Ibn 'Arabi Contemplation of the Holy Mysteries

138 Pages·2009·8.53 MB·English

contemplation of the holy
mysteries and the rising
of the divine lights
Also available from Anqa Publishing
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Mu¢y¨dd¨n Ibn ¡Arab¨
contemplation of the holy
mysteries and the rising
of the divine lights
Mashåhid al-asrår al-qudsiyya wa ma†åli¡
al-anwår al-ilåhiyya
translated from the arabic by
cecilia twinch and pablo beneito
Based on the annotated critical edition by
Souad Hakim and Pablo Beneito
ANQA PUBLISHING • OXFORD
Published by Anqa Publishing
PO Box 1178
Oxford OX2 8YS, UK
© Cecilia Twinch and Pablo Beneito 2001
First published 2001
First paperback edition, 2008
Cecilia Twinch and Pablo Beneito have asserted
their moral right under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the authors
of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, without
the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 905937 02 8
Jacket design by Gerard Lennox
Back cover: Ibn ¡Arab¨’s signature
(courtesy of the Beshara School, Scotland)
The assistance of Beshara Publications in the
production of this book is gratefully acknowledged.
Printed in the USA by Quebecor World Eusey Press
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction 1
Spiritual journey: “Rise beyond and you will discover” 2
Mu¢y¨dd¨n Ibn ¡Arab¨ 7
This edition 11
The style and symbolism of the Contemplations 13
The Arabic language 18

contemplations: translation and notes
From Ibn ¡Arab¨’s Preface 21
1 Contemplation of the Light of Existence (wuj¬d)
as the Star of Direct Vision (¡iyån) rises 23
2 Contemplation of the Light of Taking (akhdh)
as the Star of Affirmation (iqrår) rises 31
3 Contemplation of the Light of the Veils (sut¬r)
as the Star of Strong Backing (ta¤y¨d) rises 39
4 Contemplation of the Light of Intuition (shu¡¬r)
as the Star of Transcendence (tanz¨h) rises 49
5 Contemplation of the Light of Silence (ßamt)
as the Star of Negation (salb) rises 55
6 Contemplation of the Light of Elevation (ma†la¡)
as the Star of Unveiling (kashf) rises 59
7 Contemplation of the Light of the Leg (såq)
as the Star of the Summons (du¡å¤) rises 69
8 Contemplation of the Light of the Rock (ßakhra)
as the Star of the Sea (ba¢r) rises 73
v
contents
9 Contemplation of the Light of the Rivers (al-anhår)
as the Star of Degrees (rutab) rises 77
10 Contemplation of the Light of Perplexity (¢ayra)
as the Star of Non-existence (¡adam) rises 85
11 Contemplation of the Light of Divinity (ul¬hiyya)
as the Star of Låm–Alif rises 89
12 Contemplation of the Light of Uniqueness (a¢adiyya)
as the Star of Servanthood (¡ub¬diyya) rises 91
13 Contemplation of the Light of the Support (¡amd)
as the Star of Singularity (fardåniyya) rises 97
14 Contemplation of the Light of Argument (¢ijåj)
as the Star of Justice (¡adl) rises 101
appendices
1 The manuscripts used in the edition of the text 109
2 Ibn ¡Arab¨’s preface 111
3 Ibn ¡Arab¨’s epilogue 117
4 Correspondences in Contemplation 3 121

Bibliography 127
vi
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank sincerely all those who have helped with
the translation and production of this edition, in particular Stephen
Hirtenstein, Sara Hirtenstein, Michael Tiernan, Judy Kearns, Jane
Clark, Rosemary Brass, Richard Twinch, and especially Souad
Hakim, who has been a constant source of inspiration and help.
vii

Introduction
“Take it with strength and make it known to everyone you see . . .”
Mu¢y¨dd¨n Ibn ¡Arab¨ makes it clear that the inspiration to write
the Contemplation of the Holy Mysteries came from an extremely
elevated level.1 The first instruction that occurred to him concern-
ing the book was “Take it with strength and make it known to
everyone you see”.2 This indicates its universal relevance, even
though it consists of what may appear to be very private visions and
conversations with his innermost Reality. He was also told to verify
it for himself and to scrutinize it carefully, implying that it requires
close attention in order for its meaning to unfold and become
realized.
The Contemplations3 deals with perennial questions such as the
nature of existence, our relationship with the all-encompassing
Reality, the limits by which we define ourselves and the Truth, and
the way to happiness. Ibn ¡Arab¨ makes known the meaning and
value of the human being, who is the secret of existence and the
purpose of creation. He is told, “If it were not for you, the myster-
ies would not exist nor would the lights shine.”4
Between the mystery of what is unseen and the clarity of what
is made manifest, between majesty and beauty, compulsion and
freedom, awe and intimacy, the Fire and the Garden, a line is
drawn that allows for the arising of a unified perspective which
1. He states that it is from the hidden, divine Identity (huwiyya). See Ibn ¡Arab¨’s
own preface to the book summarized in Appendix 2.
2. See Appendix 2.
3. The title is abbreviated to Contemplations. See pp. 21–2, n. 1.
4. Contemplation 6.
1