Meccan Revelations
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''The Meccan Revelations'' () is the major work of the
philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
and
Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
Ibn Arabi Ibn Arabi (July 1165–November 1240) was an Andalusian Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest com ...
, written between 1203 and 1240. The Andalusi thinker exposes his spiritual journey, his
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
, his
metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...
and his
mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...
, using sometimes
prose Prose is language that follows the natural flow or rhythm of speech, ordinary grammatical structures, or, in writing, typical conventions and formatting. Thus, prose ranges from informal speaking to formal academic writing. Prose differs most n ...
, sometimes
poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
. The book contains autobiographical elements: encounters, events, and spiritual illuminations.


History

Ibn Arabi wrote two versions of ''al-Futūḥāt al-Makkīyah'', his
magnum opus A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...
. He completed the first in the year 629 of the
Hijra Hijra, Hijrah, Hegira, Hejira, Hijrat or Hijri may refer to: Islam * Hijrah (also ''Hejira'' or ''Hegira''), the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE * Migration to Abyssinia or First Hegira, of Muhammad's followers in 615 CE * L ...
and worked on the second version between the years 632 and 636 of the Hijra. The second version, called the
Konya Manuscript The Konya Manuscript (), MS Evkaf Muzesi 1845+ or Evkaf Muzesi 1845–1881 at, Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum is an Autograph (manuscript), autograph manuscript of Ibn Arabi, Ibn Arabi's magnum opus ''Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya'' (''The Meccan Revel ...
(), exists in manuscripts in Ibn Arabi's own hand, with the exception of volume nine. These manuscripts, once part of the ''
waqf A (; , plural ), also called a (, plural or ), or ''mortmain'' property, is an Alienation (property law), inalienable charitable financial endowment, endowment under Sharia, Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot ...
'' of
Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi Ṣadr al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq ibn Muḥammad ibn Yūnus Qūnawī lternatively, Qūnavī, Qūnyawī (; 1207–1274), was a PersianF. E. Peters, "The Monotheists", Published by Princeton University Press, 2005. pg 330: "Al-Qunawi was a ...
, are known as the "Konya" manuscripts and they are now kept in Istanbul (Evkaf Muzesi 1845-1881). It was first published by the
Bulaq Press The Amiri Press or Amiriya Press () (''Al-Matba'a al-Amiriya'') (also known as the Bulaq Press () due to its original location in Bulaq) is a printing press, and one of the main agencies with which Muhammad Ali Pasha modernized Egypt. The Amiri ...
in four volumes in Dhū al-Ḥijja 1269/1853. The Bulaq Press published a second edition in 1293/1876, also in four volumes. The third edition, the standard Cairo edition, printed 1329/1911, also published by the Bulaq Press in four volumes, is based on Ibn Arabi's second version completed in 636 H, thanks to the research of
Emir Abdelkader Abd al-Qadir ibn Muhyi al-Din (6 September 1808 – 26 May 1883; '), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abd al-Qadir al-Hassani al-Jaza'iri, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion of ...
.


Structure

The ''Revelations'' is a book of 37 volumes, divided into 560 chapters.


Content

The book takes its title from the holy city of
Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
, to which
Ibn Arabi Ibn Arabi (July 1165–November 1240) was an Andalusian Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest com ...
travelled on pilgrimage in 1202, and in which he received a number of revelations of divine origin. In the ''Illuminations'' Ibn Arabi develops a theory of the
imagination Imagination is the production of sensations, feelings and thoughts informing oneself. These experiences can be re-creations of past experiences, such as vivid memories with imagined changes, or completely invented and possibly fantastic scenes ...
and the imaginary world explained by
Henry Corbin Henry Corbin (14 April 1903 – 7 October 1978) was a French philosopher, theologian, and Iranologist, professor of Islamic studies at the École pratique des hautes études. He was influential in extending the modern study of traditional Islami ...
. There is also a psychological and religious description of the effects of
Allah Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...
's Love (in both the subjective and objective sense of expression). According to
Michel Chodkiewicz Michel Chodkiewicz (13 May 1929 – 31 March 2020) was a French scholar of Sufism, particularly the works of Ibn 'Arabi. Biography Michel Chodkiewicz was from the Chodkiewicz family, a noble family of the Polish aristocracy who settled in Fr ...
, this book occupies a particularly important place in Ibn Arabi's work because it represents "the ultimate state of his teaching in its most complete form". Aside from Ibn Taymiyyah, his many critics have included the historian Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406), Sufi Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi (d. 1624), some of the 'Salafiyyah' and beyond, and an array of modern Muslim revivalists and modernists. Controversy over his teachings flared again in 1979 when the Egyptian parliament attempted to ban the republication of the print edition of The Meccan Revelations. The attempt failed due to public outcry.


Women, poetry, religious love

Women are prominently featured in the book, particularly in Chapter 178 on love. Ibn Arabi is initiated into religious experience by a spiritual woman called Nizham, a young Persian woman whose name means "Harmony". He quotes the poems of the writer
Rabia of Basra Rābia al-Adawiyya al-Qaysiyya (; 801 CE) or Rabia Basri was a Saints in Islam, poet, one of the earliest Sufi mystics and an influential religious figure from Iraq. She is regarded as one of the three preeminent Qalandar (title), Qalanda ...
, who according to him is "the most prestigious interpreter" of love. Ibn Arabi also recounts his encounter and service to mystic , with whom he recites ''
Al Fātiḥah Al-Fatiha () is the first chapter () of the Quran. It consists of seven verses (') which consist of a Dua, prayer for guidance and mercy. Al-Fatiha is recited in Muslim obligatory and voluntary prayers, known as ''salah''. The primary litera ...
'' (the first
surah A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into ayah, verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' (al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while ...
of the
Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
) and whose degree of spiritual elevation he admires.


Legacy

The ''Illuminations'' are a classic of
Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
, theology and
Islamic philosophy Islamic philosophy is philosophy that emerges from the Islamic tradition. Two terms traditionally used in the Islamic world are sometimes translated as philosophy—''falsafa'' (), which refers to philosophy as well as logic, mathematics, and p ...
. They influenced the "Spiritual Writings" of the
emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...
Abd el-Kader Abd al-Qadir or Abdulkadir () is a male Muslim given name. It is formed from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' Qadir''. The name means 'servant of who can do everything'. ''Al-Qādir'' is one of the names of Allah in the Qur'an, which ...
, who published the book in 1857, and perhaps
Dante Dante Alighieri (; most likely baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri; – September 14, 1321), widely known mononymously as Dante, was an Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer, and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called ...
. Henry Corbin compared Dante's Béatrice, which leads the poet to paradise in the ''Divine Comedy'' and awakens him to love in the ''
Vita Nuova ''La Vita Nuova'' (; modern Italian language, Italian for "The New Life") or ''Vita Nova'' (Latin and medieval Italian title ) is a text by Dante Alighieri published in 1294. It is an expression of the Medieval literature, medieval genre of cour ...
'', to Ibn Arabi's Nizhâm, a mystical woman who initiates the Andalusian philosopher to the experience of God's love.Florian Besson
"Ibn Arabî"
''Les Clés du Moyen Orient'', 1 April 2013.


See also

*
Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...
*
Arabic poetry Arabic poetry ( ''ash-shi‘r al-‘arabīyy'') is one of the earliest forms of Arabic literature. Pre-Islamic Arabic poetry contains the bulk of the oldest poetic material in Arabic, but Old Arabic inscriptions reveal the art of poetry existe ...
*
Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...


References


Bibliography

;Partial editions * Anthology: ''Les Illuminations de La Mecque'', Paris,
Éditions Albin Michel Éditions Albin Michel is a French publisher. In January 2019, the new President and CEO is Gilles Haéri. In January 2022, the director is Anna Pavlowitch, the daughter of Paul Pavlowitch. History It was founded in 1900 by Albin Michel. They ...
, 2008 (1988), ''Spiritualités vivantes '', trans.
Michel Chodkiewicz Michel Chodkiewicz (13 May 1929 – 31 March 2020) was a French scholar of Sufism, particularly the works of Ibn 'Arabi. Biography Michel Chodkiewicz was from the Chodkiewicz family, a noble family of the Polish aristocracy who settled in Fr ...
. * Anthology: ''Les Révélations de La Mecque'', Paris, Entrelacs, 2009, trans. Abdallah Penot. * Two chapters in: ''Par-delà le miroir'', Paris, Entrelacs, 2012, "Hikma", trans. Abdallah Penot. * Chapters 61 to 65: ''De la mort à la résurrection'', Paris, Albouraq, 2009, trans. Maurice Gloton. * Chapter 167: ''L'Alchimie du Bonheur parfait'', Paris, Berg International, 1981, trans. Stéphane Ruspoli. * Chapitre 178 : ''Traité de l'amour'', Paris, Albin Michel, 1986, "Spiritualités vivantes", trans. Maurice Gloton. ;Studies * Claude Addas
''Expérience et doctrine de l'amour chez Ibn Arabî''
in ''Mystique musulmane'' (collective work), Paris, Cariscript, 2002. *
Henry Corbin Henry Corbin (14 April 1903 – 7 October 1978) was a French philosopher, theologian, and Iranologist, professor of Islamic studies at the École pratique des hautes études. He was influential in extending the modern study of traditional Islami ...
, ''L'imagination créatrice dans le soufisme d'Ibn Arabi'', Paris,
Flammarion Flammarion may refer to: * Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), French astronomer and author * Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer, second wife of Camille Flammarion * Sylvie Flammarion (1836-1919), French feminist and paci ...
, 1958, reprint Flammarion-Aubier, 1993. * George Grigore, ''Le concept d’amour chez Ibn 'Arabi'', "Romano-Arabica", II, Bucharest: Center for Arab Studies. 2002; . {{Authority control Islam-related literature Islamic philosophical poetry books Islamic philosophical texts Sufi literature Ibn Arabi Mystical books Bulaq Press publications