The Sufi Path of Knowledge- Ibn al Arabi's Metaphysics of Imagination

About the Book "For the first time in the history of Orientalism, a thorough study of Ibn al-Arabi's thought is now available. William Chittick has given us a translation of numerous passages from the work of the Magister Magnus and placed them in their theological context, thus removing many misunderstandings that have prevailed both among Muslims and in the West when interpreting Ibn al-'Arabi's mystical worldview. Chittick has done this with admirable clarity, and his book will always remain a most important milestone in the study of Islamic mystical theology."-Annemarie Schimmel, Harvard University.

Ibn al-Arabi is still known as "the Great Sheik" among the surviving Sufi orders. Born in Muslim Spain, he has become famous in the West as the greatest mystical thinker of Islamic civilization. He was a great philosopher, theologian, and poet. William Chittick takes a major step toward exposing them.

breadth and depth of Ibn al-'Arabi's vision. The book offers his view of spiritual perfection and explains his theology, ontology, epistemology, hermeneutics, and soteriology. The clear language, unencumbered by methodological jargon, makes it accessible to those familiar with other spiritual traditions, while its scholarly precision will appeal to specialists.

Beginning with a survey of Ibn al-'Arabi's major teachings, the book gradually introduces the most important facets of his thought, devoting attention to definitions of his basic terminology. His teachings are illustrated with many translated passages introducing readers to fascinating byways of spiritual life that would not ordinarily be encountered in an account of a thinker's ideas. Ibn al-'Arabi is allowed to describe in detail the visionary world from which his knowledge derives and to express his teachings in his own words.

More than 600 passages from his major work, al-Futühat al Makkiroa, are translated here, practically for the first time. These alone provide twice the text of the Fusus al-hikam. The exhaustive indexes make the work an invaluable reference tool for research in Sufism and Islamic thought in general.

William Chittick is a Professor of Religious Studies at State University of New York, Stony Brook. He is author of The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi and nine other books.

Introduction Somewhere along line, the West ern intellectual tradition took a wrong turn. Arguments over when why happened. Many important thinkers have concluded that the West never should have abandoned certain teachings about reality which shared with East. They have turned the Oriental traditions in the of finding resources which help revive what has been lost correct the deep psy chic spiritual imbalances civil ization.

One result this ongoing search for a lost intellectual and spiritual heritage been rediscovery of importance of imagination. In putting complete faith in reason, the West forgot that imagina tion opens the soul certain possibil- ities perceiving and understanding not available rational One the important contemporary thinkers who have pointed in this direction the late Henry Corbin, who bequeathed us word "imaginal." has explained in his works, the "imaginal world" mundus imaginalis possesses an independent ontological status and must be clearly differentiated from the "imagi nary" which no more than our individual fantasies. Once we sight the import great body mythic and religious teachings slips from our grasp All religious traditions accord central role to imagination, though not necessar ily by this name. mundus imaginalis the realm where invisible realities be visible and corporeal things are spiritualized. Though more real and "subtle" than the physical world, the World Imagination less and "denser" than spiritual world, which remains forever invisible such. Is lam, the later intellectual tradition never tires of discussing imaginal realms as the locus wherein spiritual realities are visionary experience all the eschatological events described in the Koran Hadith take place exactly described. on the of Resurrection, reported by the Prophet, "death is brought of a salt-colored ram and slaughtered," this imaginal existence allows abstract meanings to take concrete And all the works we performed during our lives are placed in the Scales, the good deeds in right and deeds the left, this because imagination brings about tivities.

**Contents and Sample Pages**