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

507 Pages·1989·30.03 MB·English

by  William C. Chittick

ISBN 0-88706-885-5
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MARGARET

And say: "My Lord, increase me in knowledge!"
(Koran 20:114)

Ibn al-'Arabi's Metaphysics of Imagination
THE
SUFI PATH
OF
KNOWLEDGE
William C. Chittick
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PR.ESS
Cover photo courtesy of The Freer Gallery of Art,
Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C.
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
© 1989 State University of New York
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Design by Sushila Blackman.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
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For information, address State University of New York Press,
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chittick, William C.
The Sufi path of knowledge : Ibn al-'Arabi's metaphysics of
imagination I William C. Chittick.
p. em.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-88706-884-7. ISBN 0-88706-885-5 (pbk.)
1. Ibn al-'Arabi, 1165-1240. 2. Sufism. 3. Imagination
Religious aspects-Islam. 4. Creative ability-Religious aspects
Islam. I. Title.
BP80. 12C48 1989
88-7040
297' .4'0924-dc19
CIP
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Introduction • ix/ The Life and Works of Ibn al-'Arabl xI The Meccan
Openings xiil Koranic Hermeneutics xvl The Study of Ibn al-'Arabl in the
West xvil The Present Work xx
1 Overview • 1
1. The Divine Presence 31 Finding God 3/ Worlds and Presences 4/ Being and
Nonexistence 6/ The Divine Attributes 8 I The Divine Acts 11/ The
Macrocosm 12/ The Microcosm 16/ Cosmic Dynamics 18/ The Return to God
19/ Assuming the Traits of God 21 I Theomorphic Ethics 22/ The Scale of the
Law 26 I Seeing Things as They Are 28 I Human Perfection 30
2 Theology • 31
2. The Names of God 331 Names, Attributes, and Relationships 33 (1) The
Names of the Names 34 (2) Relationships 35 (3) The Two Denotations of the
Names 36 ( 4) Realities, Roots, and Supports 37 ( 5) Properties and Effects 39/
The Names of Engendered Existence 41/ Secondary Causes 44
J. The Divine Roots of Hierarchy and Conflict 47 I Hierarchy in the Names
47/ Ranking in Degrees 51/ The Names Personified 52 I The Divine Conflict 54/
The Unity of the Essence 56/ Names of Incomparability and Names of Acts 58
4. The Essence and the Divinity 59 I The Divinity 59 I The Unknowability
of the Essence 62/ The Independence of the Essence 64/ The Name "Allah" 66/
The Disputes of the Angels 67 I Incomparability and Similarity 68/ Incomparability
70/ Similarity 72/ Combining Incomparability and Similarity 73
3 Ontology • 77
5. Existence and Nonexistence 791 Being/Existence and the Existent: Wujud
and Mawjud 80/ Possible Things 81 I Entities 83/ Things 88/ Loci of Mani
festation 89 I Self-Disclosure and Receptivity 91 I Oneness of Being and Effects of
the Names 94
6. The New Creation 96/ Infinite Possibility 96/ Perpetual Renewal 97 I Divine
Tasks 98/ Breaking Habits 99/ Transmutation and Transformation 99/ Never
Repeating Self-Disclosures 103/ Boredom 105/ The Heart 106/ Nondelimitation
109
Contents
7. Cosmic Imagination 1121 He/Not He 1131 ImaJtination 1151 Dreams
118 I The Manifestation of the Impossible 121
8. The Supreme Barzakh 125 I The Cloud 125 I The Breath of the All-Merciful
127 I Relief Through Mercy 1301 The Real Through Whom Creation Takes
Place 1321 The Universal Reality 1341 Nature 139
4 Epistemology • 145
9. Knowledge and the Knower 147 I Knowledge and Knowledge 147 I The
Usefulness of Knowled,ge 1491 Limits to Knowledge 1531 The Infinity of
Knowledge 156
ro. Acquiring Knowledge 1591 The Rational Faculty 1591 Rejlecti011 1621
Consideration 165 I Following Authority 166 I Unveiling 168
1 1. The Scale of the Law 170 I The Revealed Law 170 I The Scale 172 I Wisdom
a11d Courtesy 174 I The Scale of Reason 179 I Affirming Similarity 181 I
Reactions to the RCI!elation of Similarity 186
5 Hermeneutics • 191
12. Faith and Rational Interpretation 1931 Faith 1931 Interpretation 1991
The Rational Thinkers 202 I Acts of God m1d Acts of Man 205
13. Knowing God's Self-Disclosure 2121 Finding Light 2121 The Lights of
Self-Disclosure 2161 Naming the Perception of Light 2201 Witnessing and
Vision 225
14. Understanding the Koran 231 I The Goal of Rational Inquiry 232 I Reason
versus Unveiling 235 I The Character of Mu~ammad 239 I The Context of the
Koran 242 I The Commentary of the Folk of Allah 2441 Commentary by Allusion
2461 Knowledge of Hadith 250
6 Soteriology • 253
I 5. Weighing Self-Disclosure 255 I Knowledg,e and Practice 256 I The
Inviolability of the Law 258 I Spiritual States 263 I Spiritual Mastery 270
16. Names and Stations 2741 The Divine Form 275 I The Stations of the
Path 278 I Assumi11g the Character Traits of God 283 I Noble and Base Character
Traits 286
17. Pitfalls of the Path 289 I Good aud Evil 2901 The Two Commands 291 I
The Peifection of Impeifection 294 I God's Conclusive Argument 297 I The
Straight Path 301 I Nobility of Character 304
18. Safety in Servanthood 3091 The Servant's Worship of his Lord 3101 The
Perils of Lordship 312 I The Exaltation of Lowliness 317 I The Perfect Servant
321 I Worship Through Free Will Offerings 325 I Obligations and Supererogations
329
7 Consummation • 333
I 9· Transcending the Gods of Belief 335 I The Roots of Belief 336 I WorshipinJt
God and Self 341 I Knowing Self 3441 Paths of Belief 3461 Belief
and the Law 349 I The Belief of the Gnostic 352 I Beatific Vision 354
20. Seeing with Two Eyes 3561 Duality and the Signs of Unity 3581 The
Possessor of Two Eyes 361 I Bein.rz With God Wherever You Are 3641 Two
Perfections 366 I Serving the Divine Names 369 I The People of Blame 372 I
The Station of No Station 375
Notes • 382
Bibliography • 414
Indexes • 419
Introduction