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.
Supporting the Society
For information about some of the Society’s planned developments over the next three years, and how it makes use of regular donations, one-off gifts and bequests, please see the page on supporting the Society.
Recently Added Quotation
Futūḥāt Translation Project
31 August 2023
By the kindness f of God, every being other than God is made alive and given sustenance. So kindness is all-encompassing, and she is in every place provided commensurate with that place.
Book 10, Chapter 72
4 September 2023
The animals – all of them, according to us – are spiritual beings with intellects with which they understand God; and this is why He exalted said about them, Each knows his ṣalāt and his celebration (tasbīḥ) (al-nūr 24:41).
Book 10, Chapter 72
Go to the Quotations page
Featured Article
Stephen Hirtenstein
The Brotherhood of Milk – Perspectives of Knowledge in the Adamic Clay
The article begins with reference to Ibn ‘Arabî’s “Book of Dream-visions” (K. al-Mubashshirât), in which he records some seventeen dreams which he had during his life, among many others. These, he says, may be of particular benefit to others, since they concern the Prophet or one of his companions. It finishes with a translation from chapter 167 of the Futûhât al-Makkiyya on the seventh heaven, whose ruling prophet is Abraham. In our present world where conflicts arise on the basis of ethnicity, where the politics of identity makes people increasingly strident in their self-definition in terms of consanguinity, the idea of a milk-brotherhood, a brotherhood based on knowledge of the Unity of Being, becomes highly topical. This “Milky Way” excludes no-one: it is open to all.
List of all articles
Featured Podcast
Éric Geoffroy
Spiritual Realization (al-tahqiq) through Daily Awakening
This is a meditation on the meaning of al-tahqiq (verification or realisation) which is central to the writing of Ibn ‘Arabi, and drawing on the writings of Sufis before Ibn ‘Arabi, such as Junayd (d. 911 AD, the “Leader of the Sufis”, sayyid al-ta’ifa), and others after him, such as Shaykh al-‘Alawi. Junayd said, “I have achieved al-tahqiq by staying in the presence of God for thirty years under these stairs”, by which he meant the stairs of his house. The paper later published in the Journal of the Society can be found here.
List of all podcasts
Latest News
23 September 2023
Lecture series in Arabic
Dr. Mohammad Bilal Achmal will speak on “Ibn al-Arabi according to Miguel Asin Palacios” at 12 noon Morocco time. The date of this event has been changed following the earthquake in Morocco.
More information
7 October 2023
Annual meeting for members of the Society
The online meeting will begin with a talk by Bharatwaj Iyer. The second part will be an interactive session with the Society’s Trustees.
More information
20-21 October, 2023
New York conference
An important conference will be held in New York under the title, “Translated Desires: Translation, Ibn Al-‘Arabi and the Multilingual Islamic Past”.
More information
8 November, 2023
Ibn Arabi Lecture series, Cambridge
The first event in the annual Ibn Arabi Lecture series will be held in Cambridge, UK, on 8 November, 2023, at 5:00 pm UK time. Neil MacGregor will speak on “Faith in the Museum”.
More information
8 November 2023
Society Library at Woolf Institute
Over 1,000 books and journals from the Society library will be hosted at the Woolf Institute, part of Cambridge University in the UK
More information
31 December 2023
Young Writer Award
The Young Writer competition for 2023 has a prize of US$ 1,500 for essay by an author under the age of 35.
More information
Some MIAS online events
Looking forward in 2023
- MIAS UK Annual Members’ Meeting: 7 October, 2023 (TBC)
- Matthew Melvin-Koushki – MIAS Online Seminar 3: 2 December, 2023
More information
August 2023
Society Journal, Volume 73
Volume 73 of the Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society is now available. It includes articles by Pablo Beneito and Stephen Hirtenstein, Arjun Nair, Matthew Melvin-Koushki, and Cyrus Ali Zargar.
See the list of contents
December 2023
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 4 was published in 2022 and further volumes are expected in 2023.
1 October 2022
Creative encounters with Ibn ‘Arabi
A website is launched by MIAS Education featuring expressive individual responses to Ibn ‘Arabi’s writing.
Go to the web site
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