Ibn Arabi and Wahdat Al-Wujud (The Unity of Existence) - Halaqa

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Ibn ‘Arabi and Wahdat al-Wujud (the

Unity of Existence)
 Aqida  February 21, 2019December 24, 2020 7

Minutes
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. All
praise is due to the One, the One who is to be singled out in
worship, our reliance. May the peace and blessings of Allah be
upon our Master, Muhammad ibn ‘Abdillah, his family, and all of
his companions. As for what follows:
Abstract
A lot of contention has formed over the personality of ash-Shaykh

ibn ‘Arabi and the “doctrine” of Wahdat al-Wujud. In this article,
we will, by Allah’s permission, examine both topics. We will do this
by posing a series of questions and answering them with brevity.
May Allah, Most High, help us to undertake this effort.
Who was ibn ‘Arabi?
He was the Sufi, the erudite jurist, the poet, the illuminated Imam,
“Shaykh al-Akbar,” Muhi ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn
‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn al-‘Arabi al-Hatimi at-Ta’i (d. 638 A.H.),
who was born in Murcia, Spain, under the rule of the Almohad
Caliphate. He is typically referred to as “ibn ‘Arabi,” to make clear
the difference between him and the famous Maliki judge, al-Imam
Abu Bakr ibn al-‘Arabi (d. 543 A.H.). Despite this, he signed his
name as ‫“( إبن العربي‬ibn al-‘Arabi”), not as ‫“( إبن عربي‬ibn ‘Arabi”).
Without going too much into his biography, as the information

regarding his life is quite expansive and available, both in Arabic
as well as in English, he was a great scholar who traveled around
the Muslim world, seeking knowledge, educating students, and
authoring a plethora of well-known texts, such as Fusus al-Hikam,
Futuhat al-Makkiyyah, Mashahid al-Asrar, and many others. His
works number around 800, though most are lost today.
What did the scholars say about him?
Those scholars who have praised him are numerous, and we will
mention some of their statements here:
Al-Imam ‘Iz ad-Din ibn ‘Abd as-Salam (d. 660 A.H.) called him the
❝Qutb (pole) of the religion.❞
Al-Imam Taj ad-Din Ahmad ibn ‘Ata’illah al-Iskandari al-Maliki (d.

709 A.H.) said: ❝Ibn ‘Arabi was one of the greatest of the jurists
who followed the school of Dawud al-Dhahiri after ibn Hazm al-
Andalusi…❞
Al-Imam as-Safadi (d. 764 A.H.) said about his work: ❝I saw that
from beginning to end, it consists of the ‘Aqidah of Abu al-Hassan
al-Ash’ari, with no difference whatsoever.❞
Al-Imam Siraj ad-Din al-Bulqini (d. 805 A.H.) said: ❝We seek refuge
in Allah from saying that ibn ‘Arabi affirms Hulul (indwelling) and
Ittihad (unity)! He is far above that. Rather, he is one of the
greatest A’immah and among those who have probed the oceans of
the sciences of Qur’an and Hadith.❞
Al-Imam Siraj ad-Din al-Makhzumi (d. 885 A.H.) said: ❝Our

Shaykh, Siraj ad-Din al-Bulqini, and likewise Shaykh Taqi ad-Din
as-Subki, used to criticize the ash-Shaykh (ibn ‘Arabi) in the
beginning, then they changed their position after they realized
what he was saying and the explanation of his intent.❞
Al-Imam as-Suyuti (d. 911 A.H.) said: ❝The scholars, past and
present, have differed concerning ibn ‘Arabi; one group
considering him a Wali of Allah, and they are correct, such as ibn
‘Ata’-Allah al-Iskandari and ‘Afif ad-Din al-Yafi’i; another [group]
considered him a heretic, such as a large number of jurists; while
others expressed doubts concerning him, amongst them adh-
Dhahabi in al-Mizan… For my part, the last word concerning ibn
‘Arabi, and this is accepted neither by his contemporary admirers
nor by his detractors, is that he be considered a Wali but reading
his books is forbidden. He himself is related as saying, ‘We are a
people whose books are forbidden to read.’ This is because the
Sufiyyah, by convention, use a technical terminology known only
to them and by which they refer to meanings in a way different
from common usage.❞
Al-Imam ibn Hajar al-Haytami (d. 974 A.H.) said: ❝The truth is that
ibn ‘Arabi and his group are the elite of the Ummah. Al-Yafi’i, ibn
‘Ata’-Allah, and others have declared that they consider ibn ‘Arabi
a Wali, noting that the language which Sufiyyah use is appropriate
among the experts in its usage, and that the knower of Allah, when
he becomes completely absorbed in the oceans of Unity, might
make some statements that are liable to be misconstrued as Hulul
and Ittihad, while in reality there is neither Hulul nor Ittihad.❞
Al-Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Kabir al-Kattani (d. 1327 A.H.)

and al-Imam Muhammad ibn Ja’far al-Kattani (d. 1345 A.H.)
described him as ❝Shaykh al-Akbar (the greatest Shaykh).❞
What is Wahdat al-Wujud?
From the literature of ash-Shaykh ibn ‘Arabi, a constantly

reoccurring theme, which has been called into question, is Wahdat
al-Wujud. The linguistic meaning of this phrase is “the unity of
existence”; on face value, this definition, rightly, casts fear into
Muslims who believe that Allah, Most High, is seperate from His
creation, and above it in a metaphorical sense. A sort of internal
alarm goes off within them. With this in mind, one need not worry,
as its technical definition is free from such a blasphemy.
This phrase, in the technical terminology of the Sufis (Ahl at-

Tasawwuf), carries with it a few different meanings:
1. All of existence is nothingness, save for Allah, Sublime and

Exalted, as the seventh Hijri century poet, ibn ‘Ata’illah, alludes to
in the fourteenth line of his Hikam: ❝The Cosmos is all darkness. It
is illumined only by the manifestation of Allah in it. Whoever sees
the Cosmos and does not contemplate Him in it or by it or before it
or after it is in need of light and is veiled from the sun of gnosis by
the clouds of created things.❞
2. The first point leads into the second. The words of ibn ‘Ata’illah,
❝…the manifestation…,❞ do not refer to Allah Himself, rather, they
refer to the manifestation of Allah’s Noble Attrubutes by the signs
that He has placed within the creation. I have prepared short
anecdote to strengthen our understanding of this concept: A man
walks out from his home and takes a deep breath. Upon his exhale,
he recites the common glorification, “Subhan Allah (praise be to
Allah).” His reason for saying this was his realization that if it was
not for Allah, this world and all of its beauty, his life-force, and his
person would not exist.
3. Our attributes are a result of His Attributes. As an example, if it
were not for His Beyond-Infite Mercy, our finite mercy would not
be able to actualize. The proof for this saying is the Hadith
narrated in Sahih Muslim (no. 6631
(https://sunnah.com/muslim/50/22)), narrated by Abu Hurayrah,
may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet Muhammad, may
the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family, said,
❝Allah has one hundred parts of mercy, of which He sent down
one between the Jinn, mankind, the animals, and the insects, by
means of which they are compassionate and merciful to one
another, and by means of which wild animals are kind to their
offspring.❞
Why is there contention over this?
Those who are critical of ibn ‘Arabi, and his concept of Wahdat al-
Wujud, are many, and amongst them are respected scholars. From
them are the likes of ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 A.H.), adh-Dhahabi (d.
728 A.H.), ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d. 751 A.H.), ibn Hajar
al-‘Asqalani (d. 852 A.H.), amongst others.
The opposition states that the above description of Wahdat al-

Wujud is not consistent with what ibn ‘Arabi actually believed.
Their proof is certain statements from the Shaykh which appear
outwardly blasphemous in nature.
How to we get to the bottom of this and

discover the reality concerning ibn
‘Arabi’s beliefs contained within his
literature?
What must be understood about ibn ‘Arabi is that there are two
barriers between us and understanding what he wrote:
1. He wrote heavily in metaphor, undecipherable to the unlearned

person, be they a layman or a scholar. This has been alluded to in
his statement, ❝‪It is not permissible for those who do not
understand our terminologies to study our books.‬❞
2. Copious amounts of statements, even entire books, have been
attributed to ibn ‘Arabi containing extreme herasy. Some of these
fabricated sayings were composed during his life. For example,
there is a story narrated about him in which he was walking in the
market place where he picked up a book with his name written on
its cover. He opened the book was was shocked to find that he had
not actually written it, rather it was forged in his name. For this
reason, the late eighth Hijri century scholar, al-Hafidh as-Suyuti
compiled a book on this subject, defending ibn ‘Arabi, its title
being “Tanbih al-Ghabi fi Tanzih ibn ‘Arabi (Warning to the Idiot
concerning ibn ‘Arabi’s Vindication).”
How may we reconcile?
It is important, in such a discussion, to learn how to respect

someone who is disrespectful. If one is to discuss with someone on
this topic, it is important that they hear out the side of the
opposition and bring forward what has been mentioned in
counter-opposition.
The words of al-Imam adh-Dhahabi, a critic of ibn ‘Arabi are

important to mention in this regard. He stated in his Muqizah (pg.
88-90) about making Takfir upon ibn ‘Arabi ❝It is, indeed, a
position fraught with danger! For the critic of a true Sufi enters
into the Hadith: ‘Whosoever shows enmity to one of My Friends, I
shall declare war upon him.’❞
Afterword
I will close with a poem of Shaykh al-Akbar ibn ‘Arabi, may the
Lord of the worlds have mercy upon him, and sanctify his secret:
❝If not for Him and but for us none of what has come to be would be
in existence, nor would there have come those messages and
revelations
from our Master, the Merciful One.
Bringing to us tales and rules by way of elaboration and

explanation.
(In the Qur’an) He has called us ‘possessed of inner essences’
although
clever and crafty thinking is more our style.
All of which has brought us to submission (Islam), faith und virtue.

Exalted then be He who carried him by night that he might see Him
in a measured way and by degrees.
Only he whom the Merciful One has called Man is specially favoured
with His form
and (is promised) gardens, rivers, fresh breezes and refreshing
scents.❞
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Halaqa

Islam, History, & Spirituality

Ibn ‘Arabi and Wahdat al-Wujud (the

 Aqida  February 21, 2019December 24, 2020 7

A lot of contention has formed over the personality of ash-Shaykh

Who was ibn ‘Arabi?

Without going too much into his biography, as the information

What did the scholars say about him?

Al-Imam Taj ad-Din Ahmad ibn ‘Ata’illah al-Iskandari al-Maliki (d.

Al-Imam Siraj ad-Din al-Makhzumi (d. 885 A.H.) said: ❝Our

Al-Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Kabir al-Kattani (d. 1327 A.H.)

What is Wahdat al-Wujud?

From the literature of ash-Shaykh ibn ‘Arabi, a constantly

This phrase, in the technical terminology of the Sufis (Ahl at-

1. All of existence is nothingness, save for Allah, Sublime and

Why is there contention over this?

The opposition states that the above description of Wahdat al-

How to we get to the bottom of this and

1. He wrote heavily in metaphor, undecipherable to the unlearned

How may we reconcile?

It is important, in such a discussion, to learn how to respect

The words of al-Imam adh-Dhahabi, a critic of ibn ‘Arabi are

Bringing to us tales and rules by way of elaboration and

All of which has brought us to submission (Islam), faith und virtue.

Pingback: Ibn ‘Arabi y Wahdat al-Wujud – Halaqa

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