From tariqas@stderr.org Wed Jan 1 09:25:20 1997 From: tariqas@stderr.org (Sukru Kaya) Date: Wed, 1 Jan 1997 11:25:20 +0200 Subject: [Tariqas] A Reading of Ibn Arabi Message-ID: <002f01bbf7c5$b59ffe40$0d01010a@serdar> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_002C_01BBF7D6.78D4E1E0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-9" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Ahlu-s-Sunnah in Defense of Ibn Arabi (www.dolcetta.com/ibnarabi.htm) From: Majlis al-Ulema of the Italian Muslim Association islam@spqr.net This is a fatwa of refutation from the Mashaykh who sit in the Majlis of = Ulema in Rome, written against false declarations by LaMole786 and = Farrukh, may Allah lead them to tawbah and istighfar and bring them back = to the sawa' Sabil. May Allah protect this Ummah against those laypersons who, while being = stonehearted to Rahmah and blinded to Haqq - dare opening their filthy = mouths to spread lies against our noble forefathers Ulema' ul-Muhtadun, = those awliya' of al-Rahman who are the heirs of Rushdah min al-Khulafa', = the guardians of Sunnah and the listeners of secrets ar-Rabbaniyyah that = are whispered between the veils. Let you be informed, Brothers and Sisters, that no accuse against Shaykh = al-Akbar Muhiddin Ibn 'Arabi al-Hatimi at-Ta'i is supported by Jam'at, = since undue accusing him of kufr comes from a single misguided heretic = sect, the one founder by sahibu-l-Fitnah Ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrani and = even aggravated by Muhammad Ibn Abdi-l-Wahhab and his likes. What LaMole786 says in his ignorance is an ugly accusation, frequently = repeated by Bilal Philips and the like, against one of the greatest Ahl = al-Sunnah Shuyukh in the history of Islam. Wahhabis hatred for Ahl as-Sufiyyah will undoubtedly cause statements of = innovation and even kufr to come out of their mouths against = 'Awliya'Ullah al-mutaqarrabun. It must be noted that this sectarian = attack against Shaykh Ibn al-'Arabi is not limited to just him but to = other great Mashaykh as well. Numerous Wahhabi ignoramuses have accused = Ibn al-'Arabi of kufr in their websites and books. We take refuge by = Allah this garbage our eyes were compelled to read for the of abiding by = the wajib kifayah of refutation of bid'ah and dalalah. Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller, in his translation of Ahmad ibn Naqib = al-Misri's "Umdat al-salik," explains Ibn al-'Arabi's background and = elaborates on why some people have misunderstood and misrepresented his = true position: "Muyiddin ibn al-'Arabi is Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-'Arabi, = Abu Bakr Muhyi al-Din al-Hatimi al-Ta'i, The Greatest Sheikh (al-Shaykh = al-Akbar), born in Murcia (in present-day Spain) in 560/1165. A = "mujtahid" Imam in Sacred Law, Sufism, Qur'anic exegesis, hadith, and = other Islamic sciences, and widely regarded as a friend (wali) of Allah = Most High, he was the foremost representative of the Sufi school of the = "oneness of being" (wahdat al-wujud), as well as a Muslim of strict = literal observance of the prescriptions of the Qur'an and sunna. He = first took they way of Sufism in A.H. 580, and in the years that = followed authored some 600 books and treatises in the course of travels = and residences in Fez, Tunis, Alexandria, Cairo, Mecca, Baghdad, Mosul, = Konya, Aleppo, and finally Damascus, where he lived till the end of his = life and completed his "al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya" [The Meccan Revelations] = and "Fusus al-Hikam" [The Precious Stones of the ring-settings of the = Wisdoms]. Since interest in his work continues among even non-Muslim = scholars, a number of hermeneutical obstacles are worth mentioning here = that have in some measure so far hindered serious efforts to understand = the Sheikh's works, by friend and foe alike. The first lack of common ground with the author, who has written, "We are a group whose works are unlawful to peruse, since the Sufis, one = and all, use terms in technical senses by which they intend other than = what is customarily meant by their usage among scholars, and those who = interpret them according to their usual significance commit unbelief." While this may not be particularly intimidating to someone who is = already an unbeliever, it does at least implicitly deny the validity of = a do-it- yourself approach to the Sheikh's thought and point up the = relevance of the traditional maxim, 'Knowledge is to be taken from those who possess it.' A related difficulty is that the context of much of Ibn al-'Arabi's = "Futuhat" and other works is not only the outward Islamic sciences, but = also their inner significance, not by any means an "esoteric symbolism" = that nullifies the outward content of the Sheikh's inquiries, but a = dimension of depth, a reflective counterpart to their this-worldly = significance whose place and existential context is the world of the = spirit, to which the physical universe-in which many of his would-be = interpreters are firmly enmeshed and know nothing besides, especially = those who are atheists-is like a speck of dust in the sea. While the = present discussion cannot adequately do justice to the topic, one may = yet observe that the heart of someone familiar only with the "What will = I eat," "What will I say," "Will it prove feasible," and other physical = and intellectual relations of instrumentality that make up this world is = no more capable of real insight into the world of someone like the = Sheikh than a person inches away from a giant picture is capable of = "seeing" the picture he believes is "before his very eyes." The way of = Ibn al-'Arabi is precisely a "way," and if one has not traveled it or = been trained to see as Ibn al-'Arabi sees, one may well produce = intelligent remarks about one's perceptions of the matter, as attested = to by a whole literature of "historical studies" of Sufism, but the fact = remains that one does not see. A third difficulty is he problem of spurious interpolations by copyists, = as once happened to 'Abd al-Wahhab Sha'rani, who had to bring his own = handwritten manuscript to court to prove he was innocent of the unbelief = that enemies had inserted into his work and published in his name. The = "Hashiya" of Ibn 'Abidin notes that this has also happened to the "Fusus = al- Hikam" of Ibn al-'Arabi, the details being given in a promulgation = by the Supreme Ottoman Sultanate exonerating the author of the = statements of unbelief (kufr) it said that it was interpolated into the = work. This is supported by the opinion of Mahmud Mahmud Ghurab, an Ibn = al-'Arabi specialist of Damascus who has published more than twelve = books on the Sheikh's thought, among them "al-Fiqh 'ind al-Shaykh = al-Akbar Muhyiddin ibn al-'Arabi" [Sacred Law According to the Greatest = Sheikh, Muhyiddin ibn al-'Arabi], which clarifies Ibn al-'Arabi's = position as a Zahiri Imam and mujtahid in Sacred Law; and "Sharh Fusus = al-Hikam" [Exegesis of "The Precious Stones of the ring-settings of the = Wisdoms], in which Ghurab indicates eighty-six passages of the "Fusus" = that he believes are spurious, adducing that they contradict the letter = and spirit of "al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya," which must be given precedence = because we possess a manuscript copy in the author's own handwriting, = while there are no such copies of the "Fusus." One may summarize the above-mentioned difficulties and others by the = general observation that without a master with whom to read these texts, = someone who has himself read them with a teacher aware of their place in = the whole of the Sheikh's work, one is in danger of projecting one's own = limitations onto the author. This happens in our times to various groups = of interpreters, among them non-Muslim "sufis" who have posthumously = made Ibn al-'Arabi an "honorary syncretist", saying that he believed all = religions to be equally valid and acceptable-which Ghurab says is an = ignorant misreading, and to which the Sheikh himself furnishes a = sufficient reply in his account of his convictions ('aqida) at the first = of the "Futuhat" where he says, "Just as I charge Allah, His angels, His entire creation, and all of you = to bear witness upon me that I affirm His Unity, so too I charge Him = Most Glorious, His angels, His entire creation, and all of you to bear = witness upon me that I believe in the one He has elected, chosen, and = selected from all His existence, Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him = peace, who He hassent to all mankind entirely (ila jami' al-nas = kaffatan) to bring good tidings and to warn and to call to Allah by His = leave" ("al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya"). Other interpreters who commit errors are well-meaning Muslims who do not = and cannot understand the Sheikh's words, which they read in their = native Arabic as if it were a newspaper and then level accusations of = unbelief against the author on the basis of what comes to their minds = while doing so. For all groups of interpreters, there is a pressing need = for scholarly modesty and candor about our exegetical limitations, and = to draw attention to the fact that without a guide in reading the = Sheikh's thought, one is adrift in a sea of one's own guesswork. Aside from these basic hermeneutic requirements for reading the work of = Ibn al-'Arabi, other, existential qualifications are needed, for as = mentioned above, the Sheikh's method is a way, and as such entails not = only curiosity, but commitment and most of all submission to Allah Most = High as the Sheikh had submission to Him, namely through Islam-as well = as other conditions mentioned by Ibn Hajar Haytami in a legal opinion in = which, after noting that it is permissible or even meritorious = (mustahabb) to read the Sheikh's works, but only for the qualified, he = writes: "Imam Ibn al-'Arabi has explicitly stated: 'It is unlawful to read [the Sufis'] books unless one attains to their = level of character and learns the meaning of their words in conformity = with their technical usages, neither of which is found except in someone = who has worked assiduously, rolled up his sleeves, abandoned the wrong, = tightened his belt, filled himself replete with the outward Islamic = sciences, and purified himself from every low trait connected with this = world and the next. It is just such a person who comprehends what is = being said and is allowed to enter when he stands at the door'." The Sheikh outlines what is entailed by "working assiduously" in a = series of injunctions (wasaya) at the end of his "Futuhat" that = virtually anyone can benefit from, and by which one may infer some of = the outward details of the Sheikh's way. By all accounts, he lived what = he wrote in this respect, and his legacy bears eloquent testimony to it. = He died in his home in Damascus, a copy of Ghazali's "Ihya' 'ulum = al-din" on his lap, in 638/1240." One can see that Shaykh al-Akbar Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi was a great = saint of Islam who adhered to the footsteps of the pious salaf us-salih. = Unfortunately, many Muslims quote from non-Muslim sources and = orientalist translators like William C. Chittick and Peter Lamborn = Wilson to accuse Ibn al-'Arabi of heresy. The ulema of Ahl al-Sunna = wa'al Jamma' praised Ibn al-'Arabi very much, and continue to praise him = until this day. Our Majlis declares about the belief of Ahlus-Sunnah wa-l-Jama'ah: The prevalent verdict of Ahlu-s-Sunnah Ulema and their Jam'at is that = Shaykh al-Akbar Muhi-d-Din Ibnu-l-Arabi was a mu'min, a zayd, an 'alim, = a faqih, a hafiz, a muhaddith, a Zahiri qadi and a mufassir of Qur'an. = The mistake of calling him kafir or a mushrik (astaghfir-Ullah = al-'Azhim) started with Ibn Taymiyyah's ignorance and survives in his = misguided disciples. Ahl al-Tasawwuf wa-l-Ihsan agree on the fact he was = a wali, having a high status by Allah. A relevant number of Mashaykh of = Tasawwuf think he was a Qutb in his time, and turuq like 'Alawiyyah and = Darqawiyyah also think he was the Khatm al-Wilayyah al-Muhammadiyyah. His doctrine of "wahdatu-l-wujud" is the more complete expression of = manzilat al-ahadiyyah in a intoxicated and permanent maqam = ar-Rububiyyah. Sober Mashaykh like 'Ala-u-Dawlah as-Simnani criticized = some points of his doctrine from a stricter Ash'ari point of view, but = notwithstanding this, they were treating him with the maximum respect = and never dared accusing him of kufr or bid'ah. Imam Rabbani as-Sarhindi developed the sober doctrine of = "wahdatu-s-shuhud," but thid does not prevent him treating Ibn 'Arabi as = a great wali and a murshid kamil. One line of his "Futuhat" or "Fusus" = is more valuable than all of the abstruse books by Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn = Baz, Albani and Qaradawi together. A masterpiece of a refutation against those who falsely think about Ibn = Taymiyyah as "'alim" and "mujaddid" and accept his baseless takfir = against Shaykh al-Akbar Ibn al-'Arabi is in the book = Al-Ni'matu-l-Kubrah, by Imam Shihabu-d-Din Ahmad Ibn Hijr al-Haytami = as-Shaf'i. This text is highly praised by Shaykh 'Abdu-s-Samad Ibn = Hamid, a Sunni scholar from Cameroon. Another precious work is "Maqalat = as-Sunniyyah" by Shaykh 'Abdullah al-Harari. Numberless Sunni Ulemas call Sidi Muhiddin "Shaykh al-Akbar". His = doctrine is praised and defended by numberless ulema, among which: = Shaykh 'Abdu-r-Razaq al-Kashani (Ta'wilat), Shaykh Sadru-d-Din al-Qunawi = (Sharh Fusus al-Hikam), Jalalu-d-Din Rumi (Mathnawi and Diwan), = Fakhru-d-Din al-Hamadani (Rub'iyyat) Ibnu-l-Farid al-Misri (Ghazal), = Mahmud Shahristani (Ghulshan-e Raz), 'Abdu-l-Karim al-Jili (Al-Insan = al-Kamil), Ibn Hamzah al-Fanari (Miftah al-Uns), Nuru-d-Din Jami = (Nafahat al-Uns), Imam Rabbani (Maktubat, expecially letter 55 & 163, = Muntahabat, Ta'idu Ahl as-Sunnah, and Ithbat an-Nubuwwah), Khalid = al-Baghdadi (Ihtiqad-Nama, and Risalah fi Tahqiq ar-Rabitah), = 'Abdu-l-Ghani an-Nablusi (Fayd al-Muqbas, and Khulasah at-Tahqiq), = Khwaja Muhammad Hasan Khan (Al-Usul al-Arba'h), Yusuf an-Nabhani = (Khulasah al-Kalam, Hujjat-Ullahi 'ala al-'Alamin, and Shawaiq al-Haqq), = Malik ibn Shaykh Dawud (Haqiqah al-Islamiyyah fi Raddi 'ala al-Mazhaim = al-Wahhabiyyah), Muhammad Hayat Sindi (Risalah Ghayah at- Tahqiq), Omar = Nasfi ('Aqaid an-Nasafiyyah), Shah Ghulam 'Ali Dehlawi (Mukatib = as-Sharifah), Ahmad Waliyy-Ullah Dehlawi (Al-Insaf, Ikd al-Jayyid, and = Al-Mikyas), Ahmad Ibn Zayni Dahlan (Futuhat al-Islamiyyah, and Khulasah = al-Kalam), Jajalu-d-Din as-Suyuti (Karasatu-t-Tanwir), Sulayman Ibn = 'Abdi-l-Wahhab (As-Shawaiq al-Ilahiyyah), Fadli-r-Rasul (Sayf = al-Jabbar), the Egyptian Jami'at al-Madari (Nahs as-Sawiyyi fi Raddi = 'ala Sayyid Qutb wa Faisal Mawlawi), Ahmed Rida Khan Berlewi (Fatawah = al-Haramayn), Siraju-Din 'Ali Ushi (Nukbat al-Laali), Abu Muhammad = al-Wailturi (Fatawah 'Ulama' al-Hind), Qadi Habib al-Haqq Permuli = (Tanqid wa Tardid), Tahir Muhammad (Zahirat al-Fiqh al-Kubra), Muhammad = Rebhami (Riyad an-Nasihin), Muhammad Yusuf al-Banuri (Al-Ustadh Mawdudi = and Kashf as-Sublah), Sa'id ar-Rahman at-Tirahi (Habl al-Matin), = Muhammad Bawa Wiltori (Hidayah al-Muwaffiqin), 'Abdu-l-Wahhab = as-Shahrani (Tadhkirah al-Awliyyah, and Mizan al-Kubra) Mudarris = Hamid-Ullah Najwi (Al-Basayr li-l-Munkir at-Tawassuli bi-Ahl = al-Maqabir), Muhammad Khadimi (Al-Bariqah), Muhammad Birjiwi (Tariqah = al-Muhammadiyyah), 'Abdu-r-Rahman Kutti (Sabil an-Najat), Rauf Ahmad = Mujaddid (Durr al-Ma'arif), Dawud ibn Said Sulayman (Al-Mihah = al-Wahbiyyah), Dawud al-Musawi al-Baghdadi (Ashadd al-Jihad) Mahmud = Effendi al-Alusi (Kashf an-Nur), Muhammad Ibn 'Abdi-Lllah al-Khani = (Al-Bahjah as-Saniyyah), Hasan Dhu Zajwa'i at-Turki (Ir'am al-Murid), = Hajj Ibrahim Yare as-Somali (Tarbiyyah ar-Rabbaniyyah), Shaykh Ibrahim = al-Ahmadi al-Idris (Azhimah al-Qadr), Mo'allim Hussein al-Badawi = as-Siddiqi (Kalimat al-Muhlasin), Ahmad 'Ali al-Layji al-Katibi = as-Shahir (Fajr as-Sadiq), 'Abdu-l-Hakim al-Arwasi (Sa'adah = al-Abadiyyah, with tafsir by Shaykh Hilmi 'Ishiq), Zahir Shah Ibn = 'Abdi-l-'Azhim Miyanu-d-Din (Diya' as-Sudur), Mustafa Ibn Ahmad Ibn = Hasan al-Shati al-Hanbali (Nuqul as-Shari'ah), Muhammad Najib al-Mati'i = al-Hanafi (Tathir al-Fu'ad), Taqiyyu-d-Din 'Ali as-Sabaki (Shifa' = as-Siqam, and Intisar al-Awliyya' ar-Rahman), Effendi Sadiq az-Zahawi = (Fajru-s-Sadiq), Sulayman Islambuli (Miftah al-Falaq, and Khutbatu 'Id = al-Fitr), 'Abdu-l-Majid Ibn Muhammad al-Khani (Sa'adah al-Abadiyyah), = 'Ali Muhammad al-Balkhi (Al-Hadiqah an-Nadiyya), Muhammad Mahbubu-l-Haqq = Ansari (Hujjah al-Qati'ah), Qasim Ibn Qatalubgha' al-Hanafi al-Bankoghi = (Nur al-Yaqin), Qadi Habibu-l-Haqq Firmulewi (Dalayl al-Hujjaj), Ibn = Ata' Allah al-Iskandari, (Hikam, Lataif al-minan fi manaqibi Abi 'Abbas = wa Shaykhihi Abi Hasan, Miftah al-Falah wa Misbah al-Anwar, and Kitab = at-Tanwir fi Isqah at-Tadbir), 'Aziz Ahmad (Ta'lim as-Shaykh Ahmad = as-Sirhindi), Al-Aflaki (Manaqib al-'Arifin), Muhammad 'Abdu-l-Qayyum = al-Qadiri al- Hazarawi (At-Tawassul bi-n-Nabi wa as-Salihin), Muhammad = Hafiz at-Tijani (Ahl al-Haqq al-'Arifun bi-Llah), 'Abdu-s-Samad = at-Tijani (Allah wa al-Rakam Sitta wa Sittin), and many others. Even the shi'ite Ruh-Ullah al-Musawi al-Khomeini praised Shaykh al-Akbar = very much in his letter to Mikhail Gorbachev. Many of these pro-Ibn Arabi books are forbidden by the so-called Saudi = Dar al-Ifta', but - al-hamdu Lillah - are preserved through a waqf from = Shaykh al-Arwasi. We ask everyone who reads this message to recite = al-Fatihah for his blessed soul. May Allahu Ta'ala bless Shaykh al-Akbar Muhi-d-Din Ibn al-'Arabi = al-Hatimi at-Ta'i al-Andalusi and those who spoke the Haqq about this = wali, and may Allah 'Azza wa Jall protect him from the false accusations = and takfir by wahhabis, orientalists, and shayatin. Amin. Shaykh Abu Ibrahim Ali Ibn Husseyn as-Siddiqi Shaykh Abu Omar Abdul Hadi as-Shaf'i ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Majlis al-Ulema of the Italian Muslim Association shell.spqr.net/islam/ islam@spqr.net ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------=_NextPart_000_002C_01BBF7D6.78D4E1E0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-9" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Ahlu-s-Sunnah in Defense=20 of Ibn Arabi (www.dolcetta.com/ibnarabi.htm)
From: Majlis =
al-Ulema of the=20
Italian Muslim Association
islam@spqr.net
This is a fatwa of =
refutation=20
from the Mashaykh who sit in the Majlis of Ulema in Rome, written =
against false=20
declarations by LaMole786 and Farrukh, may Allah lead them to tawbah and =
istighfar and bring them back to the sawa' Sabil.
May Allah =
protect this=20
Ummah against those laypersons who, while being stonehearted to Rahmah =
and=20
blinded to Haqq - dare opening their filthy mouths to spread lies =
against our=20
noble forefathers Ulema' ul-Muhtadun, those awliya' of al-Rahman who are =
the=20
heirs of Rushdah min al-Khulafa', the guardians of Sunnah and the =
listeners of=20
secrets ar-Rabbaniyyah that are whispered between the veils.
Let =
you be=20
informed, Brothers and Sisters, that no accuse against Shaykh al-Akbar =
Muhiddin=20
Ibn ‘Arabi al-Hatimi at-Ta'i is supported by Jam'at, since undue =
accusing him of=20
kufr comes from a single misguided heretic sect, the one founder by=20
sahibu-l-Fitnah Ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrani and even aggravated by Muhammad =
Ibn=20
Abdi-l-Wahhab and his likes.
What LaMole786 says in his ignorance =
is an=20
ugly accusation, frequently repeated by Bilal Philips and the like, =
against>
Wahhabis=20
hatred for Ahl as-Sufiyyah will undoubtedly cause statements of =
innovation and=20
even kufr to come out of their mouths against ‘Awliya'Ullah =
al-mutaqarrabun. It=20
must be noted that this sectarian attack against Shaykh Ibn =
al-‘Arabi is not=20
limited to just him but to other great Mashaykh as well. Numerous =
Wahhabi=20
ignoramuses have accused Ibn al-‘Arabi of kufr in their websites =
and books. We=20
take refuge by Allah this garbage our eyes were compelled to read for =
the of=20
abiding by the wajib kifayah of refutation of bid‘ah and =
dalalah.
Shaykh=20
Nuh Ha Mim Keller, in his translation of Ahmad ibn Naqib =
al-Misri’s “Umdat=20
al-salik,” explains Ibn al-‘Arabi’s background and =
elaborates on why some people=20
have misunderstood and misrepresented his true =
position:
“Muyiddin ibn=20
al-‘Arabi is Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn =
al-‘Arabi, Abu Bakr Muhyi al-Din=20
al-Hatimi al-Ta’i, The Greatest Sheikh (al-Shaykh al-Akbar), born =
in Murcia (in=20
present-day Spain) in 560/1165. A “mujtahid” Imam in Sacred =
Law, Sufism,=20
Qur’anic exegesis, hadith, and other Islamic sciences, and widely =
regarded as a=20
friend (wali) of Allah Most High, he was the foremost representative of =
the Sufi=20
school of the “oneness of being” (wahdat al-wujud), as well =
as a Muslim of=20
strict literal observance of the prescriptions of the Qur’an and =
sunna. He first=20
took they way of Sufism in A.H. 580, and in the years that followed =
authored=20
some 600 books and treatises in the course of travels and residences in =
Fez,=20
Tunis, Alexandria, Cairo, Mecca, Baghdad, Mosul, Konya, Aleppo, and =
finally=20
Damascus, where he lived till the end of his life and completed his =
“al-Futuhat=20
al-Makkiyya” [The Meccan Revelations] and “Fusus =
al-Hikam” [The Precious Stones=20
of the ring-settings of the Wisdoms]. Since interest in his work =
continues among=20
even non-Muslim scholars, a number of hermeneutical obstacles are worth=20
mentioning here that have in some measure so far hindered serious =
efforts to=20
understand the Sheikh’s works, by friend and foe alike.
The =
first lack of=20
common ground with the author, who has written,
“We are a =
group whose=20
works are unlawful to peruse, since the Sufis, one and all, use terms in =
technical senses by which they intend other than what is customarily =
meant by=20
their usage among scholars, and those who interpret them according to =
their=20
usual significance commit unbelief.”
While this may not be =
particularly=20
intimidating to someone who is already an unbeliever, it does at least=20
implicitly deny the validity of a do-it- yourself approach to the =
Sheikh’s=20
thought and point up the relevance of the traditional =
maxim,
'Knowledge=20
is to be taken from those who possess it.'
A related difficulty =
is that=20
the context of much of Ibn al-‘Arabi’s “Futuhat” =
and other works is not only the=20
outward Islamic sciences, but also their inner significance, not by any =
means an=20
“esoteric symbolism” that nullifies the outward content of =
the Sheikh’s=20
inquiries, but a dimension of depth, a reflective counterpart to their=20
this-worldly significance whose place and existential context is the =
world of=20
the spirit, to which the physical universe—in which many of his =
would-be=20
interpreters are firmly enmeshed and know nothing besides, especially =
those who=20
are atheists—is like a speck of dust in the sea. While the present =
discussion=20
cannot adequately do justice to the topic, one may yet observe that the =
heart of=20
someone familiar only with the “What will I eat,” =
“What will I say,” “Will it=20
prove feasible,” and other physical and intellectual relations of=20
instrumentality that make up this world is no more capable of real =
insight into=20
the world of someone like the Sheikh than a person inches away from a =
giant=20
picture is capable of “seeing” the picture he believes is =
“before his very=20
eyes.” The way of Ibn al-‘Arabi is precisely a =
“way,” and if one has not=20
traveled it or been trained to see as Ibn al-‘Arabi sees, one may =
well produce=20
intelligent remarks about one’s perceptions of the matter, as =
attested to by a=20
whole literature of “historical studies” of Sufism, but the =
fact remains that=20
one does not see.
A third difficulty is he problem of spurious=20
interpolations by copyists, as once happened to ‘Abd al-Wahhab =
Sha‘rani, who had=20
to bring his own handwritten manuscript to court to prove he was =
innocent of the=20
unbelief that enemies had inserted into his work and published in his =
name. The=20
“Hashiya” of Ibn ‘Abidin notes that this has also =
happened to the “Fusus al-=20
Hikam” of Ibn al-‘Arabi, the details being given in a =
promulgation by the=20
Supreme Ottoman Sultanate exonerating the author of the statements of =
unbelief=20
(kufr) it said that it was interpolated into the work. This is supported =
by the=20
opinion of Mahmud Mahmud Ghurab, an Ibn al-‘Arabi specialist of =
Damascus who has=20
published more than twelve books on the Sheikh’s thought, among =
them “al-Fiqh=20
‘ind al-Shaykh al-Akbar Muhyiddin ibn al-‘Arabi” =
[Sacred Law According to the=20
Greatest Sheikh, Muhyiddin ibn al-‘Arabi], which clarifies Ibn =
al-‘Arabi’s=20
position as a Zahiri Imam and mujtahid in Sacred Law; and “Sharh =
Fusus al-Hikam”=20
[Exegesis of “The Precious Stones of the ring-settings of the =
Wisdoms], in which=20
Ghurab indicates eighty-six passages of the “Fusus” that he =
believes are=20
spurious, adducing that they contradict the letter and spirit of =
“al-Futuhat=20
al-Makkiyya,” which must be given precedence because we possess a =
manuscript=20
copy in the author’s own handwriting, while there are no such =
copies of the=20
“Fusus.”
One may summarize the above-mentioned =
difficulties and others by=20
the general observation that without a master with whom to read these =
texts,=20
someone who has himself read them with a teacher aware of their place in =
the=20
whole of the Sheikh’s work, one is in danger of projecting =
one’s own limitations=20
onto the author. This happens in our times to various groups of =
interpreters,=20
among them non-Muslim “sufis” who have posthumously made Ibn =
al-‘Arabi an=20
"honorary syncretist", saying that he believed all religions to be =
equally valid=20
and acceptable—which Ghurab says is an ignorant misreading, and to =
which the=20
Sheikh himself furnishes a sufficient reply in his account of his =
convictions=20
(‘aqida) at the first of the “Futuhat” where he =
says,
“Just as I charge=20
Allah, His angels, His entire creation, and all of you to bear witness =
upon me=20
that I affirm His Unity, so too I charge Him Most Glorious, His angels, =
His=20
entire creation, and all of you to bear witness upon me that I believe =
in the=20
one He has elected, chosen, and selected from all His existence, =
Muhammad (Allah=20
bless him and give him peace, who He hassent to all mankind entirely =
(ila jami’=20
al-nas kaffatan) to bring good tidings and to warn and to call to Allah =
by His=20
leave” (“al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya”).
Other =
interpreters who commit errors=20
are well-meaning Muslims who do not and cannot understand the =
Sheikh’s words,=20
which they read in their native Arabic as if it were a newspaper and =
then level=20
accusations of unbelief against the author on the basis of what comes to =
their=20
minds while doing so. For all groups of interpreters, there is a =
pressing need=20
for scholarly modesty and candor about our exegetical limitations, and =
to draw=20
attention to the fact that without a guide in reading the Sheikh’s =
thought,>
Aside from these =
basic=20
hermeneutic requirements for reading the work of Ibn al-‘Arabi, =
other,=20
existential qualifications are needed, for as mentioned above, the =
Sheikh’s=20
method is a way, and as such entails not only curiosity, but commitment =
and most=20
of all submission to Allah Most High as the Sheikh had submission to =
Him, namely=20
through Islam—as well as other conditions mentioned by Ibn Hajar =
Haytami in a=20
legal opinion in which, after noting that it is permissible or even =
meritorious=20
(mustahabb) to read the Sheikh’s works, but only for the =
qualified, he=20
writes:
“Imam Ibn al-‘Arabi has explicitly =
stated:
‘It is unlawful=20
to read [the Sufis’] books unless one attains to their level of =
character and=20
learns the meaning of their words in conformity with their technical =
usages,=20
neither of which is found except in someone who has worked assiduously, =
rolled=20
up his sleeves, abandoned the wrong, tightened his belt, filled himself =
replete=20
with the outward Islamic sciences, and purified himself from every low =
trait=20
connected with this world and the next. It is just such a person who =
comprehends=20
what is being said and is allowed to enter when he stands at the=20
door’.”
The Sheikh outlines what is entailed by =
“working assiduously” in=20
a series of injunctions (wasaya) at the end of his “Futuhat” =
that virtually=20
anyone can benefit from, and by which one may infer some of the outward =
details=20
of the Sheikh’s way. By all accounts, he lived what he wrote in =
this respect,=20
and his legacy bears eloquent testimony to it. He died in his home in =
Damascus,=20
a copy of Ghazali’s “Ihya’ ‘ulum al-din” =
on his lap, in 638/1240.”
One=20
can see that Shaykh al-Akbar Muhyiddin Ibn al-‘Arabi was a great =
saint of Islam=20
who adhered to the footsteps of the pious salaf us-salih. Unfortunately, =
many=20
Muslims quote from non-Muslim sources and orientalist translators like =
William=20
C. Chittick and Peter Lamborn Wilson to accuse Ibn al-‘Arabi of =
heresy. The=20
ulema of Ahl al-Sunna wa’al Jamma’ praised Ibn =
al-‘Arabi very much, and continue=20
to praise him until this day.
Our Majlis declares about the =
belief of=20
Ahlus-Sunnah wa-l-Jama‘ah:
The prevalent verdict of =
Ahlu-s-Sunnah Ulema=20
and their Jam'at is that Shaykh al-Akbar Muhi-d-Din Ibnu-l-Arabi was a =
mu’min, a=20
zayd, an ‘alim, a faqih, a hafiz, a muhaddith, a Zahiri qadi and a =
mufassir of=20
Qur'an. The mistake of calling him kafir or a mushrik (astaghfir-Ullah=20
al-‘Azhim) started with Ibn Taymiyyah’s ignorance and =
survives in his misguided=20
disciples. Ahl al-Tasawwuf wa-l-Ihsan agree on the fact he was a wali, =
having a=20
high status by Allah. A relevant number of Mashaykh of Tasawwuf think he =
was a=20
Qutb in his time, and turuq like ‘Alawiyyah and Darqawiyyah also =
think he was=20
the Khatm al-Wilayyah al-Muhammadiyyah.
His doctrine of =
“wahdatu-l-wujud”=20
is the more complete expression of manzilat al-ahadiyyah in a =
intoxicated and=20
permanent maqam ar-Rububiyyah. Sober Mashaykh like ‘Ala-u-Dawlah =
as-Simnani=20
criticized some points of his doctrine from a stricter Ash’ari =
point of view,=20
but notwithstanding this, they were treating him with the maximum =
respect and=20
never dared accusing him of kufr or bid'ah.
Imam Rabbani =
as-Sarhindi=20
developed the sober doctrine of “wahdatu-s-shuhud,” but thid =
does not prevent=20
him treating Ibn ‘Arabi as a great wali and a murshid kamil. One =
line of his=20
“Futuhat” or “Fusus” is more valuable than all =
of the abstruse books by Ibn=20
Taymiyyah, Ibn Baz, Albani and Qaradawi together.
A masterpiece =
of a=20
refutation against those who falsely think about Ibn Taymiyyah as =
“’alim” and=20
“mujaddid” and accept his baseless takfir against Shaykh =
al-Akbar Ibn al-‘Arabi=20
is in the book Al-Ni’matu-l-Kubrah, by Imam Shihabu-d-Din Ahmad =
Ibn Hijr=20
al-Haytami as-Shaf’i. This text is highly praised by Shaykh =
‘Abdu-s-Samad Ibn=20
Hamid, a Sunni scholar from Cameroon. Another precious work is "Maqalat=20
as-Sunniyyah" by Shaykh ‘Abdullah al-Harari.
Numberless =
Sunni Ulemas call=20
Sidi Muhiddin “Shaykh al-Akbar”. His doctrine is praised and =
defended by=20
numberless ulema, among which: Shaykh ‘Abdu-r-Razaq al-Kashani =
(Ta’wilat),=20
Shaykh Sadru-d-Din al-Qunawi (Sharh Fusus al-Hikam), Jalalu-d-Din Rumi =
(Mathnawi=20
and Diwan), Fakhru-d-Din al-Hamadani (Rub‘iyyat) Ibnu-l-Farid =
al-Misri (Ghazal),=20
Mahmud Shahristani (Ghulshan-e Raz), ‘Abdu-l-Karim al-Jili =
(Al-Insan al-Kamil),=20
Ibn Hamzah al-Fanari (Miftah al-Uns), Nuru-d-Din Jami (Nafahat al-Uns), =
Imam=20
Rabbani (Maktubat, expecially letter 55 & 163, Muntahabat, =
Ta’idu Ahl=20
as-Sunnah, and Ithbat an-Nubuwwah), Khalid al-Baghdadi (Ihtiqad-Nama, =
and=20
Risalah fi Tahqiq ar-Rabitah), ‘Abdu-l-Ghani an-Nablusi (Fayd =
al-Muqbas, and=20
Khulasah at-Tahqiq), Khwaja Muhammad Hasan Khan (Al-Usul =
al-Arba’h), Yusuf=20
an-Nabhani (Khulasah al-Kalam, Hujjat-Ullahi ‘ala =
al-‘Alamin, and Shawaiq=20
al-Haqq), Malik ibn Shaykh Dawud (Haqiqah al-Islamiyyah fi Raddi =
‘ala al-Mazhaim=20
al-Wahhabiyyah), Muhammad Hayat Sindi (Risalah Ghayah at- Tahqiq), Omar =
Nasfi=20
(‘Aqaid an-Nasafiyyah), Shah Ghulam ‘Ali Dehlawi (Mukatib =
as-Sharifah), Ahmad=20
Waliyy-Ullah Dehlawi (Al-Insaf, Ikd al-Jayyid, and Al-Mikyas), Ahmad Ibn =
Zayni=20
Dahlan (Futuhat al-Islamiyyah, and Khulasah al-Kalam), Jajalu-d-Din =
as-Suyuti=20
(Karasatu-t-Tanwir), Sulayman Ibn ‘Abdi-l-Wahhab (As-Shawaiq =
al-Ilahiyyah),=20
Fadli-r-Rasul (Sayf al-Jabbar), the Egyptian Jami’at al-Madari =
(Nahs as-Sawiyyi=20
fi Raddi ‘ala Sayyid Qutb wa Faisal Mawlawi), Ahmed Rida Khan =
Berlewi (Fatawah=20
al-Haramayn), Siraju-Din ‘Ali Ushi (Nukbat al-Laali), Abu Muhammad =
al-Wailturi=20
(Fatawah ‘Ulama’ al-Hind), Qadi Habib al-Haqq Permuli =
(Tanqid wa Tardid), Tahir=20
Muhammad (Zahirat al-Fiqh al-Kubra), Muhammad Rebhami (Riyad =
an-Nasihin),=20
Muhammad Yusuf al-Banuri (Al-Ustadh Mawdudi and Kashf as-Sublah), =
Sa‘id=20
ar-Rahman at-Tirahi (Habl al-Matin), Muhammad Bawa Wiltori (Hidayah=20
al-Muwaffiqin), ‘Abdu-l-Wahhab as-Shahrani (Tadhkirah al-Awliyyah, =
and Mizan=20
al-Kubra) Mudarris Hamid-Ullah Najwi (Al-Basayr li-l-Munkir at-Tawassuli =
bi-Ahl=20
al-Maqabir), Muhammad Khadimi (Al-Bariqah), Muhammad Birjiwi (Tariqah=20
al-Muhammadiyyah), ‘Abdu-r-Rahman Kutti (Sabil an-Najat), Rauf =
Ahmad Mujaddid=20
(Durr al-Ma’arif), Dawud ibn Said Sulayman (Al-Mihah =
al-Wahbiyyah), Dawud=20
al-Musawi al-Baghdadi (Ashadd al-Jihad) Mahmud Effendi al-Alusi (Kashf =
an-Nur),=20
Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdi-Lllah al-Khani (Al-Bahjah as-Saniyyah), Hasan =
Dhu Zajwa’i=20
at-Turki (Ir‘am al-Murid), Hajj Ibrahim Yare as-Somali (Tarbiyyah=20
ar-Rabbaniyyah), Shaykh Ibrahim al-Ahmadi al-Idris (Azhimah al-Qadr), =
Mo’allim=20
Hussein al-Badawi as-Siddiqi (Kalimat al-Muhlasin), Ahmad ‘Ali =
al-Layji=20
al-Katibi as-Shahir (Fajr as-Sadiq), ‘Abdu-l-Hakim al-Arwasi =
(Sa‘adah=20
al-Abadiyyah, with tafsir by Shaykh Hilmi ‘Ishiq), Zahir Shah Ibn =
‘Abdi-l-‘Azhim=20
Miyanu-d-Din (Diya’ as-Sudur), Mustafa Ibn Ahmad Ibn Hasan =
al-Shati al-Hanbali=20
(Nuqul as-Shari‘ah), Muhammad Najib al-Mati‘i al-Hanafi =
(Tathir al-Fu’ad),=20
Taqiyyu-d-Din ‘Ali as-Sabaki (Shifa’ as-Siqam, and Intisar =
al-Awliyya’=20
ar-Rahman), Effendi Sadiq az-Zahawi (Fajru-s-Sadiq), Sulayman Islambuli =
(Miftah=20
al-Falaq, and Khutbatu ‘Id al-Fitr), ‘Abdu-l-Majid Ibn =
Muhammad al-Khani=20
(Sa’adah al-Abadiyyah), ‘Ali Muhammad al-Balkhi (Al-Hadiqah =
an-Nadiyya),=20
Muhammad Mahbubu-l-Haqq Ansari (Hujjah al-Qati’ah), Qasim Ibn =
Qatalubgha’=20
al-Hanafi al-Bankoghi (Nur al-Yaqin), Qadi Habibu-l-Haqq Firmulewi =
(Dalayl=20
al-Hujjaj), Ibn Ata’ Allah al-Iskandari, (Hikam, Lataif al-minan =
fi manaqibi Abi=20
‘Abbas wa Shaykhihi Abi Hasan, Miftah al-Falah wa Misbah al-Anwar, =
and Kitab=20
at-Tanwir fi Isqah at-Tadbir), ‘Aziz Ahmad (Ta‘lim as-Shaykh =
Ahmad as-Sirhindi),=20
Al-Aflaki (Manaqib al-‘Arifin), Muhammad ‘Abdu-l-Qayyum =
al-Qadiri al- Hazarawi=20
(At-Tawassul bi-n-Nabi wa as-Salihin), Muhammad Hafiz at-Tijani (Ahl =
al-Haqq=20
al-‘Arifun bi-Llah), ‘Abdu-s-Samad at-Tijani (Allah wa =
al-Rakam Sitta wa=20
Sittin), and many others.
Even the shi‘ite Ruh-Ullah =
al-Musawi=20
al-Khomeini praised Shaykh al-Akbar very much in his letter to Mikhail=20
Gorbachev.
Many of these pro-Ibn Arabi books are forbidden by the =
so-called Saudi Dar al-Ifta’, but - al-hamdu Lillah - are =
preserved through a=20
waqf from Shaykh al-Arwasi. We ask everyone who reads this message to =
recite=20
al-Fatihah for his blessed soul.
May Allahu Ta’ala bless =
Shaykh al-Akbar=20
Muhi-d-Din Ibn al-‘Arabi al-Hatimi at-Ta’i al-Andalusi and =
those who spoke the=20
Haqq about this wali, and may Allah 'Azza wa Jall protect him from the =
false=20
accusations and takfir by wahhabis, orientalists, and shayatin.=20
Amin.
Shaykh Abu Ibrahim Ali Ibn Husseyn as-Siddiqi
Shaykh Abu =
Omar=20
Abdul Hadi=20
as-Shaf'i
------------------------------------------------------------=
-----------
Majlis=20
al-Ulema of the Italian Muslim Association
shell.spqr.net/islam/
islam@spqr.net
--------------------=
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