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.
Featured Article
Mohammed Rustom
A Letter to Imām al-Rāzī
Ibn Arabi’s Letter to Fakhr al-Din al-Rāzī is addressed to one of the great scholars of his age, famous for his belief in rationalism. Ibn ‘Arabi had heard from one of al-Rāzī’s companions that he had seen him weeping one day… It is a wonderfully wise and generous letter.
List of all articles
Featured Podcast
William C. Chittick
Ibn Arabi: The Doorway to an Intellectual Tradition
Those who can be classified as members of this tradition have usually been looked back upon as philosophers or Sufis. They held that the final goal of all Islamic learning – and, indeed, of all religion – is to awaken people to their own intellectual and spiritual nature, which is the divine image found in the heart.
List of all podcasts
Featured Video
Jane Clark
The Structure of Two-Ness in Ibn ‘Arabi’s Writing
This talk explores how Ibn ʿArabi uses the symbolism of the mirror and the nature of mirror symmetry to convey essential truths, with examples from the chapter headings of the Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam and a poem in the Rūḥ al-quds.
Recently Added Quotation
Futūḥāt Translation Project
29 July 2020
Learn, may God assist you, that every living being and everything described with perception has, in fact, in every breath new knowledge with regard to that perception; but the individual perceiving may not be among those who pay attention to what knowledge really is – though it is in fact knowledge.
Futūḥāt, Book 3
Latest News
Online talks — Series 3
Ibn ‘Arabi and The Geometry of Reality
A series of talks paying tribute to the work of Michel Chodkiewicz and Keith Critchlow. The next talk is by Gregory Vandamme (University of Louvain, Belgium). More information.
August-September 2020
Approaches to the Study of ‘Ibn Arabi and the Akbarian School
The “Studies in Sufism” Summer School in 2020 will consist of online seminars between 26th August and 6th September, covering fundamental aspects of the doctrine of Ibn ʻArabī and approaches to it.
September 2020
IAI Australia launches online seminars
The newly established Ibn Arabi Interreligious Research Initiative (IAI) at Monash University is organising a series of online seminars on Ibn ʿArabi, entitled ‘The Hidden Treasure’. These seminars will be open to the public, aiming to present an accessible introduction to Ibn ʿArabi, his teachings, and his relevance to the contemporary world.
June 2020
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 2 has just appeared.
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.
Donate to the Society in the UK
Donate to the Society in the USA