Abu Bakr Ibn Al-Arabi
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Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi (; –1148) was a Muslim judge and
scholar A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a termina ...
of
Maliki The Maliki school or Malikism is one of the four major madhhab, schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas () in the 8th century. In contrast to the Ahl al-Hadith and Ahl al-Ra'y schools of thought, the ...
law from
al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
. Like Al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad, Ibn al-Arabi was forced to migrate to
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
during the reign of the
Almoravids The Almoravid dynasty () was a Berber Muslim dynasty centered in the territory of present-day Morocco. It established an empire that stretched over the western Maghreb and Al-Andalus, starting in the 1050s and lasting until its fall to the Almo ...
. It is reported that he was a student of
Al-Ghazali Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111), archaically Latinized as Algazelus, was a Shafi'i Sunni Muslim scholar and polymath. He is known as one of the most prominent and influential jurisconsults, legal theoreticians, muftis, philosophers, the ...
. He was a master of Maliki Jurisprudence. His father was a student of
Ibn Hazm Ibn Hazm (; November 994 – 15 August 1064) was an Andalusian Muslim polymath, historian, traditionist, jurist, philosopher, and theologian, born in the Córdoban Caliphate, present-day Spain. Described as one of the strictest hadith interpre ...
. He also contributed to the spread of
Ash'ari Ash'arism (; ) is a school of theology in Sunni Islam named after Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari, a Shāfiʿī jurist, reformer (''mujaddid''), and scholastic theologian, in the 9th–10th century. It established an orthodox guideline, based on ...
theology in
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. A detailed biography about him was written by his contemporary
Qadi Ayyad Abū al-Faḍl ʿIyāḍ ibn Mūsā ibn ʿIyāḍ ibn ʿAmr ibn Mūsā ibn ʿIyāḍ ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Mūsā ibn ʿIyāḍ al-Yaḥṣubī al-Sabtī (Camilo Gómez-Rivas, Islamic Legal Thought: A Compendium of Muslim Jurists, ...
(), the
Malikite The Maliki school or Malikism is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas () in the 8th century. In contrast to the Ahl al-Hadith and Ahl al-Ra'y schools of thought, the Malik ...
scholar and judge from
Ceuta Ceuta (, , ; ) is an Autonomous communities of Spain#Autonomous cities, autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. Bordered by Morocco, it lies along the boundary between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Ceuta is one of th ...
.''The Encyclopaedia of Islam''. New Edition. Brill, Leiden. vol. 4, p. 289


Biography

Abu Bakr Ibn al-'Arabi was a "Andalusian Malikite qadi". He was born in Seville, Al-Andalus. Ibn al-'Arabi's father (Abu Muhammad ibn al-'Arabi) was a high ranking statesman working for the Taifa king of Seville, al-Mu'tamid ibn 'Abbad (r. 1069-1091). However, in 1091 when Al-Andalus was taken over by the Almoravids, Ibn al-'Arabi (then 16 years old) and his father decided to leave for a less turbulent setting (his father also had political motivations). The two al-'Arabis travelled by ship to Egypt, and from there they travelled to Jerusalem where they stayed from 1093 to 1096. Al-'Arabi devoted himself to his studies, teaching and writing. He wrote many books on several different subjects, including hadith, fiqh, usul, Qur'an studies, adab, grammar and history. One of his works was the ''Book on the Arrangement of the Travel that Raised my Interests in Religions and Experiences of the Great Authorities and Eminent People by the Observer of Islam and the Various Lands''. Ibn al-'Arabi also wrote ''The Rule of Interpretation'', and ''Protective Guards Against Strong Objections'' (a source of comments that al-Ghazali made to his students). Two of al-'Arabi's books (''Tartib al-rohla li al-targhib fi al-millah'' and ''Qanun al-ta'wil'') provided descriptions of the al-Arabi's travels, and specifically recounted religious life in the holy city of Jerusalem. These accounts are important, as they may be the only eyewitness accounts by a Muslim in Jerusalem during the Seljuq period. They also provide a critical Muslim perspective. After leaving Jerusalem in 1096, both al'-Arabis' travelled to Damascus and Baghdad to study. They settled in Baghdad and returned there after they took pilgrimage. While in Jerusalem, Ibn al-'Arabi was fascinated by all of the scholars he met there, and performing the hajj became an element in his quest for knowledge. It was only when he returned to Baghdad in 1097 that Ibn al-'Arabi finally met Imam Abū Ḥāmed al-Ghazālī, an Islamic theologian, philosopher and Sufi mystic. Ibn al-'Arabi studied with him, beginning at the age of 21. Ibn al-'Arabi took a close and strong interest in al-Ghazali's teachings. As a result, Ibn al-'Arabi is said to be one of the "most important sources of information about al-Ghazali's life and his teachings". When it came to al-Ghazali's theology, Ibn al-'Arabi became a master, and was enthusiastic, but perhaps more importantly critical of his teachings. Although Ibn al-'Arabi undoubtedly respected al-Ghazali, he was not afraid to express his feelings of difference when it came to the teachings of falsafa (Islamic philosophy). After his father died in 1099 (at age 57), Ibn al-'Arabi, then aged 26, headed back to Seville. After being away from Seville for 10 years studying in the Muslim east, he was considered an esteemed and highly regarded scholar and teacher, as well as a respected source in spreading the works and teachings of al-Ghazali in the Muslim west. Ibn al-'Arabi continued to study, reflect upon and challenge the works of al-Ghazali. For example, al-Ghazali believed that, "there is not in the sphere of possibility anything more excellent, more perfect or more complete than what God has in fact created". However Ibn al-'Arabi argued that there is a limitation of God's power. This view can be seen in some of Ibn al-'Arabi's works. For example, there were times when Muslim judges and lawyers faced the situation where there was no legal text or scripture to help provide an insight or guidance on a judicial decision. In these cases, judges and lawyers had to use their best discretion to determine the rule of law. Laws of slander came into question, and defining the punishment as a right of God or a private right were debated. While Ibn al-'Arabi recognized that there are two views on whether the right was of God or a private right, ultimately he felt that the crime should largely be seen as a private right, as it was conditioned by the victim filing a petition. Ibn al-'Arabi reflected upon the nature of the soul and the study and theory of knowledge. Ibn al-'Arabi studied the Sufi argument that knowledge can only be achieved through purity of the soul, chastening of the heart, and an overall unity between the body and the heart, as well as removal from material motives. Ibn al-'Arabi argued that this was an extreme position. Rather he believed that there was no connection between the knowledge a person acquired and any sacred or devout acts that his soul has performed. Ibn al-'Arabi used his knowledge of the soul in his studies of law and ethics. For example, when discussing abortion,
Madhhab A ''madhhab'' (, , pl. , ) refers to any school of thought within fiqh, Islamic jurisprudence. The major Sunni Islam, Sunni ''madhhab'' are Hanafi school, Hanafi, Maliki school, Maliki, Shafi'i school, Shafi'i and Hanbali school, Hanbali. They ...
judgements differ considerably. Malikis and Hanafis tend to take opposite positions on this issue. Malikis generally forbid induced miscarriage after conception, as this was seen to be the point at which the soul was breathed into the unborn child. On the other hand, Hanafis held that "induced miscarriage was not punishable until the 120th day of conception". Ibn al-'Arabi tried to bridge the gap between the Maliki and the Hanafi opinions by "granting greater protection rights to the embryo after ensoulment", although ultimately he did not succeed in bridging this gap. Ibn al-'Arabi wrote on many other subjects. For instance, he wrote on the mistreatment and disciplining of women. He once wrote, "The
laves Laves may refer to: * Fritz Laves (1906-1978), a German mineralogist and crystallographer, best known for his description of the intermetallic Laves phases. * Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves (December 15, 1788 – April 30, 1864) a leading neoclassi ...
need to be disciplined with a stick, while the ree manwill not need more than an indication. Among women and even men, there are those who will behave well only through correction (adab). Any man who knows it has to resort to discipline is wife although it is preferable if he abstains from it." However, it seems that Ibn al-'Arabi was more focused on trying to express "beating in a non-violent way". He believed that this is the "only way allowed by the divine revelation", because the objective of beating in a non-violent way was ultimately to improve the wife's behaviour. Although Abu Bakr ibn al-'Arabi may have some critics, he was generally a highly acclaimed authority on hadith, and was regarded as being trustworthy and reliable.


Works

His Major works are: * Commentary on Tirmidhi's Hadith Collection (book) known as "'Aridhat al-Ahwazi'". *Commentary on the Quran known as '"Ahkam al-Quran"'. It contains commentary on the legal rulings of the
Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...
according to the
Maliki The Maliki school or Malikism is one of the four major madhhab, schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam. It was founded by Malik ibn Anas () in the 8th century. In contrast to the Ahl al-Hadith and Ahl al-Ra'y schools of thought, the ...
school. *''Al-'Awasim min al-Qawasim'' (العواصم من القواصم) or "Defence Against Disaster", is a history book that became famous for his strong reply against the Shia.


References


Bibliography

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External links

*Ibn Khallikan's Biographical dictionary, part 3, p. 12-1

(retrieved on 17-07-2010) *Article on Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi by Abdalhaqq Bewley on Dar sir

(retrieved on 17-07-2010) *
Définition de l'innovation par le Qâdî Abû Bakr Ibn Al 'Arabî
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ibn Al-Arabi 1076 births 1148 deaths 11th-century Arab people 12th-century Arab people Asharis Maliki scholars from al-Andalus 12th-century writers from al-Andalus Writers from Seville Sunni Muslim scholars of Islam 12th-century Muslim scholars of Islam 12th-century jurists Critics of Shia Islam