIS GIlIL. Pp. 73. Paris: La DEux OCEANS. 1984.] is
as concise and exact as the preceding work is prolix;
the poetry and symbolic prose of this text demand such
acquaintance with Ibn cArabI and careful attention to
the Arabic that a translation in the full sense is
virtually impossible:" However, this tudy does serve
to point out both the central importatx:e of Arabic
poetry and poetic expression in all of the Shaykb',
writings'Z and the terrible difficulties facing translators
who would try to do justice to its mcanina (not to
mention the form). This is all the more important in
that the most strikina and controversial formulations
of the Shaykh's thought-here, for example, his consistent use of the fmt penon sinJUlar when dilcu ina
the different aspects of the "Perfect Man"-are frequently expressed in his poetry, althoulh one is seldom
quite sure how much weight should be given the
rhetorical dimension of dramatic or poetic license.
Perhaps more important, this work helps draw our
attention to the many aspects of Ibn cArabi's character
and expression which are profoundly and essentially
MArab" in a way that was often nq1ected already in his
transmission to the Eastern Islamic world.)
., This study fint appeared (in subltantially the same form
reprinted here), aloJII with a fulllCientiflC edition of the
Arabic text, in the AnnIIln Is/mrroloKiques XVII (1981),
(Cairo,IDltitat FranpiJ d'~"losieOrienlale), pp. 53ft'.
42 In EnJlisb, the bat available illustration is the recently
reprinted traDIIaIiOft of Ibn cArabt'l 1M TtII'jum4II.I-AMwilq
by R. A. Nicholson, (London: Royal Asiatic Socidy, 1911;
repro Loadon: Theosophical PublUhioa House, Ltd. 1978).
Nicholson'l book a1Jo includes an edition of the Arabic text
(0.Y., No. 767) aocl a partial translation of Ibn cArabi's later
mystical commentary on these poems, K. ll1-lJJuIIcM'i, WQ
tU-Aclaq If Slttlrl} ... , (O.Y. No. 116). Unfortunately, Ibn
cArabI rarely provided such collllDentaries for the yilt number
of venea, for the most part much more opeDly metapbysical
and pedqosical in nature, which are scattered throu....out the
FIIIS1]4, ancI which provide a IOrt of ultimate cbaDeaF for
the tr&nJlator, giYeD their depth of allusion and the multiple
radinp and interpretatio.. they oftea contain.
4) See Part II for the relative emphasis in tbe nOD-Arabic
Islamic world on the FIqiq 1Il-lIihm and the cooc:cptual,
philosophic undentandina of the Shaykb's writinp. In addition to the role of Arabic poetry and other rhetorical and

The subject of the treatise ('addressed to myself,"

Ibn cArabl lays), the cosmic unity of divine Manifestation in the 11111n aI- Kiimi/, is aptly described by the
lonl Arabic ti~ loosely translatable as MEpistle on the
unification of manifest heinl at the level of immediate
vision of the presence of the Tree of Man and the four
spiritual birds," where the tree (as in Sluljtullt 111KlIWn) symbolizes the ....nivenal Man" and the four
birds symbolize the four inseparable principal aspects
of manifest existence-the Intellect, Univenal Soul,
universal Body, and "Dust" (luIbii') or Prime Matterwhich are discussed in dozens of the Shaykh'l writinp
on cosmology and cosmoaony. One point worth noting
is Ibn cArabl' vigorous defense (pp. 69-70) of the
equal and essential role of the principle of "universal
Body" in the manifestation of the world, a key aspect
of his theology I philosophy of flljalliy.," that brings
out its dramatic contrast with the more "dualistic"
schemas (of matter and pirit, etc.) adopted by other
schools of SufllDl and otber relipoUi and philosophic
traditioDS. Prof. Gri!'s concise introduction (pp. 7-31)
identifaes these main "characten" and some of the
standard sources for their interpretation (see n. 36
above), but-no doubt wiJely-does not attempt a
detailed commentary, which would require many volumes of this size.

VI. The two recent boob by Mr. Charles-Andre Gills,

which can only be partially considered as translations
of Ibn cArabt,5 are curious contemporary ilIustratiollI
of the perennial pheooJDena of "scholasticization,"
aesthetic tendencies in Ibn cArabl'. writiDp (sec n. 8 above),
one may abo note his clistiDCtive t6etymoloJical" form of
Koranic interpRtation (amply illustrated in the F",u,)thintinJ, or at least praentina his tbouaht, tbroup the
usociation and analysis of Yerbal roots aDd derived fOnDIaDd his aoaIolOUI empbuil on the importance of Imall
details of the "iteral," outwanl aspect of the marrcQ and
tradition to a dqree which is perhaps more broy typical of
Arab forms of SufISm.
44 T. Izuuu, op. cit. (0. 6 above), Jives an especially clear
account of this dimension of Ibn cArabi'l metaphysics. See
also the important discussion or tbe basic clifJereaca betweea
Ibn cArabT'. outlook and the system of Ibn Sabcln and his
followers, in M. Cbocltiewicz' introduction and <:ommentary
of BalylnT'l P.plt,~ su, /"Unidtl Ab$Olw (often attributed to
Ibn cArabJ), (Paris: lei Deux Oc:WII, 1982); the sipiflC&DCe
of tbis point will be brouabt out in Part II.
45 In contrail witb the previous worts, it is the tnDIIMorI commentator'. name-aDd not Ibn cArabt'l-wbich fJlUfa prominently on the COftC of these boob.

JoUT1lill of the Amerlc"" Orimttd ~ty /06.3 (1986)

g10.S5eS, and supercommentaries that were often manifested in the reception of Ibn cArabI's work, especially
in the non-Arabic Islamic world. ott As is inevitable in
such cases, the commentary tradition-rather than
serving to re-create or make accessible the spiritual
and intellectual insights that motivated Ibn CArabI's
writing-easily takes on a life of its own, becoming a
"doctrine" or intellectual object of study in its own
right, accessible only to members of the particular
school or sect in question. In this instance, excellent
and thoughtful translations of important works of Ibn
cArabl, and serious reflection concerninl them, have
been clothed in an elaborate supercommentary on the
author's "two masters" (R. Guenon and M. Vilsan)
which unfortunately will tend to obscure Ibn cArabi,
rather than to illuminate him, for those who are either
unfamiliar with those writers or who happen to find
the author', distinctive melange of (among others)
numerololY, astrology, Hermeticism, Masonic ritual,
and Vedantic terminolo&y less congenial. 4'
If we bave not simply passed over these two books in
silence, it is because the underIyina works of Ibn cArabi
are of substantial value in their own right, are capably
and seriously translated and, at least in the second
case, would well repay the effort of study in abstraction
from their exotic lurroundinp. La DoctriM lnitiDtique
du Pllerinage 10 Maison d'AlltIh [fr. C.-A. GILlS.
pp. 331. Paris: LB EDlnONS DE L'OEVvu. 1982.].
bued loosely on cha.cter 72 of the Futiil)4t ("On the
Hajj and Its Secretsj -althoulh it is virtually im~
sible here to separate the author's penonal commentaries from any translations of Ibn cArabi, even

witb Arabic text in hand-should at least draw attenion to the central position in the Shaykb'. thought and
practice of the prescriptions of Islamic law; his developments in that area are more profouDd and IUbtle, as
well as more voluminous, than the better-known comparable passap in al-GhazllT's ThY';) C UlUm td-Drn. 4'
Le Cortm et ItI Fonetion d'Herml8 [Tr. C.-A. GILlS.
pp. 226. Paris: 1.Bs EDITIONS DE L UwvaE. 1984.],
despite its title (which bas notbinl directly to do with
Ibn cArabt or the text in question), is in fact centered
on a translation of chapter 198, section 9 (II, pp.
405-21) of the Futlil)lt, consistina of Ibn cArabr'a
interpretation of the thirty-six Koranic statements of
tQw1;lId (the Unity of God), COrrespondinl to the
81ulhiJda but each set forth in slightly different terlDl. JO
The fascinating way in which Ibn cArabT brinp out
unsuspected riches of insight and meaning in each of
those Koranic verses, in conjunction simultueously
with the spiritual states and corresponding metaphysical realities they manifest and express, is a remarkable
illustration of his extraordinary capacities of interpretation, as well as an excellent practical introduction to
tbe central role of the divine Names and Attributes in
his thouabt.
One cannot read this work tbrough, challenging as
that may be, without laininl at least lome sense of the
penuasiveness of Ibn cArabI's repeated claims that aU
his writinp and inspirations are nothina more than the

text of almost 100 paaa (1, pp. 66S-763) oWd be equivaleot

to some 1000 printed pap of a complete, annotated Enph
tnmslalion.
49 Tbe Dlost mODumenW and accessible illustration of
dimeosion of Ibn cArabt', teacbinl is the seCtion, in the
Fu'Q/.IlIl on the "Seems of the Sharica" and the basic rituals
of Islam (ill/iii, 1}IIjj, etc.), vol. I, 322-763. equivalent to
thousand. ofpap in EnJlisla translation; there an also OWly
shorter treatises by the Sbaykh alonl similar liDes, lOme of
them diJcuuecl in Asia PalKios' wort mentioned above.
An excelleDt introduction to this stiD larFly neaJeeted area
of his thought is the article by M. Cbodkiewicz. "Ibn cArabI,
la lettre d I. Loi," pp. 27-40 in the Act~s flu Co//oqw
uMystique. CuJtur~ e' SociI,I': (Paris: Univ. de ParisSorbonne,I9M).
~ Fonunately the translator', personal commentaries on
this wort are dearly separated from a complete translation of
Ibn cArabT'. own remarks, following each of the 36lCCtioDl.
Mr. Gw' comments, while still rcflectina (u in his title) tbe
same OCJCuItiat toDCenlJ, are conaiderably mOR CIORIy related
to Ibn cArabl's writing tbaa in the volume on tbe Hajj.

uu.

.. See Part II for details; if the phenomenon is univenal with

tbe heritage of all &real ofiainal thinken, it is still especially
easy to comprebcDd in the cue of Ibn cArabI, pen the
diftrlity and volume of his writinp aad ahe aJroseaher
exceptional variety of sources and traditions tbat are iDtepatcd
in them.
47 In all fairness, it must be noted that tbe author', commentaries in both volumes also include some contn"butioDl
from two classic Islamic interpreters of tbe Sbayth', school
who will be encountered in Part II, CAW al-1lazzIq al~lshInI and cAbd al-Q1dir al-Jau)irI, whose remarks 8ft
usually more obviously Rlevant to the texts of lbe cArabL
However, tbe references to their worb ber'e are almost
impouible to separate from their occultist surroundin .
.. To give some idea oCtbe abridaement involved (and at the
~ time of tile detail of Ibn cArabl'. intelat in thil.ubject
and the depth of his interpretation), the lithop'apbcd Arabic

MoaRIS: Ibn CArabi tmtJ his Interpreters. Part I

fruits of reflection on, or internalization of, the Koran

and 1;Iadith (and not the application to them of an
external schema of interpretation). Nor can one study
any work of his for loog without developing a transformed awareness of and sensitivity to the words and
deeper dimensions of the K.orao. It is just this sort of
realization, that can only be reached through actual
meditation on Ibn cArabi's writings-not from any
account of that work, no matter how capable-that
helps justify (and no doubt partly motivated) the years

of devoted effort that are represented by all these new

publications.s I

51 Certain translations of other boob frequently attributed

to Ibn cArabT which one might expect to find here in Part I are
instead dealt with in Part II. In particular, these include the
R. tIl-A/.uuIfya of al-Balylnl (see n. 44 above); '"La Pro/~uion
de Fol," tr. R. Deladriere; and works concerning the Tafl" of
cAbd al-Razziq al-UsbiDi.