Ibn ‘Arabi is a unique genius in the world of mystical teaching. Relatively unknown in the West until the twentieth century, he has been revered by Sufi mystics ever since he first burst upon the Islamic world at the turn of the 13th century. He wrote over 350 books and treatises, works of the highest quality that deserve to be recognised as classics of Western spirituality. They deal with every facet of spiritual learning, explaining all the traditional sciences of Quran and hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) as well as the whole prophetic tradition of the West according to their inner significance and presenting them within a completely coherent whole. In addition, he commented on the spiritual tradition that had developed from the time of the Prophet, giving a context to the various forms of spiritual realisation. Few people could ever claim to have read more than a portion of these works, and even fewer would be bold enough to claim to have understood them.

The most evident feature of these writings is their universality and breadth, coupled with an astonishing penetration into the central issues of human experience. They represent an unparalleled resource for all genuine seekers of Truth, and often openly state or prefigure insights more commonly attributed to other later figures. It is equally clear that his works have a remarkable power to transform the state and mentality of his readers. Ibn ‘Arabi has always aroused fierce passions, and his writings have never been considered “easy.” The model of sainthood and true spiritual realisation to some, he has also been a controversial figure bordering on heresy to others. All this seems more to reflect or give expression to the prejudices and beliefs in the minds and hearts of his readers. Like all great geniuses, the real man’s identity and principles have often been obscured by ideological controversies or popular misconceptions.

In historical terms, Ibn ‘Arabi is a watershed: unifying the previously oral traditions into a written synthesis, he represents the culmination of five and a half centuries of Islamic spirituality. Within 18 years of his death, the Mongol invasions of the Fertile Crescent shattered much of Islamic civilisation in the East, changing the face of the Middle East for good. When Islamic culture rebuilt itself in the aftermath of this apparent disaster, it was Ibn ‘Arabi’s teachings which permeated the Islamic world, especially Turkey and Iran. His terminology became the basis of later Sufi teaching, and his works have been the underlying reference point for all the major orders (Qadiriyya, Naqshbandiyya etc.) ever since. Nobody else can claim to have been so influential as a spiritual teacher throughout the Islamic world.

. . . Fundamental to Islamic teaching is the doctrine of tawhîd (the Unity of God), and it is the realisation of tawhîd which lies at the heart of Ibn ‘Arabi’s person and teaching. While to later generations he has appeared as a great author, he was also recognised during his own lifetime as an extraordinary mystic, as someone with the most profound insight into and understanding of human nature, who was able to teach by deed and word. He was one who has realised their true nature through experience and state rather than through intellectual comprehension, and yet was able to express his vision in words in the most comprehensive manner. His life must rank as one of the most remarkable lived by any human being. All those who come after can only be grateful for the profusion of insights which he wrote down concerning his own experience and that of his contemporaries. The fact that we know so much about both his inner and outer life is almost entirely due to what he has himself described. As one of his contemporaries, who met him in the last period of his life in Damascus, wrote: “he is one of the greatest of those who are knowledgeable of the Way (of God), uniting all the sciences bestowed by God. His reputation is enormous and his writings are many. The realisation of the unity of God (tawhîd) has completely predominated over him in terms of knowledge, behaviour and state, and he pays no heed to the ups and downs of existence.”

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