THE SUFI PATH OF KNOWLEDGE

Ibn al-‘Arabi’s Metaphysics of Imagination

THE SUFI PATH OF KNOWLEDGE Ibn al-‘Arabi’s Metaphysics of Imagination William C. Chittick The Sufi Path of Knowledge is a major step toward an exposition of the breadth and depth of Ibn al-`,Arabi’s vision. The book offers his view of spiritual perfection and explains his theology, ontology, epistemology, hermeneutics, and soteriology. The clear language, unencumbered by methodological jargon, makes it accessible to those familiars with other spiritual traditions, while its scholarly precision will appeal to specialists. Beginning with a survey of Ibn al-`Arabi’s major teachings, the book gradually introduces the most important facets of his thought, devoting attention to definitions of his basic terminology. His teachings are illustrated with many translated passages introducing readers to fascinating byways of spiritual life that would not ordinarily be encountered in an account of a thinker’s ideas. More than six-hundred passages from his major work, Al-Fatuhat al-illakkiyah, are translated here, practically for the first time. These alone provide twice the text of the Fusas al-Hikam. The exhaustive indexes make the work an invaluable reference tool for research in Sufism and Islamic thought in general. *** “For the first time in the history of Orientalism, a thorough study of Ibn Arabi’s thought is now available. W. C. Chittick has given us a translation of numerous passages from the work of the Magister Magnus and placed them in their theological context, thus removing many misunderstandings that have prevailed both among Muslims and in the West when interpreting Ibn Arabi’s mystical worldview.” — Annemarie Schimmel