Ibn Arabi Mahdi
Ibn Arabi Mahdi
Ibn Arabi Mahdi
Introduction
In the spiritual life of Muslims and especially Shi‗is, wilayah is an
important issue that deserves special attention. In its most well-known
categorization, wilayah has been divided into absolute and limited, or
universal and specific. A great part of Ibn ‗Arabi‘s works has been
devoted to this point. According to Ibn ‗Arabi, the absolute wilayah is
the principal type and limited wilayah refers back to it. In other words,
when it is a divine attribute, wilayah is absolute; and when it refers to
the prophets and friends of God (awliya‟), it is limited. Limited
wilayah depends on the absolute, and absolute wilayah is for the
absolute. Thus, the wilayah of the prophets and friends of God is an
aspect of absolute wilayah (Ibn ‗Arabi 1381, 69). Many times where
Ibn ‗Arabi has discussed the issue of wilayah, it is because he is
responding to 155 questions that were posed to him by Hakim
Tirmidhi, which will be referred to when required.
In each era, the world needs a prophet or a messenger and after them a
successor or a wali who is his successor so that the divine command
may be handed down by a messenger to another prophet to the seal of
the prophets and after that, the same command may be handed down
to special successors and awliya‟ to the seal of the awliya‟ with whose
death the Day of Resurrection will come. The command of the world
refers to the other world and the otherworldly aspect will appear to
remain stable, permanent, and unchangeable. (Amuli 1375, 1:157)
According to Ibn ‗Arabi, prophethood is the outer aspect of
wilayah and wilayah is the inner aspect of prophethood. This is why
prophethood is disconnected while wilayah is not disconnected (Ibn
‗Arabi 1431, 3:285).
world in the last days of the world after the advent of the Mahdi (a),
Ibn ‗Arabi considers him to be the seal of universal wilayah (Ibn
‗Arabi 1381, 74) as no wali will come after him (Ibn ‗Arabi 1381,
186).
In chapter 382 of Futuhat al-makkiyyah, Ibn ‗Arabi says that Jesus
is the seal of greater wilayah and the seal of universal wilayah. Then,
he adds: ―At the same time, he (Jesus) is the seal of the Muhammadan
wilayah‖ (Ibn ‗Arabi 1381, 3:514). He claims that he has seen and
recognized the seal of Muhammadan wilayah in the year 595 AH in
the city of Fas. However, he refuses to mention his name (Ibn ‗Arabi
1988, 121). He says:
God revealed it for me in the city of Fas and I saw the stamp of
wilayah on him. He was the seal of the absolute prophethood. Many
people do not know him, and they have even undertook it to deny
him… In the same way that God, the Exalted, put an end to the
prophetic laws by him, He communicated His divine message and put
an end through the Muhammadan sealing. This is that which results
from the family of Muhammad and no other divine prophet. ( Ibn
‗Arabi 1988, 2:42)
In chapter 73 of this book, he says that Jesus is the seal of universal
wilayah and not the seal of the specific Muhammadan wilayah. He
says: ―There is one seal, and not in all times; rather, God will put an
end to the Muhammadan wilayah by it for one time, and there is no
greater one among the Muhammadan family than him. Then, God will
put an end to universal wilayah through it; wilayah has begun from
Adam and continues to the last wali who is Jesus and he is the seal of
the awliya‟‖ (Ibn ‗Arabi 1988, 2:11).
accepts that one whose name and attributes are like those of the Holy
Prophet is the seal of wilayah. Immediately, however, he mentions
that this Mahdi is not the same as the ―awaited Mahdi‖ (Maleki 1388,
63). By mentioning the attribute ―awaited,‖ he rejects the sealness of
the Mahdi in whom the Shi‗ah believe. He continues to say that the
awaited Mahdi is from the genetic descendants of the Holy Prophet
(s), whereas the seal he mentions is from the Prophet‘s spiritual
descendants (Maleki 1388, 63; Ibn ‗Arabi 1384, 189; 1988, 128).
Thus, he makes a distinction between the awaited Mahdi and the
Mahdi that is the seal of the awliya‟. According to Shi‗i
commentators, the two Mahdis are one and the same (Maleki 1388,
64). This point of Ibn ‗Arabi is in conflict with the idea of the sealness
of wilayah which has been adopted by many great figures of
mysticism.
Further, Ibn ‗Arabi believes that the Muhammadan wilayah, which
is specific to the religion sent to Muhammad (s), is a specific seal who
is ranked lower than Jesus:
He (the particular seal) has been born in our time and I have seen him
and talked with him and I have seen the signs of sealness within him.
There is, therefore, no wali unless they can be referred back to him;
just in the same way that there is no prophet after Muhammad unless
they may be referred back to Muhammad (Ibn ‗Arabi 1383, 331).
He is now among us and I knew him in the year 595 and observed the
signs of his wilayah (Ibn ‗Arabi 1390, 77).
The editor of Futuhat, the late Uthman Yahya writes in a footnote
to this chapter:
For the Shi‗ah, the seal of the general Muhammadan wilayah, which is
the same as the seal of absolute wilayah, is 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib and the
seal of the specific Muhammadan wilayah is the Mahdi, and they (the
Shi‗ah) do not agree with Ibn ‗Arabi‘s idea that Jesus is the seal of
absolute wilayah and that someone other than Mahdi is the seal of the
specific Muhammadan wilayah (Ibn ‗Arabi 1383, 332).
In chapter 463 of Futuhat, Ibn ‗Arabi says, ―I do not mention his
name because I am not allowed to do so …. He is the seal of the
specific wilayah‖ (Ibn ‗Arabi 1390, 77). With regards to the question
as to ―who is the seal of the awliya‟,‖ however, Tirmidhi keeps silent.
He limits himself to his well-known questions (13 questions). For
example, he asks, ―Who deserves to be the seal of wilayah in the same
way that Muhammad deserves to be the seal of prophethood?‖ Ibn
‗Arabi responds to this question on two occasions. In his first text,
written in 603 AH (Jawab al-mustaqim), he says, ―One who deserves
this station is a man who looks like his father. He is not Arab… the
The Sealness of the Wilayah of al-Mahdi / 69
circle of the sultanate and wilayah will be closed with him‖ (Ibn
‗Arabi 1418, 74). In Futuhat, however, he is clearer (Chodkievicz
1389, 193). As claimed by Ibn ‗Arabi, Jesus is the seal of absolute
wilayah, and is the agent of the law-giving prophethood. The
Muhammadan seal is an Arab who is one of the noblest, and Ibn
‗Arabi has seen him in 595 AH (Chodkievicz 1389, 4). To respond to
the fifth question, Ibn ‗Arabi explains in Futuhat: ―The name of the
seal of the second wilayah is the same as the name of the Holy
Prophet (s). He is not, however, of his genetic descendants, but rather
of his spiritual descendants. Thus, he should not be confused with the
Mahdi who is among the descendants of Muhammad (Chodkievicz
1389, 194).
the most authentic copies of the book, and in which Hasan b. 'Ali has
been introduced as the ancestor of the Mahdi (Ibn 'Arabi n.d., 3:327;
Ibn 'Arabi 1405, 3:319). Even in the more recent copies of the book
that have been edited by 'Uthman Yahya, Hasan Ibn 'Ali has been
introduced as the ancestor of the Mahdi (a) (Ibn 'Arabi 1413, 3: 327).
In other copies that have been published with no commentary, and in
some editions from Egypt and Lebanon, Hasan b. 'Ali is also
introduced as the ancestor of the Mahdi. For example, in a copy of al-
Futuhat al-makkiyyah published in Beirut in 2002 and edited by Dr.
Mahmud Muraji, it has been written: ―His ancestor is Hasan ibn 'Ali
ibn Abi Talib‖ (Ibn 'Arabi 2002, 63). However, it is important to note
that many Sunni and Shi‗i commentators of Ibn 'Arabi's works are of
the opinion that he has identified Husayn ibn 'Ali as the ancestor of
the Mahdi and that in later copies, Husayn was changed to Hasan.
Thus, in their commentaries of Ibn 'Arabi's works, they have corrected
this ―error.‖ For example,
1) ‗Allamah Ashtiyani has corrected the ancestor of the Mahdi (a)
identified in Ibn 'Arabi's extant copies. He writes: ―He is among
the progeny of the Holy Prophet and one of the offspring of
Fatimah. His name is like that of the Holy Prophet and his
ancestor is Husayn ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib‖ (Maleki 1388, 60;
Torabian Torqabah 1381, 203).
2) In his al-Shajarh al-nu'maniyah, Sadr al-Din Qunawi has included
a chapter entitled ―al-Matlab al-Mahdi.‖ Here, he says that the
Mahdi is the seal of the awliya‟, his ancestor is Husayn ibn 'Ali
ibn Abi Talib, and his father is Hasan al-'Askari ibn al-Imam al-
Naqi (Maleki 1388, 62; Qunawi 1425: 58).
3) While discussing signs of the resurrection day and events which
will happen before it in al-Yawaqit wa‟l-Jawahir, 'Abd al-Wahhab
Sha‗rani mentions the appearance of the Mahdi and says that he is
the son of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari who was born on the 15th of
Sha'ban, 225 AH. Then, he quotes Ibn 'Arabi's introduction of the
Mahdi (a) and says that ―his ancestor is Husayn Ibn 'Ali Ibn Abi
Talib‖ (Nasiri 1385: 45).
4) In newer commentaries, like Hidayat al-umam or Sharh kabir 'ala
fusus al-hikam-i Ibn 'Arabi, it has been said: ―In chapter 366 of his
Futuhat, Shaykh says: ‗his ancestor is Husayn Ibn 'Ali Ibn Abi
Talib‘‖ (Rezanejad 1380, 2: 171).
Concerning various opinions about the identification of the
ancestor of the Mahdi, a few points can be noted. In his introduction
to his translation of Futuhat, Muhammad Khajawi writes: ―This
The Sealness of the Wilayah of al-Mahdi / 75
and is ranked higher than Jesus.‘ In some copies, however, ‗lower‘ has
been written instead of ‗higher‘ and this is an alteration, since wilayah
is the highest rank‖ (Qumsha‘i 1354, 17).
Qumsha‘i refers to Ibn 'Arabi's sentences which seem to
correspond to Shi‗i beliefs according to which the Mahdi has already
been born (Qumsha‘i 1354, 17).
As we know, with regards to the identity of al-Mahdi, the
promised, Sunnis are not in agreement with Shi‗is. Some scholars
have different opinions with regards to his parents and others have
different opinions with regards to his ancestors. Others have
differences about his date of birth and believe that he will be born
during the era of his appearance. More than seventy Sunni scholars,
however, are of the opinion that he has been born and is alive. There
are more than one hundred books written by well-known Sunni
scholars in which hadiths detailing the signs of the appearance of
Mahdi have been narrated (Safi Golpayegani 1385, 76-78). According
to the Holy Prophet and based on Shi‗i belief, the Mahdi is of the
offspring of Husayn (a). This belief is so established among Shi‗is that
it has become one of the symbols of the Shi‗i creed. At the same time,
many hadiths have been narrated by Shi‗i and Sunni hadith-
transmitters in which the Holy Prophet is quoted to have said that the
Mahdi is of the offspring of Imam Husayn; such as the following
1) Shaykh al-Saduq has narrated 38 hadiths with various chains of
transmission. Among them is a long hadith narrated by 'Abd al-
Rahman b. Samarah from the Holy Prophet: ―Hasan and Husayn
are the two Imams of my ummah after their father and are the
leaders of the youth of paradise. Thereafter, nine descendants of
Husayn, one after the other, are your Imams and my caliphs upon
you. The ninth of them is the Qa‘im (riser) of my nation, who will
fill the earth with justice and equity, as it would be fraught with
injustice and oppression‖ (Shaykh Saduq 1363, 2: 282). He also
narrates five hadiths quoted from Imam Husayn in which he has
said: ―The Imam al-Qa‘im is from my progeny.‖ Among such
hadiths, one may mention the hadith in which 'Abd al-Rahman ibn
Hajjaj quotes from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq from his father
Muhammad ibn Ali from his father Ali ibn Husayn that he said:
―Husayn ibn Ali said: ‗My ninth descendant will have a similarity
to the Prophet Yusuf and a similarity to the Prophet Musa ibn
Imran. And he is our Qa‘im‘‖ (Shaykh Saduq 1363, 2:328).
2) Through various chains of transmission, Muhammad Ganji Shafi'i
has narrated various hadiths quoted from the Holy Prophet.
Among them, we may mention the narration made by Hudhayfa
The Sealness of the Wilayah of al-Mahdi / 77
Conclusion
Issues regarding the sealness of wilayah, the wilayah of the Mahdi (a),
and the identification of his ancestors should be dealt with
comprehensively and without any biases or preconceived notions.
Further, it is true that nothing conclusive can be drawn from Ibn
'Arabi's sentences in al-Futuhat al-Makkiyyah, even though there are
sentences which seem to suggest that he maintains the Shi‗i
viewpoint. Many of these sentences have been esoterically interpreted
or considered to be the byproducts of precautionary concealment
(taqiyyah). On the other hand, there are many sentences (perhaps more
numerous) which more explicitly suggest that he holds the Sunni
viewpoint. To bring these seemingly inconsistent sentences and ideas
together, one may say that although he is not a Shi‗i, he has some
Shi‗i inclinations. What is certain is that not all of Ibn 'Arabi's
declarations about wilayah go in the same direction. Shi‗i and Sunni
commentators of Ibn 'Arabi's works have interpreted his ideas and
changed them as they saw fit, and this has worsened the confusion.
For many reasons, Ibn 'Arabi's ideas have been altered. One of the
reasons is that wherever the seal of the awliya‟ or the superiority of
one of the four caliphs is spoken of, differences can be seen between
various copies of Futuhat and its commentaries. These changes that
have been made with regards to the name of the ancestor of the Mahdi
(a) could have been errors made by some copiers, or they could have
been intentional changes made to hide his Shi‗i inclinations.
The truth may be similar to what 'Allamah Ashtiyani has said about
the fundamental confusion in Ibn 'Arabi's ideas about wilayah. He
says:
Some Shi‗i scholars, like Haydar Amuli and among later scholars like
78 / Religious Inquiries 5
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