"Tafsr al-Qur'n bi'l Qur'n": The Hermeneutics of Imitation and "Adab" in Ibn 'Arab's

Interpretation of the Qur'n

Author(s): SYED RIZWAN ZAMIR
Source: Islamic Studies, Vol. 50, No. 1 (Spring 2011), pp. 5-23
Published by: Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad
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IslamicStudies50:1(2011) pp.05-23

bi'l Qur'an-. The Hermeneutics

of Imitation
Tafsir al-Qur'an
and Adab in Ibn 'Arab's Interpretation
of the Qur'n
SYED RIZWANZAMIR

Abstract
It is well-established
in scholarship
thattheQur'n playsa vital rolein Ibn 'ArabVs
and
.
Ibn
is conscious
writings spiritualteachings 'Arabihimself
ofthecentrality
ofthe
. The hiddenanalogsbetweenthe Qur'n and Ibn 'ArabVs
Qur'n to his works
writingsexplaintheseemingly
abrupttransitions
fromone topicto anotherin the
Futht
or
the
chapters
of
non-chronological
presentation
of thewisdomassociated
withthevariousprophets
in theFuss.Although
thesestrongconnections
between
the
and
the
have
beennotedand demonstrated
Qur'an
Shaykh's
writings
bymany, and
some of the general hermeneutical
, a more in-depth
principlesdocumented
examinationof his concrete
methodremainsto be done. Thisshortessay
exegetical
carriesout thistask. It highlights
themainfeaturesofIbn 'ArabVshermeneutics,
his
ownprescriptions
the
method
and
how
it
or
was
not
enacted
,
was,
,
for
interpretive
and embodiedin hiswritings
.
Introduction
The Qur'an and Hadth play a vital role in Ibn 'Arabl's (d. 1240) writings.
Even an inattentive reader could not fail to notice abundance of scriptural
referencesin his writings.Ibn 'Arabi himselfis conscious of the centralityof
the Qur'n to his works as he says, "everythingof which we speak in our
meetings and in our writingscomes from the Qur'n and its treasures,"1and
that God gave him "the key to understandingit and taking aid from it."2
Scholars of Ibn 'Arab! agree that his writings,especially Al-Fuss al-Hikam
(fromhereon referredto as Fuss) which is a summaryof his teachings,and AlFutht al-Makkiyyah(from hereon referredto as Futht), his encyclopedic
magnumopus, can be seen effectivelyas Qur'nic commentaries:"The 'Meccan
1Ibn'Arabicitedin Michel
An Oceanwithout
: IbnArabi,theBook,andthe
Shore
Chodkiewicz,
Law(Albany:
StateUniversity
ofNewYorkPress,1993),20.
2Ibn 'Arabi,Al-Futhat
vol.m, 334.32citedin WilliamC. Chittick,
:
Ibn 'Arabi
al-Makkiyyah,
HeirtotheProphets
124.
Oneworld,
(Oxford:
2005),

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SYEDRIZWAN
ZAMIR

Openings' like the Shaykh al-Akbar's other works, is nothing if not

commentaryupon the Holy Book."3 Chodkiewicz has ably demonstratedthat
seemingly an extremelyunorganized author, his corpus - Fuss,Futht,and
other tracts are mysteriouslyyet unmistakably structuredafter the Qur'an.
This lead Chodkiewicz to confidentlyobserve that "...the Qur'n is always
present in everythinghe writes..."4 and later that "as soon as you begin to
perceive this relationship between the Qur'n and Ibn 'Arabl's books, secret
harmonies will be disclosed to you between many parts of his writingswhich,
at firstsight,seemed to be quite unconnected."5Chodkiewicz's subsequent and
more comprehensive study of these patternsled him to conclude that "...the
structure(and not just the content) of Ibn 'Arabl's text is determinedby that
of the Book... and... that the trip from "abode" to "abode" is really a voyage in
the Word of God."6 These hidden analogs between the Qur'n and Ibn
'Arabl's writingsexplain the seeminglyabrupt transitionsfrom one topic to
another in the chapters of Futht or the non-chronological presentation of
the wisdom associated with the various prophets in the Fuss. Although these
strong connections between the Qur'n and the Shaykh's writingshave been
noted and demonstrated by many, and some of the general hermeneutical
principles documented, a more in-depthexamination of his concrete exegetical
method remains to be done. In this shortessay,I hope to undertakethis task.
At the outset it should be made clear that it is hardly possible (if not a
vain exercise altogether) to systematically
lay out his method of reading and
3WilliamC. Chittick,
TheSufiPathofKnowledge:
Ibn al-'Arabi's
Metaphysics
ofImagination
State
of
New
York
xv.
is alsoin fullagreement:
Press,1989), Chodkiewicz
(Albany:
University
"It is not incorrect
to considerthattheworkof theShaykhal-Akbar...is in its entirety
a
An
Ocean
without
Morris
extends
the
Chodkiewicz,
Shore,
Qur'niccommentary,"
24).James
claimofcentrality
oftheQur'nto thewholeofIbn'Arab'scorpus:"...almost
he
everything
in theformof someuniquelypersonalformof spiritual
of
saysis expressed
interpretation
Islamicscripture,
whether
theQur'norhadith"(James
Winston
Islamic
Morris,Orientations-.
in a WorldCivilization,
London:Archetype
in
Publications,
2004,41). Similarly,
Thought
Ibn 'Arab!withMeister
Dobie notedthefollowing:
"Thethought
ofIbn
Eckhart,
comparing
fromthe Qur'an.Indeed,we can viewhis thought,
'Arabiis inseparable
no matterhow
it mightappear,as nothing
butan extended
on theletter
andspiritof
speculative
commentary
thatholybook (as wellas on thehdth(sic)[sing.,hdth]of theProphet...)."
(RobertJ.
Ibn 'Arabi,
Meister
andMystical
Dobie,Logos& Revelation:
Eckhart,
Hermeneutics,
Washington
DC: atholicUniversity
ofAmerica
Press,
2010,25).
4Michel
"Some
Remarks
abouttheRoleoftheQur'anin IbnArabi'sWritings,"
Chodkiewicz,
Relevance
SyedaS. Hameed(ed.),Contemporary
ofSufism(New Delhi: IndianCouncilfor
Cultural
40.
Relations,
1993),
5Chodkiewicz's
ofthesepatterns
within
Ibn'Arabl'swritings
werefirst
in
discovery
putforth
hispaper"SomeRemarks
abouttheRole oftheQur'an"citedaboveandwerefollowed
bya
examination
oftheissueinAn Oceanwithout
inchapters
3 and4.
Shore,
book-length
especially
6
An Oceanwithout
71.
Chodkiewicz,
Shore,

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TAFSR
AL-QUR'N
BI'LQUR'N

-j

interpretingthe Qur'n. Two reasons forthis,among others,are:

1.

Ihm 'ArabVsSources& Language-.Ibn 'Arabi draws on a variety of sources.

Compared to predecessors of his stature, such as al-Ghazal, or those of
generations after him, this is of course not unique. What is exceptional,
however, is the manner in which transmitted(naql) and intellectual ('aqti)
sciences are synthesized with mystical unveiling (kashj) in his writings. And
even here, that the particular insight itself originates from one, two, or all
three of the above is one thing; but what does not make the task of tracking
down his method any easier is that it is expressed in a language which
incorporates the specific technical terminology of them all, through mutual
interplay,frequent transitionsfrom one to another, and more importantly,
juxtaposition of technical vocabulary of the Qur'n, Hadlth, Fiqh, Kalm,
philosophy, and Sufismin one short passage or sometimesin a sentence.
2.

Mystical Unveiling: Ibn 'Arab! insists on the divine inspiration and

unveiling upon which all his writings rely: "I swear by God, I have not
written a single letter of this book that was not in accordance with a divine
dictation, a spiritual inbreathing and a casting by God"7, he notes in the
introduction of Futht. Similarly,in Fuss's Introduction Ibn 'Arab! narrates
how the whole text was given to him by the Prophet in a dream: "...I realized
my hope, made my faithfulintention,and purifiedmy purpose and resolution
to present this book as set out to me by the Messenger of God... with neither
omission nor addition."8If these writingsare divinely inspired, and hence of a
higher inspirational order, then an attemptto seek systematicorder in them
may amount to strippingthem of the integrityof the author's own claims
about them. It is for this reason that I have consciously avoided passing any
judgmenton the possibilityor veracityof these claims.
In view of these inherentlimitations,in this paper I will restrictmyselfto
highlighting the main features of Ibn 'Arabx's hermeneutics, his own
prescriptionsfor the interpretivemethod, and how it was, or was not, enacted
and embodied. One might ask, if any attempt to systematize Ibn 'Arabl's
Qur'nic hermeneuticshas already been ruled out, what is left to discover in
his method and to what end? The simple answer is: plenty. First, whether the
7Ibn 'Arab,Meccan
trans.Morris,
Chittick
andChodkiewicz,
2 vols.(NewYork:
Revelations,
PirPress,2002),Introduction,
vol.I, 9. Cf."I basemy[Qur'anic]interpretation
upona meaning
whichGodhasunveiled
to me,so itis His meaning"
The
Path
(Chittick, Sufi
243).
ofKnowledge,
It is to be notedthatthesearenotIbn 'Arab'sownwordsbutChittick's
ofwhat
explanation
Ibn'Arabiwouldhavesaidtohiscritics.
8Ibn al-'
trans.CanerDagli (Chicago:Kazi
Arabi,TheRingstones
[Fususal-Hikam],
ofWisdom
Publishers,
2004),1.

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SYEDRIZWAN
ZAMI

answers given by him constitute a well-defined system or not, they still

provide helpful insights into Ibn 'Arabl's own method. Furthermore, since
much of the debate surrounding the "orthodoxy" of his views is about his
apparently "free" interpretationof the Qur'an, it is important to closely
examine the reasonableness of this claim. The best place to begin probing this
question will be to determine what he himself had to say about how the
Qur'an is to be studied, how he carriedout his interpretations,and the gap, if
any, between the two. Therefore,if the concern for being systematicis put
aside for some time, the inquirer could raise an important set of interrelated
questions questions of what the Qur'an is for the Shaykh, who his intended
audience is, what the intentions of the author are, and what are the
hermeneutical principles that characterize his commentary upon Qur'nic
passages. In the remaining pages, I will examine these questions with
illustrationsfromhis writings.
What is the Qur'an?
The Qur'an (and also hadtb) hold a unique place in Ibn 'Arab's writings.9It is
crucial, thus, to see what the position of the Qur'an is in Ibn 'Arabl's religious
universe. The Shaykh's understanding of the Qur'n's metaphysical and
epistemological status rests on both the literal sense of the term 'Qur'an' and
what the Qur'an has to say about itself.The word Qur'an is derived fromthe
Arabic root q.r.' which means 'collecting together' and 'gathering.' That the
is consistentwith Qur'nic
Qur'an is all-comprehensiveand gatherseverything
declarations: "In the Book We have leftnothing out" (6: 38) and "... if all the
trees on earth were pens and the ocean (were ink), with seven oceans behind it
to add to its (supply), yet would not the words of Allah be exhausted" (31: 27).
This is why the Shaykh calls the Qur'an 'an ocean without shore'10and notes
that "The Qur'n unveils all the knowledge(s) sent down in the scripturesand
contains that which is not contained by them. He who has been given the
Qur'an has been given perfectluminosity... [B]ecause of the Qur'an it is true
to say that Muhammad was given the 'all-comprehensivewords.' "u In another
' "ForIbn
wordofGod,an infinite
oceanthatconstantly
'Arabi,theQur'anwasthevivifying
hissoul,a livingpresence
thatwouldembodyitself
to himandappearin visions."
replenished
Ibn 'Arabi:
HeirtotheProphets,
thattheQur'anappeared
to
2005,124).Thecomment
(Chittick,
himinvisionsis actually
a reference
tohisencounter
withtheQur'aninhumanform
inMecca.
SeeChodkiewicz,
An Oceanwithout
28-9.
Shore,
10Ibid.,35.Giventheinfinite
embedded
intheQur'an,Ibn'Arabiasserts
thatno two
meanings
of
the
could
ever
be
the
same.
If
the
same
is
derived
from
thetwo
Qur'an
readings
meaning
of
a
verse
or
to
the
the
reader
is
not
then,
readings Qur'nic
chapter, according
Shaykh,
simply
theQur'ancorrectly.
reading
11Ibn'Arabi,
vol.II, 107.20.SeealsoChittick,
TheSufiPathofKnowledge,
239.
Futuhat,

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TAFSR
BI'LQUR'N
AL-QUR'N

context,the Shaykh notes that "the Qur'n is one book among others except
that, to the exclusion of all other books, it alone possesses allcomprehensiveness(jmi ;iyyah
)."12
For the Shaykh, the Qur'n is not only inclusive and all-comprehensive
but also exclusive as it stands for 'separation' and 'discrimination' (the literal
meaning of the term al-Furqn, another well-known name of the Islamic
scripture)fromothers.Here he has recourseto the Qur'n which employs this
termin describingitself:"... [He] hath revealed al-Furqn [3: 4]" and "Blessed is
He who sent down al-Furqn to His servant" [25: 1]. Usually translated as
"criterion" (of judging rightand wrong), the term Furqn gets Shaykh's close
attention. Studing the literal root of the term, he arrives at a different
understanding:"The two primarynames of the holy book, al-Qur'n and alFurqn togethermean that the Qur'n gatherseverythingtogetherand at the
same time separateseverythingout into clear and distinctdomains."13That the
Qur'n contains all that is there to know and that it is simultaneously the
doorway to this knowledge is a crucial point because it is this special status of
the Qur'n that guides all his hermeneutics.Ian Almond rightlyconcludes, "It
should be stressed that the Great Shaykh's hermeneutics almost entirely
concern the Qur'n. What Ibn 'Arab! says about meaning and interpretationis
seldom explicitly extended to other secular works, or to language in
general...the Shaykh will always find one Book to be more special than all the
other ones."14 All Muslims would agree with the Shaykh on this; yet, the
method by which he arrivesat this conclusion is uniquely his. His description
of the reality of the Qur'n is essentially derived from reflectionupon the
words the Qur'n chooses foritself.
Method of Interpretation
For Ibn 'Arabi, "[the Prophet] did not strayfromthe very form of that which
had been revealed to him, but rathertransmittedto us exactly what had been
told to him: for the meanings that descended upon his heart descended in the
formof a certaincombination of letters,of a certain arrangementsof words, of
a certain order of verses, a certain composition of srahs whose totality
comprises the Qur'n."15 Every word, in fact, every letter of the Qur'n
counts. This understanding of the Qur'n provides the bedrock for the
Shaykh's hermeneutics, whose first and most obvious feature is 'spiritual
12Ibid.
13Ibn'Arabi,Futuhat
... Vol.IE, 164.34.
14IanAlmond,
andDeconstruction:
A Comparative
Sufism
Study
ofDerridaandIbn 'Arabi(New
York:Routledge,
68.
2004),
15Ibn'Arabi,Futuhat
An Oceanwithout
23.
, vol.m, 158.Seealso,Chodkiewicz,
Shore,

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SYEDRIZWAN
ZAMI

literalism.'16If every letterand every word of the Qur'an matters,and if the

Qur'n is revealed in 'clear Arabic'17then the best way (and perhaps the only
way there is) to enter the treasure-houseof the Qur'an is to explore its 'letter'
in the minutestpossible detail, with all the diligent and careful attentionthat
one could afford,while takingthe Qur'an itselfas one's guide. This scrupulous
attentionto theform of the Word of God - for the form,being divine, is not
only the most adequate expression of the Truth, it is the Truth, it is not only
the bearer of meaning, it is the meaning - is that which guides all of Ibn
'Arab's reading of the Qur'n.18
Ibn 'Arab's method is literal because it never rejects the literal outward
sense. No doubt the Qur'an contains hidden meanings, but these hidden
spiritual meanings are not intended to be behind the literal words. Instead,
they are precisely in them. One does not move away fromthe words, or bring
knowledge obtained from other disciplines, philosophical or textual, to
unpack the Qur'n. Instead one only delves deeper into the ocean of meanings
contained in the very words of the Qur'n by taking the literal words as the
guide. Thus, his method is that of a 'literal strictness'that inherentlybegets
pluralityof meanings. In any case, the lettercan never be killed to give life to
the spirit.19
Ibn 'Arabi points out this method at various places. He also expresseshis
discontent with prevalent modes of interpretationsuch as those used by the
Btiniyyahand the Falsifab."It is not in vain that God takes one word away
to preferanother to it. Any offenseagainst the letteris a form of this tabrif
the alteration of the Word of God for which the Qur'an (2: 75; 5: 13)
reproaches the People of the Book."20This is why "...the faithful,the truthful,
the possessors of steadfastnessamong the friendsof God, they cross over,21
taking the outward sense along with them. They do not cross from the
"Various termshave been used to describethis hermeneutic:
KristinSands calls it
Morris
literalism'
and
Chodkiewicz
'strict
literalism.'
It is worth
'hyperliteralism,' 'spiritual
extends
to thediscipline
offiqb,whatEricWinkelhascalled
notingthatIbn'Arab'sliteralism
See hisIslamand theLivingLaw: TheIbnal-Arabi
"LegalLiteralism."
Approach
(NewYork:
Oxford,
1996).,especially
chap.4.
17A reference
to certainQur'nicverses,including
12:2, 13:37, 16:103,20: 113,26: 192-5,
39:28,and41:3.
An Oceanwithout
24.
Chodkiewicz,
Shore,
wIbid.,22.
20
Ibid.,24.
21Thewordhereis
from
whichisderived
ta'blr,a termfortheinterpretation
ofdreams.
'ibarah,
- ta'blr
One canalreadynoticehowhe deploys
thevariousmeanings
ofthesameterm'ibrah
in thiscontext,
as interpretation
held
over'
and
(commonly view),'crossing
'giving
expression,'
allpossiblemeanings
oftheroot'.b.r.

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TA
FSiRAL-QUR'N
BIXQUR'N

outward sense to the inward sense, but they take the letter itself to the
meaning,without 'giving expression' to it."22
Literalism,as generallyunderstood,implies univocalism: thereis but only
one possible meaning of the text. Ibn 'Arabi, however, posits forcefullythat
the literal exactitude demanded by him concurrentlystirs up a plurality of
meanings that are embedded in the letter,while restrainingthe unwarranted
explanations that would violate it. That the Qur'n was revealed in Arabic is
in no way accidental: its vocabulary is abundantly rich and naturallyresultsin
multiple interpretations.Ibn 'Arabi does not simply state this principle, but
enacts it throughout his writings.I have already noted some examples in the
case of the words qur'n and furqan.
Another example is found in his interpretationof a famous Qur'nic
verse: "Naught is there anything like Him" (laysa ka mithlihshay'ur).The
preposition ka which means 'like' is generally considered redundant or
emphatic of likeness {mithlih), thus, the usual translation cited above.
Although not excluding this standard translation and interpretationof the
verse, Ibn 'Arabi often reads the ka as not simply redundant but as a
preposition that does in fact add meaning to the verse. In other words, in the
context of the verse ka could mean exactly what it conveys in translation:
simile or likeness. And because it could mean that, it does mean it. In the first
reading (where ka is redundant and emphatic) the verse translatesas "there is
nothing like Him [i.e., God]" while in the second reading, the verse will be
rendered as "There is nothing like His [i.e., God's] likeness." For his readers
then, the variant 'His likeness' permits Ibn 'Arabi to posit the idea of the
Universal or PerfectHuman (al-insnal-kmit)and his utteruniqueness due to
his likeness to Him. Consequently, the hermeneutical commitment to the
literal word (and the multiple possibilitiesinherentin it) allows Ibn 'Arabi to
retain both interpretationsand then employ either (or sometimes both) at
various occasions in the Fuss and Futht.21
Chodkiewicz cites numerous other examples to elaborate Ibn 'Arabi's
spiritualliteralism.In one passage he notes:
In the Qur'n, the divinecommandto Adam and Eve is not, strictlyspeaking,
thatof not eatingtheforbidden
fruit,but ratherthatof not approachingthetree
2:
Now
the
tree
(Qur'n 35).
(shajarah
) is, forIbn 'Arabi- a meaningdictatedby
and
more
the
etymology,
directlyby
meaningof theverbshajara,fromthesame
22Ibn'Arabi,
vol.DI,257.16.CitedinChittick,
TheSufiPathofKnowledge,
246.
Futuhat,
For a moreelaborate
discussion
of thisinterpretation,
see Chodkiewicz,
An Oceanwithout
37.AlsoseeIbnal-'Arabi,Ringstones,
41.Cf.note19above.
Shore,

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12

SYEDRIZWAN
ZAMI
It is this
root, in anotherverse (4: 65) - the tashajjur(the act of dividing).24
division, this rupture of unity that Adam and Eve should eschew. The
metaphysicalsignificanceof theirdisobedienceis thus inscribedin the very
nature of the forbiddenobject and need not be sought elsewhere.25
This
is
coherent
with
the
continuation
of
the
interpretation perfectly
Qur'nic story
as givenin Surah Ta h (20: 121)...Theyate of it and thentheirnuditybecame
but thetermsaw'atuhumarefers
apparentto them.Nudityis theusualtranslation,
to the pudenda, Adam and Eve's sexual organs: in other words, sexual
the mostelementary
are the most evidentof the
differentiations,
manifestation,
division, of theruptureofunity.This is, forIbn 'Arabi,theunitysymbolizedby
thesphericalformthatoriginally
was thatofhumanbeing.26

It is clear from the example that more than anythingelse, a diligentand

patient engagementwith the precise words of the revelation (such as shajarah)
is a prerequisite for its proper interpretation.What emerges, then, from this
spiritualliteralismis summarizedby the Shaykh in the following words:
Everysense (wajh)whichis supportedby any versein God's Speech (ikalm) whetherit is the Qur'n, theTorah,thePsalms,theGospel, or theScripture27
in theview of anyonewho knowsthatlanguageis intended{maqsd)by God in
the case of that interpreter
(muta'awwil).For His knowledgeencompassesall
senses...Henceno man ofknowledge
can declarewrongan interpretation
nortoput
it intopractice
and thosewhofollowhis
, exceptin thecaseoftheinterpreter
himself
a sensefromtheverse,thatsenseis
Hence,whensomeoneunderstands
authority...
intendedbyGod in thisversein thecaseofthepersonwhofindsit. This situationis
not foundoutsideGod's speech.Even thoughthewordsmightsupporta sense,it
maybe thatit was not intendedby thespeaker,forwe know thathe is incapable
of encompassingall the sensesof the words...Hence, everyonewho comments
{tafsr)the Qur'n and does not go outsideof what the wordssupportis a true
commentator
(italicsadded)."28
In sum, the letter itself is the spirit. Everything is contained in the
Qur'n, and within its very words. It is an ocean full of meaning in which no
two drops could ever be the same.
24It mustbe notedthatother
include"toquarrel,
andfight"
dictionary
meanings
argue,dispute
eachlending
itself
tointeresting
outcomes.
25Andthewhole
dramais contained
within
theverywordsoftherevelation,
and,
metaphysical
no allegorical
therefore,
require
interpretation.
26Chodkiewicz,
An Oceanwithout
Shore
, 39.
It shouldbe notedthatIbn 4Arabiextends
thisviewto otherscriptures
undertheassumption
- an assumption
thatall scriptures,
like the Qur'n,are revealedin a particular
language
held
Muslims.
commonly by
28Ibn 4Arabi,Futuhat
TheSufiPathofKnowledge
, vol E, 567.19.Citedin Chittick,
, 244.The
ofthesentence
initalics
willbedealtwithintheconclusion
ofthisarticle.
significance

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BI'LQUR'N
TAFSR
AL-QUR'N

Divine Intentions and Human Response

I have noted in the previous section that though allowing for alternative
interpretations,in his own exegesis Ibn 'Arab carefully sifts through the
various possibilities contained within the root meaning of the word and picks
those he deems most appropriate. A question naturally arises: how does he
decide which of the possible meanings are the 'most appropriate'? A closer
study of his writings reveals that there is an even more fundamental
hermeneuticprinciple at work here, that of Divine Mercy.
9 is axiomatic for Ibn
The Divine Mercy that encompasseseverything
'Arabi and guides all his teachings:"Justas misguidanceis an accident,so too is
the Divine Wrath an accident. The final end is Mercy, which encompasses
everythingand outstrips [others]."30The being of God is essentially Mercy.
The whole universe is nothing but 'the Breath of the Merciful.' The Qur'n is
God's Mercy,31and so is the Prophet.32One of the most cited Qur'nic verses
in Ibn 'Arab's writingsis, "My Mercy precedes my Wrath." Beyond the many
referencesto God's all-inclusiveMercy in the Qur'n, especially the basmalah,
which begins all but one chapter of the Qur'n, Ibn 'Arab's own spiritual
unveilings also convinced him of the centrality of mercy to the ontological
makeup of the cosmos.
In this connection one may cite Ibn 'Arab's own spiritual ascent {mi'rj)
in which Adam taughthim the universalityof the Divine Mercy.33Later at the
culminatingstage of his journey, he notes that "I saw in it the universalityof
the divine Gift [of Mercy and Pardon]... as He said concerning the prodigal
sinners...Do not despair of God's Mercy:surelyGod forgivesthe sins altogether
,
He
is
the
the
The
extent
to
which
surely
All-Forgiving, All-Merciful(39: 53)."34
the hermeneutics of mercy- to use Chittick's terminology- pervades his
worldview is witnessed in almost all his conclusions on metaphysical,
theological and legal matters.For example, in his treatmentof legal questions
he consistentlydraws inspirationfrom the Qur'nic injunction: "We did not
29Cf.
Qur'an,7: 156.
Ibnal-4
Arabi,Ringstones
, 105.
31 "1butfollowwhatis revealed
to mefrommyLord:thisis (nothing
fromyour
Say:
but)lights
andmercy,
foranywhohavefaith/'
7:
23.
Lord,andGuidance,
Qur'n,
32"Wesenttheenot,butas a
Mercyforallcreatures."
Qur'an,21: 17.
33Fora moredetailed
seeJames
Winston
"TheSpiritual
Ascension:
Ibn 'Arabi
Morris,
analysis
andtheMi'raj":PartI,"JOAS107,1987),629-52;Idem,"TheSpiritual
Ascension:
Ibn 'Arabi
andtheMi'rjPartH,"JOAS108:1 (1988),63-77.
34Ibn'Arabi,Futht,
vol.II, 230.Itis worthstating
herethatin manywaysthespiritual
ascent
oftheShakyhnotonlyemploys
muchQur'nicterminology
butin manywayspresents
itself
as a journey
within
it.

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14

ZAMI
SYEDRIZWAN

make for you in the religion any constriction"35and stressesthe principle of

Divine Mercy.36Chittick,in the discussion of afterlifeand the ultimatedestiny
of the unbelievers has shown how it is due to this emphasis on Divine Mercy
(thatprecedesHis Wrath)that the sinnersand unbelieverswill be at ease in the
Fire.37
If the Qur'an is mercy and the Divine intends nothing but mercy in all
things, then it is incumbent upon the interpreterof the Qur'an to take the
principle of mercy as one of his main guidingprinciples. The hermeneuticsof
the interpreter,therefore,should be those that are consistentwith the divine
intentions as revealed through the Qur'anic teachings.From the interpreter's
point of view, responsivenessto divine mercy is another attributecrucial to
his intellectual outlook. The meanings contained within the scripture are
infiniteand ever-new,because thereis no repetitionin the[divine] self-disclosure
{la takrrfi tajallf8of which the cosmos, the human, and the Qur'an are three
manifestations. This receptiveness to the infinitude of meanings is only
possible when one opens oneself to divine mercy by learning the adab
(etiquettes) of listening.To be a good listenerto the divine-discourse,one has
to pay full attentionto what has been said. One need not be distractedby the
points of view learned from elsewhere. Rather one should be in a state of
'illiterateinfancy:'
As did the Prophet,the virginalreceptacleof Revelation,a beingshould open
himselfto the lightsof grace...To hearHim, man mustthusreturnto the 'state
of
of infancy'- an expressionthatmightafterall be the most exacttranslation
describes
in
the
.39This stateof infancyis whatthe Qur'an
following
ummiyyah
terms:"God had you come out of the womb of your mothersand you knew
nothing"(16: 78). Amongthepossiblemeaningsof a word,of a verse,thereis no
choice at the end of a mentalprocess:the 'true'meaning- thatwhichis trueat
thatmomentforthatverybeing- is thatwhichwells up, in the nakednessof
thespirit,fromtheveryletterofdivinespeech.It is to thisletterand it alonethat
35
Qur'an,22:78.
36See E. Winkel,Islamandthe
ofhowtheprinciple
of
discussion
LivingLaw foran extensive
on
matters.
was
enacted
in
Ibn
'Arab's
writings legal
mercy
37See WilliamC. Chittick,
: Ibn 'Arabiand the
in ImaginaiWorlds
"DeathandtheAfterlife"
ofNewYorkPress,1994),97-122.
StateUniversity
Problem
Diversity
(Albany:
ofReligious
38Thisis oneofthecornerstones
ofIbn'Arab'scosmology.
39Ummlis one ofthe
in 7: 157:"Thosewhofollowthemessenger,
mentioned
Qur'anicterms
in theirown(scriptures)
...andthe
whomtheyfindmentioned
theunlettered
(umml)Prophet,
ofAllah,to Whom
versethatfollows:"Say:O men!I amsentuntoyouall,as theMessenger
thedominionoftheheavensandtheearth:thereis no godbutHe. It is He That
belongeth
theUnlettered
both
lifeand death.So believein Allahand His Messenger,
giveth
Prophet
and
His
words:
follow
him
that
who
believeth
in
Allah
(so)yemaybe guided."
(umml),

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TAFSR
BI'LQUR'N
AL-QUR'N

he whose heartis readyto welcomethat'showerof stars,'whichwill cease only

on theday thattheQur'an is no longerrecited'in secretor aloud,' will listen.40
To be sure, the heart that is ready is the one that has undergone
preparation through intense spiritualpractice,prayer,worship, and following
the Law and the example of the Prophet. Though outside of the scope of this
short essay, no discussion of Ibn Arab's hermeneuticscan ignore the practical
side of the spirituallife,toward which his writingsand thought are geared,and
to which they have always been seen as a complement.
Ibn 'Arab's views on the meaning and application of adab are scatteredin
his Futht. In chapter 168 he defines an adib as someone "who unites the
noble virtues" (al-adib huwa al-jmi( al-makrimal-akhlq) and adab as uniting
of the good (al-adab jama' al-kbayr).41
Notice how the domain of adab is not
restrictedto a particular kind of 'good' or Virtue' but instead left open as a
gathering of all the various kinds of goodness or virtues. It is the allencompassing nature of this understandingof adab that led Denis Gril to
conclude that,
while the classicalliteratureof tasawwuf
makesrathermore use of the termto
expressthequalityof theattitudewhichit shouldbe observedin respectof God,
or in relationbetweenmasterand disciples(adabal-suhba),
Ibn 'Arabiplacesit on
thelevel of doctrine.He particularly
insistson respect,as he himselfstatesit,for
the prophetic and Qur'anic message, and adab towards the text quickly
becomes...one ofthekeysto hisunderstanding.42
From the point of view of Ibn 'Arab's hermeneutics,therefore,it is this
attitude of proper etiquette and respect towards the Divine Word (i.e., adab)
that underlies his literalism,a sense of utter submission to the letter of the
Word. One has to take the letterof Scriptureseriously because adab towards
40Chodkiewicz,
An Oceanwithout
Shore
, 33.
41Ibn
'Arabi,Futuhat
, vol.E, 284.
4 See his
or One oftheFoundations
oftheHermeneutics
ofIbn
essay"AdabandRevelation
'Arabi"inMuhyiddin
Ibn 'Arabi
: A Commemorative
Volume
Hirtenstein
and
, editedbyStephen
MichaelTieranen(Rockport,
MA: Element,1993),228-63.It is not possibleto fleshout
thesignificance
ofadabin Ibn 'Arab'swritings.
In chapter
Ibn
completely
284,forexample,
'Arab!discusses
fourdifferent
kindsofadab: adabal-sharVah
adabal-haqqand
, adabal-khidmah,
adabal-haqqah.
titled"TheStateofAdab"(haial-adab)expands
on these
Chapter202ofFutht
fourcategories
concrete
ofeachone
bywayofenumerating
expressions
(izhr)andapplications
ofthefour.Thusfar,GriPsessayis themostcomprehensive
examination
ofthepolysmie
term
adabin theShaykh's
The essaydoes,however,
deserve
to be followed
writing.
up by a study
thisvariety,
someassessment
as to howthesevariousmeanings
relateto oneanother
unpacking
andclarify
hisbroader
hermeneutics.

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ZAMI
SYEDRIZWAN

the divine Word demands it. Submission to the Word of God implies that one
cannot subvert,bypass, or ignore its apparentmeaning.
One may cite two examples where in interpretingthe Qur'n, Ibn 'Arab!
invokes the principle of proper adab: first,in the Fass (ring-stone)of Noah, Ibn
'Arabi criticizesthose who deny tashblhin the followingwords:
as regardsthe
...in thesightof theFolk of theRealitiesto assertincomparability
Divine is to assert delimitationand qualification.The one who asserts
is eitherignorantor is a man of poor adab. When he uttersthis
incomparability
and speaks it, speakingthroughthe word of law as a believerand asserting
stoppingthereand seeingnothingotherthanthis,he displays
incomparability,
He is likethosewho
bad adab and givesthelie to theReal and to theMessengers...
in some.n
believein someand disbelieve
It is out of fidelityand respect toward the Qur'n - where tanzih and
tashbihare both affirmed- that Ibn 'Arabi rejects dogmatic absolutization of
Divine Transcendence (tanzih). It is only expected that claims of Divine
Immanence (tashbih)at the expense of Divine Transcendence will be equally
rejected by him.
A second example concerns Ibn 'Arabl's refusal to turn certain acts of
God mentioned in the Qur'n into a corresponding Divine Name. His
decision to refrain from attributinga Divine Name is again a function of
fidelityto the literal word of God, since in the Qur'n God Himself has
chosen not to name Himself in that manner. The limits put on what could or
could not be stated about God are set by God and His Word, and adhered to
throughconscious application of adab or etiquettetoward Him.
Since in religious parlance the attitude of fidelityto scripture is often
identifiedwith faith,in closing this section, it is importantto distinguishadab
from faith. Whereas faithusually implies strong belief and trustin the object
of faith,i.e., the scriptureor God, the attitude of adab as employed by Ibn
'Arabi is more akin to a concrete application of faithin the realms of reading
In other words, adab
the scripturesand decipheringthese faith-commitments.
is a consequence and application of faithand may be described as orientation,
right comportment, and proper attitude;it is faith concretized in day to day
43Ibnal-'Arabi,
to theQur'Inicverse4: 150:"Lo! Thosewho
37;italicscorrespond
Ringstones,
disbelieve
in AllahandHis messengers,
andseekto makedistinction
betweenAllahandHis
andsay:We believein someanddisbelieve
in others,
andseekto choosea wayin
messengers,
between."
Ibn 'Arabihastakenthemeaning
out ofcontext
in thiscase
Interestingly
enough,
whichis something
he frequently
does.Nonetheless,
hismethodofinterpretation
is trueto his
claimthatinthecaseoftheQur'n,every
wordcounts.

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TAFSR
BU QUR'N
AL-QUR'N

yj

activities, strictly religious or otherwise. Faith, as employed in common

parlance, is essentially a subjective phenomenon - thus an abstraction
whereas adab connotes the concrete embodiment of faith, drawing its full
consequences in the daily life of a believer. It is this broader understandingof
adab that informsnot only Ibn 'Arabl's method of interpretingthe Qur'an by
way of the Qur'an but also his other prescriptions.
Ibn 'Arab's intent and his audience
The question of why Ibn 'Arab wrote, and to whom he spoke, takes us to the
heart of Ibn 'Arabl's hermeneuticproject: By drawing insightsfrom both his
understandingof his divinely bestowed spiritual function and from the way
his writings and thought has influenced Islamic empirical history, one can
assess the fullimport of his hermeneutic,its purposes, and intended audience.
Regardless of whether the Shaykh's claims are true or not, his
autobiographical accounts confirmthat fromhis youth he understood himself
to hold a special status and officedesignatedby God.44 He considered himself
to be the Seal of theSaints (khtamal-awliy). What is relevantforus here is to
see the functionof this office,which in turn would shed light on the purposes
and audience of Ibn 'Arabl's writings.Ibn 'Arabi mentions his functionin the
followingverses:
"I was createdto assistthereligionofGod But theassistancecomesfromHim, as it is laid down in theBooks."45
Chodkiewicz understands this mission of assistance in two terms: the
doctrinal, whereby he is the repository of guidance, "the supreme teacher,"
and "teacher of all teachers"and throughhim the "knowledge contained in the
bayt al-walayah remains living and accessible to those who possess the
necessary qualifications;"46and as transmitterof barakah (spiritual grace),
"which when the circumstancesrequire it, comes to quicken individuals and
groups, to re-establishthe ways of sainthood, and to restore what can be
restoredof the Islamic order."47

44For a detaileddiscussion
of Prophethood
and Sainthood(walayah
(nubuwwab)
) and the
between
SealoftheSaints
: Prophethood
and
them,pleaseseeMichelChodkiewicz,
relationship
Sainthood
in theDoctrineofIbn 'Arabi
IslamicTexts
, trans.LiadainSherrard
(Cambridge:
references
to varioussourceswhereIbn 'Arabi
Society,
1993).Chapter9 ofthebookprovides
discusses
hisroleasthe"Seal."
45Ibid.,130.
46Ibid.,139-40.
47Ibid.,140.

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Jg

ZAMIR
SYEDRIZWAN

Over the years, William Chittick48and Chodkiewicz's writings have

continuously demonstratedthe powerfulways in which Ibn 'Arabl's doctrinal
teachingshave influencedIslamic intellectuallife.That Ibn 'Arabi continues to
be a source of barakah is accepted by most Sufi practitioners.Yet something
much more profound is also involved here, the full import of which has not
been addressed except in the writingsofJamesMorris.
As outlined by Morris in the essay "Except His Face," historicallyIbn
'Arabi has influenced four contexts to which a particular group corresponds:
1. Muslims directly involved in practical spiritual life and guidance, that is,
Sufi Shaykhs, preachers,jurists,and Qur'n commentators;2. His directheirs
who have come to be identified with the Akbarian School, figures like
Qnawl, Qaysarl, Jandi, and Mull Sadra, the group that constitutes the
Islamic traditionof the philosophy of religion; 3. Literaryand creativewriters
in the Islamic world, people like 'Iraqi and Jm; and 4. The tradition of
polemics, especially the argumentsfor and againstthe validity of the Sufi path
and practices associated with Sufi tarlqahs.49As Morris points out in numerous
places in his writings,what makes this huge impact possible is the unique
dialectic in his works between the ontological/cosmological teachings (the
signs on the horizon) and the spiritual psychology/phenomenology (signs
within the souls).50For our task, the phenomenological dimension is most
crucial.51
Anyone who reads Ibn 'Arab! is immediately struck, not only by the
radical departure in his conclusions from the 'official' and 'standard' readings
of scripture, but also by the very linguistic style in which they are
communicated. The chapter on Noah in Fuss is one example where Ibn
'Arabi, assertingthe message of both transcendence(tanzih) and immanence
(tashbh)based on his reading of certain Qur'nic verses, takes the prophet to
48For Chittick's
and TheSelf-Disclosure
works,seeImaginaiWorlds,
of
SufiPathofKnowledge,
God:Principles
Ibn
al-'Arab's
State
of
of
Cosmology
(Albany: University New YorkPress,1998).
FortheworksofChodkiewicz,
seeAnOceanwithout
ShoreandSealoftheSaints.
49
His
Face:'
The
Political
and
Aesthetic
Dimensions
ofIbn 'Arabi's
Morris,
James
"'...Except
the
19-31.
Ibn
'Arabi
li
Journal
Legacy,"
of Muhiyyidin
Society, (1998):
50A reference
to Ibn 'Arab'sfrequently
citedverse:"SoonwillWe showthemourSignsinthe
to themthat
andin theirownsouls,untilit becomesmanifest
(furthest)
regions(oftheearth),
thisistheTruth"(Qur'n,41:53).
51In
of
it mustbe notedthatWilliamChittick's
elaboration
ofthedoctrinal
teachings
passing
Ibn 'Arab!and Morris'sexamination
of thephenomenological
intentions
and impactofthe
to Ibn'Arabl'sworks.Itis
sametextson thereader
tworadically
different
represent
approaches
to investigate
howthesetwoscholarly
or contradict
one
quitetimely
complement
approaches
another.
Morris'srecentstudies,
Orientations:
IslamicThought
in a WorldCivilization
andThe
Heart: Discovering
in Ibn 'Arabi's'MeccanIlluminations'
Reflective
SpiritualIntelligence
Fons
show
that
the
between
thetwomodesis onlywidening.
(Louisville: Vitae,2005)
gap

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TAFSR
AL-QUR'N
BI'LQUR'AN

task for not employing both in his call to his community toward the God.
Based on this analysis,the prophet turnsout to be on the wrong side of things,
while the community appears justified in not paying heed to Noah's call.
Beyond teaching the lesson of simultaneous necessityof divine transcendence
and immanence in one's view of things,Ibn 'Arabl's unique interpretations
seem designed to jolt the reader in one way or the other. In the words of
Morris his writingsare spiritualinterpretationof the Islamic sources, Qur'an
and hadtb "...whose constantly shiftingfacets and multiple spiritual and
intellectual perspectives are and have long remained absolutely unique and
inimitable, designed to alternatively shake, surprise, confront, perplex,
trouble, intrigue, and fascinate even the most astute and well-prepared
readers."52The uniquely inimitablestyleand esoteric content leave an indelible
mark on the reader's soul, to which it inevitablyresponds.
It is no surprise then that reception of Ibn 'Arabl's writings has been
characterized by two extreme reactions: immense fascination and celebration
on the one hand, and extreme hostilityon the other. It is almost as though
apathy or indifferenceis not an option. Many Sufis would say that what one
takes away from his writings is a function of where one is in his spiritual
journey. For the ones who are overpowered by the habits of life and soul and
live a routine life, the psychological impact is meant to stir the process of
tahqiq (the process of realizing the deeper meanings of things,scripturaland
cosmological). For those, on the path, new meanings are revealed, to both
elevate the understandingand inspire more inquisitiveness.Not only are fresh
insightselicited, but many complex spiritual mattersare laid out for those at
the advanced stages. Historically, the Shaykh's writings were consistently
employed to defend the Sufi path and its doctrines against the most scathing
critiques. Morris has consistentlypointed out that it is these dimensions of his
writingsmore than anythingelse that make Ibn 'Arabi so influential.53
Concluding Remarks
From all that has been said so far,it would not be an exaggerationto state that
the hermeneutics of Ibn 'Arabi is essentiallythat of 'imitation.' In both his
styleand method of interpretations,and in his claims, he intendsto imitatethe
Qur'an. His writings are a way to gather from the Qur'an its hidden and
52Morris,
Orientations
, 41.
53
do notallowan in-depth
ofthepsychological
ofthevariousfacets
Spacelimitations
analysis
dimension
of his writings.
Pleasesee thevariouswritings
"Ibn
of JamesMorris,especially
'Arabl's'Esotericism':
The ProblemofSpiritual
StudiaIslamica
, 72 (1990):37-64;
Authority,"
and"Howto StudyFutuha.
Ibn'Arabi'sownAdvice,"
in S. Hirtenstein
andM. Tiernen(eds.),
Ibn
'Arabi:
A
Commemorative
Volume
Element
Books,1993),73-89.
Muhyiddin
(Rockport:

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20

ZAMIR
SYEDRIZWAN

meanings from its words present those to his readers in a contemporaneous

and comprehensible language with the purpose of taking the reader back into
the Qur'n. Justlike the Qur'n, in which a treasure-houseof comprehensive
eternalwisdom is expressedin the clear Arabic of the Arabs of the 7th century
Arabia, Ibn 'Arab's writingsused the prevalent intellectual languages of his
day to express the various gems from this treasure.That is why his language
was trans-disciplinary;while engagingall disciplines,it cut across the fieldsof
jurisprudence, Kalm, philosophy and theoretical Sufism. The formal
structureand spirit and ethos of his writingsdrew heavily from the Qur'n as
witnessed through the principles of hyper-literalism,
mercy, adab, and intertextualityand theiressentialQur'nic origins.
In sum then, Ibn 'Arab's writingsmay be regarded as a unique example
of "interpretingthe Qur'n through the Qur'n itself (tafslral-Qur'n hi 7Qur'an)" in which simultaneouslythe doctrine,the method of interpretingthe
Qur'n, and the formin which it is presentedare modeled afterthe Qur'n. It
is the Qur'n which sets the terms and conditions of interpretation,and
becomes the model which the interpreterwould take as the guide for the
process of interpretation.The house of the Qur'n could only be approached
through the door it has chosen for itself.In many cases it is the Sunnah of the
Prophet;54but most oftenit is the Qur'n itself.In his capacity as the 'Seal of
the Saints,' it is Ibn 'Arab's functionto not only divulge the deepest layers of
meanings contained within the Word of God, but also to imitate its inimitable
style. What each reader would take from these writings is a result of his
spiritual orientation and standing.Justlike in the Qur'n one encounters the
immense insights- flashesof sapience - spread out in the whole text evading
any comprehensive mapping or pinning down, Ibn 'Arab's writingsdisplay a
style that bypasses all expectations of what a religious or mystical text should
read like:
Ibn 'Arab becamemoreand moreconvincedthathe was thechosenrecipientof
suchrevelationwhichhelpedhimto collectand setdown his thoughts.His way
of communication
his insightsto thosein theworld...wasfreeflowingmeditation.
It is centered,
in thefirstplace,on wordsand phrasesoftheQur'n. Then it took
forits textscommonlyacceptedtermsand propositionsof earliermysticsand
otherappealingstatements
currentin his culturalbackground.Finally,his most
eccentricand strikingprocedurewas to reflecton wordswhichhe chose because
54In the
theroleofhadith
hasthusfarnotbeeninvestigated.
It willbe useful
to see
scholarship,
in whatwayshisunderstanding
oftheQur'nresembles
thatofhadiththatIbn 'Arab!
reports
citesquitefrequently
and whatis the relationship
betweenthe two in the hermeneutical
process.

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Bl'LQUR'N
TAFSR
AL-QUR'N

21

they struckhisfancy, and to meditateon them with a ferventintensityand

constantoutpouringof surprising
verbalassociationswhichcontinueto astonish
and impresseventoday'sreader.55
One may wonder whether his writings are a result of deep spiritual
insightsbased on spiritualunveilings,or a "freeflowingmeditation that struck
his fancy." Yet, there is no doubt that his manner of communication strikes
one as constantoutpouringsthat continue to astonish the readers to this day.
No author before or afterhim has confrontedthe scripturein this way, and
no one has drawn out the full import of a scripturalpractice.56The Qur'n
itselfessentiallydeterminesits own status,its own meanings,and its principles
of exegesis; primarily,the Qur'n itselftells us what it is, how it should be
interpreted,and what it conveys. And the matter is not left at that; what is
being learned is also displayed and effected:Ibn 'Arabi does not simply state
that the Qur'n is an ocean without a shore; his writingsin many ways are the
best evidence of it. Modeled afterthe Qur'n, in turn they have proven to be
an ocean without a shore for Islamic intellectuallife and spirituality.Though
the plethora of Qur'nic citationspresenta clear connection of his writingsto
the Qur'n, they do not immediatelyreveal the inner indebtednessof his style
and method to the Qur'n itself.The picture that emergesfrom our reflection
is summarized beautifully by Morris in his introduction to Futht. While
criticizingthe prevalent ways of approaching the writingsof the Shaykh and
elucidating Ibn 'Arabl's underlying intentions in writing these works, the
passage particularly seeks to stress the significanceof the phenomenological
effectof his writingson the reader:
The inevitableresultof suchprimarily
intellectual(or heresiographical)
efforts
at
Ibn
'Arabi
where
he
is somehow identifieduniquelywith a
"summarizing"
fewparadoxicalformulaesupposedlydrawnfromtheFuss- is quite similarto
what has happened over severalmillennia,in Hellenisticand later Western
thought,which attemptsto summarizePlato's ostensible"teachings."In both
cases what is lost by neglectingthe indispensablerole of the unique dialectical
,
dramaticrhetoricalformsand underling
intentionsoftheauthoris whatis in fact
most essentialto both: the actual transformation
of each reader- a process
dimension
of
the
individual
reader's being and
necessarilyengagingevery
55Franz Rosenthal,"Ibn 'Arabi between
"Sufismand
"Philosophy"and "Mysticism":
areNeighbors
andVisitEachOther""Oriens31 (1988),34.
Philosophy
Seefor
PeterHeath'sessaycomparing
thehermeneutics
ofTabari,IbnSn,andIbn
4Arabiinexample
whichhe notesthatwhereasTabarineverConfronts*
the scripture
or
directly
and Ibn Sina superimposes
methodsand understanding
fromthe outside,Ibn
unmediated,
'Arabiseemsto 'confront'
thewordsoftheScripture.
directly

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ZAMIR
SYEDRIZWAN

22

particularconcreteexistence- throughan active,lifelongprocessof "spiritual

) ...
intelligence
(<tahqlq
In order to appreciatethis guiding intention of all of Ibn 'Arabl's
one has to keep in mind what we might call a few working
writing...
assumptions.These are not thesameas beliefsor teachingsthatone has to agree
within orderto understandand appreciatewhat is beingsaid. They are on the
orderof "orientations,"
or existential
thateach readerneeds to be
possibilities,
aware of in orderto make the indispensableconnectionsbetweenthe Shaykh's
realities....
The firstof those...is
symboliclanguageand theuniversal,experiential
the profoundconcordanceor correspondence...
betweenthe three"books" of
being or creation;of revelation;and of the human soul. Since each individual
soul and its actual surrounding
existenceare concretelypresentand unique to
thatparticularpersonat thatparticular
moment...
his writings,
forall theirinitial
are
to
awaken
the
difficulty carefullydesigned
particularspiritualinsightsand
accessible
to
individual
readers
in
their
meanings
specificsituationand stageof
As thereaderof anyworksquicklydiscovers,Ibn 'Arab's
spiritualdevelopment.
distinctivelanguageand rhetoricof "allusion" (ishrah)- with its repeatedly
jarring sudden shifts of perspective,tone, irony, paradox, mysteryand
like its constantmodel in the
(momentary)piety- is marvelouslyconstructed,
unconsciousstructures
ofbelief
Qur'n, to breakthrougheachreader'sparticular
and levels of habitualprogramming
in orderto make possible an immediate,
of "thingsas theyreallyare"...Whatcounts,at everystage,
unityof perception...
is each reader'sactiveintentionand willingnessto seek and perceivethe inner
connectionbetween Ibn 'Arab's words and his or her own corresponding
experienceand realization.57
It is thereforein view of these phenomenological dimensions of his writings
that the significanceof the quote cited on page 9 could be truly appreciated.It
follows from Morris's analysis that according to this method of interpreting
the Qur'n the impact of a carefulreadingof it is differentfor differentpeople.
Ibn Arabl noted that "whensomeone understandsa sensefrom the verse>that
senseis intendedby God in thisversein thecase ofthepersonwhofindsit." Hence,
there is nothing arbitrary about the reading that emerges out of that
engagement:When an attentivereader approaches it with reverenceand heed,
the meaning and interpretationthat follows becomes has a non-negotiable
force for the reader and is absolute for that person, but for that person alone.
The inherent plurality of meanings within the text of the Qur'n will
certainly result in plurality of interpretations.Yet this plurality need not be
taken for granted or construed as arbitrary.In other words, just as there is
divinely intended plurality of meanings embedded in the literal words of the
57Ibn
Revelations
'Arabi,Meccan
vol.1,12.

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AL-QUR'N
BI'LQUR'N
TAFSIR

23

Qur'n, the inevitable pluralism witnessed in the interpretationsderived

again those will be differentfor differentpeople -is not arbitraryeither; it is
also divinely ordained and in the spirit of appropriate adab must be treated
with equal reverence,and submittedto without reservations.58
$

58In theendit mustbe notedthat

ariseas to thefeasibility
of Ibn 'Arabi's
manyquestions
method
ofinterpretation.
Forexample,
ifallinterpretations,
so longas theyareconsistent
with
thelanguage
oftheQur'n,arevalid,thenonemaysurmise
whatwouldIbn 4Arabisayto the
'"
extremist
oftheverses
suchas 5:51"Do nottakeChristians
andJewsasawliya
understandings
as friends,
alliesor protectors)
and othersimilarcontroversial
(a termthatcan be translated
versesoftencitedtoday.No clearansweris givenby thescholars
on how to reconcile
these
with
the
Ibn
'Arabi's
method
who
seems
to
endorse
all ofthesetranslations,
at
interpretations
leastforthepersonwho readsit thisway.Perhaps,
onewayto respond
to thisproblem
is to
avoidisolating
theplurality
of interpretations
thatemergefromhis hermeneutics
fromhis
overallpurposes
andteachings
on spiritual
andtheological
matters.
theproblem
Nevertheless,
seemsworthexploring
fora moredefinitive
answer.

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