Ibn ‘Arabi: al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya, Ch. 372
Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi
Mystic, philosopher, poet, sage, Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi (1165–1240) was one of the world’s great spiritual teachers.
Ibn Arabi was born in Murcia in Arab al-Andalus, and his writings had an immense impact throughout the Islamic world and beyond. The universal ideas underlying his thought are of immediate relevance today.
The Society
The Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society (MIAS) was founded in 1977 to promote a greater understanding of the work of Ibn Arabi and his followers.
It is an international association with its headquarters in Oxford England and a branch in Berkeley California. The Society is funded by the annual subscriptions of its members. It collaborates with affiliated societies in Spain and Australia.
Activities
» Publications: The Society has published a Journal since 1982, which is now peer-reviewed and appears twice a year. It has published books, particularly a translation into English of the Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam. Its website provides over 200 articles, mainly from the Journal.
» Events: The Society has organised conferences in the UK and the USA since 1984. Podcasts and videos of more than 100 talks from Society events are available on this website.
» Historic manuscript project: Since 2002 the Society has been engaged in collecting copies of historic manuscripts of the works of Ibn Arabi. A version of the catalogue is available on this website.
Society Membership
If you are interested in Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, his work and his teachings, you are welcome to join the Society. Among other benefits, Members receive the Society Journal, have discounted entry to Society events, and free admission to live online talks.
Recently Added Quotation
Futūḥāt Translation Project
13 September 2021
How many pray and have from their prayer nothing but a vision of the wall in front of them, and fatigue and weariness?
But others are graced with intimate conversation with God – ever and ever;
even if they have already prayed a required prayer, they meet the Convener.
And how not? The inner secret of the True was their prayer leader!
And even if they were led by someone else, they reached the end of the procession.
Book 5, Chapter 69 (p. 241)
Go to the Quotations page
Featured Article
Osman Yahya
Theophanies and Lights in the Thought of Ibn ‘Arabi
God is the “Hidden Treasure” which longs to express itself and be known. God/Truth is Beauty and the property of beauty is to shine forth. He is Love whose nature is to give of itself. The divine theophanies are essentially the outpouring of His Beauty, His Perfection and His Love which are expressed in the immense theatre of the universe.
List of all articles
Featured Podcast
William C. Chittick
The Anthropology of Compassion in Ibn Arabi’s Futuhat
Ibn Arabi has commonly been called al-Shaykh al-Akbar, “the Greatest Teacher”, not least because he explained in unprecedented detail and at the highest level of discourse all the implications of the Islamic worldview. The result was a vast synthesis of the basic fields of learning, including Quran, Hadith, language, law, psychology, cosmology, theology, philosophy, and metaphysics. In delving into these subjects, he wanted to show how each can act as an aid in the actualization of true human nature. But what exactly is true human nature? This is what I am calling “anthropology” – the science of the anthropos – the explication of which lies at the heart of Ibn Arabi’s writings. A version of the talk later printed in the Society Journal is also available on this website.
List of all podcasts
Featured Video
Stephen Hirtenstein
“A Noble Letter with Multiple Aspects”
The letter Wāw according to Ibn ‘Arabi, in poetry and prose. Stephen writes: In this talk we will explore some of the meanings of the final letter (in sound) of the Arabic alphabet, and how it symbolises notions of lastness and the Perfect Human. We will particularly focus on the remarkable letter-poem which Ibn ‘Arabi included in chapter 2 of the Futūḥāt, and his prose discussions of the Wāw.
Latest News
October 28, 2021
Ibn ‘Arabi’s Creative Imagination
This event will explore how Ibn ‘Arabi’s creative imagination crosses philosophical, poetic, linguistic and artistic borders, and how his ideas continue to inspire contemporary poetry, film, art and music. It will comprise short talks by Cecilia Twinch and Rim Feriani, poetry readings, a round-table discussion, and an opportunity for questions.
This Zoom seminar is jointly hosted by Language Acts and Worldmaking and the Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society. It will take place on Thursday, 28th October 2021, from 17:00-19:45 BST (London time).
More information
Added to the Blog page, 1 July 2021
Critical Edition of Ibn ‘Arabi’s Diwān
A critical edition of the text of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s Diwān, produced by ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Sulṭān al-Manṣūb, has been published by Ninawa, Damascus, Syria, in five hardback volumes. The printed Diwāns available up till now have been reproductions of the “Bulaq edition” (1855), containing about 25% of the total.
September 2021
The “Hidden Treasure” online talks
The last online seminar in the Hidden Treasure Series, organised by the Ibn Arabi Interreligious Research Initiative (IAI) at Monash University, Australia, was delivered by Dr Eric Winkel, on Saturday 4 September 2021. After a break, the series will resume in 2022. More information
July 2021
Society Journal, Volume 69
Volume 68 of the Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society is now available. See the list of contents
July – September 2021
“With which eye do I see Him”
A ten-week online course with Dr Rim Feriani exploring the multi-layered meanings of the journey in Ibn Arabi’s teachings. We will read a selection of passages from Ibn Arabi’s The Secrets of Voyaging. Course calendar
June 2021
Futūḥāt Translation Project
Dr Eric Winkel is engaged in a translation into English of Ibn al-‘Arabi’s Futūḥāt al-Makkīyah, from beginning to end. It is being published progressively by the Pir Press, and Volume 3 (comprising Books 5 and 6) has just been launched.
Social Media
The Society in the USA maintains a Facebook Page, and the Society in the UK maintains a Facebook Group. Both provide news about Society events, and the Facebook Group can be a good place to ask questions.
Contact
The Society is administered from two centres: Oxford (UK) and Berkeley (USA). The Society in the UK is responsible for everywhere outside North America.
Making a Donation
As a non-profit organisation, the Society welcomes donations of any size. Donations help underwrite the many activities of the Society.
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