Ibn Arabi

Pioneering Sufi philosopher known for waḥdat al-wujūd, shaping Islamic metaphysics.

Chronology: 1165-07-28 – 1240-11-16

Origins & Early Life

Ibn al-ʿArabī (August, 1165 – November, 1240) was a Muslim Arab scholar, mystic, poet, and philosopher from al-Andalus, who exercised notable influence within Sufi metaphysics and Islamic thought in general. There are 850 works attributed to Ibn al-ʿArabī, though only 700 of these are considered authentic, and only 400 are extant. His cosmological teachings became a dominant intellectual framework in many regions of the Muslim world. His traditional title was Muḥyiddīn (Arabic: محيي الدين, lit.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

'The Reviver of Religion'). After his death, practitioners of Sufism began referring to him by the honorific title Shaykh al-Akbar (Arabic: الشيخ الأكبر, lit. 'The Greatest Shaykh'), from which the term Akbarism is derived. Ibn ʿArabī is considered a wali (saint) by some scholars and Muslim communities. Ibn al-ʿArabī is known for being the first person to explicitly delineate the concept of waḥdat al-wujūd (the transcendent unity of being), a monist doctrine that claimed that all things in the universe are manifestations of a singular reality.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Ibn al-ʿArabī equated this reality with the entity he called "the Absolute" (al-wujūd al-muṭlaq, "Absolute Being"). == Early life == Ibn 'Arabī was...

Source: Wikipedia