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The quest for happiness and fulfilment lies at the very heart of human life, but for Ibn 'Arabi there is a realm beyond our ordinary understanding of happiness, where the human stands truly fulfilled, in vision of Reality. This is a goal within the potential of every person. In this first English translation of a core chapter from the famous Meccan Illuminations (al-Futuḥat al-Makkiyya), Ibn 'Arabi comprehensively summarises all his major teachings on human perfectibility and true happiness. Using the imagery of alchemy and ascension, he gives the reader an extraordinary insight into the spiritual journey by contrasting two ways of acquiring knowledge: the rational and the mystical. With an introduction to Islamic alchemy, the Hermetic tradition and the mysterious elixir, this is an important text for anyone interested in Sufism, Islamic spirituality or alchemy.

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Text in English & Arabic. If it is true, as Ibn 'Arabī claims, that voyaging never ceases in all worlds and dimensions, the paradigmatic voyages recounted in this remarkable book offer the reader an inexhaustible source of reflection. As a well-known Sufi saying puts it, 'the spiritual journey is called "voyage" (safar) because it "unveils" (isfār) the characters of the Men of God'. This book explores the theme of journeying and spiritual unveiling as it plays out in the cosmos, in scripture and within the soul of the mystic. Beginning with a series of cosmological contemplations, Ibn 'Arabī then turns to his own selective readings of Prophetic lore, in which he gives profound Muhammad, Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Jacob and Joseph, and Moses. Angela Jaffray's translation of Kitāb al-Isfār 'an natā'ij al-asfār brings this major treatise to an English-speaking audience for the first time. It is accompanied by a new edition of the Arabic text based in a manuscript in Ibn 'Arabi's own hand, an introduction and extensive notes. It also includes a rich in-depth commentary that will guide the reader through Ibn 'Arabī's subtle and allusive writing.

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The three Lebanese writers discussed in this volume -- Kahlil Gibran, Ameen Rihani and Mikhail Naimy -- all emigrated to the USA early in life. There, in the first decades of the twentieth century, together with other Syrian and Lebanese émigrés, they were spurred into writing and setting up all Arabic-language press. The result was what became known as the Syro-American School, a fusion of Eastern sentiment with Western forms and, beyond this, a cultural cross-fertilisation in both directions. All three authors wrote in English as -,yell as Arabic, while Mikhail Naimy also wrote in Russian. Many of their works were directed at specifically Arab affairs, and they also wrote much that was of deliberately universal appeal, including a re-interpretation of traditional Arab spirituality. The best-known example of this was Kahlil Gibran's best-seller "The Prophet". A century on, their words on the need for East and West to come to one another's aid are as salutary as ever. This important book by Professor Aida Imangulieva, an Azeri specialist on Arabic literature, was originally published in Russian during the final years of the Soviet Union. It examines the influences of foreign literary movements, such as Romanticism and Realism, upon the three authors: Gibran and Rihani in the light of English poets like Wordsworth, Byron and Shelley and American writers such as Emerson and Whitman; Naimy through the lens of the Russian Realist tradition, drawing parallels specifically with the work of Belinsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev and the Chekhovian tradition. The book provides an unusual window onto the Arab world's cultural interaction with Europe, America and Russia in the early twentieth century. It also reaches beyond its academic scope and reveals, from the pages of the three authors, universal elements that speak to all people and go beyond cultural frameworks altogether.

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Through the story of the universal tree, representing the complete human being, and the four birds, representing the four essential aspects of existence, Ibn 'Arabi explains his teaching on the nature and meaning of union with God. Providing an excellent initiation into the often complex works of Ibn 'Arabi, this brief, delightful tale is the first English translation of an important, early work, complete with Arabic text, commentary, and notes.

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A collection of 101 hadith sayings, this work is one of the most important and influential early collections of hadith qudsi. Falling into three categories, the first 40 sayings each have a full, unbroken chain of transmission that goes back to God through the medium of the Prophet Muhammad. The second category are sayings mostly taken from well-known written collections. The final section is drawn from similar books, with Ibn 'Arabi adding one extra hadith, orally transmitted. Comprised of a full introduction explaining the meaning of Hadith, the text stresses the importance of this tradition in Ibn 'Arabi's writing.

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Investigating sufi-inspired spirituality in the modern world, this multi-faceted and interdisciplinary volume focuses on Beshara, a spiritual movement that applies the teachings of Ibn 'Arabi in a non-Muslim context. It traces the movement's emergence in sixties Britain and analyses its major teachings and practices, exploring through this case-study the interface between Sufism and the New Age, and the encounter between Islam and the West. Examining from a global perspective the impact of cultural transformations associated with modernisation and globalisation on religion, this timely volume concludes by tracing possible futures of Sufi spirituality both in the West and in the Muslim world.

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In these global times it is a curious and pertinent fact that the life and writings of Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi, which since the 12th century have incalculably influenced the metaphysical structure of much Oriental thought and practice, still remain relatively unknown and undiscussed in the Western theoretical architecture of the twenty-first century. His remarks on causality, time, contingency, necessity, epistemology, ontology, ethics and aesthetics alone would entice even the most wary of modernity's intellectual authorities. This book deals with the findings of just some of these authorities modern philosophy, social science and psychology in an open discourse between the ancient and the modern, the traditional and the scientific, the industrial and the personal. It is an invitation to reconsider some of the central and defining ideas of modernity in the light of Ibn 'Arabi's writings on the Unity of Existence. The book will be of interest to academics and students in psychology, sociology and philosophy, and to readers with an academic and/or personal interest in Ibn 'Arabi.

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While used for centuries in Sufi circles, the prayer known as 'The Most Elevated Cycle' or 'The Prayer of Protection', had never before been available in English. This book provides a lucid English translation of this beautiful and powerful prayer written by the great Sufi master, Muhyi al-Din Ibn 'Arabi, as well as a transliteration for those unable to read Arabic but who wish to recite it in its original language. It also delves into the prayer's contemporary life and historical transmission and gives details of generations of well-known scholars and Sufi masters who transmitted the prayer, providing an intimate insight into Islamic history.

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This is a translation of the spiritual poems of one of the greatest Ottoman Sufi masters, Mehmed Muhyiddin Üftade (1490-1580). Üftade was born and lived in Bursa, a hugely important spiritual centre at the height of the Ottoman Empire. He was founder of one of its main dervish orders, the Jelvetiyye, through the training of his famous disciple, Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi. In addition, Üftade composed a collection of poems, which express his spiritual quest in simple, direct and wonderfully human language, and these are presented here for the first time in English. Paul Ballanfat's introduction provides a detailed overview of the main features of Üftade's life and teachings, and of his cultural background, where sultans were often affiliated to Sufi orders. Particularly prominent in Üftade's teaching was the thought of "the greatest master", Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, and of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi. Üftade had a direct spiritual connection with both of these extraordinary men and a great veneration for them.

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Providing a precious glimpse into the practice of the mystical life within the Sufi tradition, this volume marks the first time that a complete edition of Ibn ‘ Arabi's prayers has been made available. The Arabic is based on the best surviving manuscripts, alongside an English translation and transliteration, for recitation. The 14 prayers include not only the most astounding expressions of devotion and contemplation, but also an unparalleled depth of knowledge of union. The very structure of the prayers is itself a mode of contemplation, making for a unique spiritual experience.

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A collection of 101 hadith sayings, this work is one of the most important and influential early collections of hadith qudsi. Falling into three categories, the first 40 sayings each have a full, unbroken chain of transmission that goes back to God through the medium of the Prophet Muhammad. The second category are sayings mostly taken from well-known written collections. The final section is drawn from similar books, with Ibn 'Arabi adding one extra hadith, orally transmitted. Comprised of a full introduction explaining the meaning of Hadith, the text stresses the importance of this tradition in Ibn 'Arabi's writing.

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A major work of mystical literature, this account focuses on 14 visions in the form of dramatic conversations with the divine, interspersed with dazzling visionary episodes regarding the nature of existence, humans' relationship with reality, and the way to achieve true happiness. The introduction presents a resume of Ibn 'Arabi's life and examines in detail the style and symbolism of the contemplations. Presented for the first time in English, this work is a superb example of Ibn 'Arabi's inimitable style and deep perception.

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Providing a precious glimpse into the practice of the mystical life within the Sufi tradition, this volume marks the first time any of Ibn 'Arabi's prayers have been translated into another language. The 14 prayers include not only the most astounding expressions of devotion and contemplation, but also an unparalleled depth of knowledge of union. The very structure of the prayers is itself a mode of contemplation, making for a unique spiritual experience.

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This is the first systematic overview of the science of letters (ilm al-huruf) according to the great Andalusian spiritual master, scholar, poet and philosopher Ibn Arabi (d. 1240). Ibn Arabi defined the science of letters as familiarity with the building-blocks of the Quranic revelation and everything in the world of Nature. Letters are understood as visual and aural signs of pointing to the mysteries of existence. The present study examines how the universe came to be, for what purpose it as created and the hierarchical structure it is endowed with. It is an old story told anew -- through the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet, their orthographic forms and the meanings attributed to them, utilising Ibn Arabis own diagrams. Although the story could be told through geometrical figures or numbers, letters were chosen on the basis of Ibn Arabis doctrine that the meanings carried by the letters fully encompasses the whole of existence: God and the universe.

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This is a fascinating and ground-breaking analysis of the extent to which various major Sufi figures contributed to the mystical philosophy of Ibn al-'Arabi. While recent scholarship has tended to concentrate on his teachings and life, little attention has so far been paid to the influences on his thought. Each chapter is dedicated to one of Ibn al-'Arabi's predecessors, from both the early and later periods, such as al-Bistami, al-Hallaj and al-Jilani, showing how he is discussed in the works of the 'Greatest Master' and Ibn al-'Arabi's attitude towards him. As Abrahamov makes clear, Ibn al-'Arabi was greatly influenced by the early Sufis as regards his philosophy and by the later Sufis in matters of practice. This naturally raises the question: How original was Ibn al-'Arabi's teachings?

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Text in English & Arabic. This is the first English translation of Ibn 'Arabi's Hilyat al-abdal, a short work which he wrote in the space of an hour during his Meccan period as something that would be "of assistance for those on the Path to true happiness". Beginning with an anecdote concerning one of his Andalusian companions, Ibn 'Arabi proceeds to explain the exterior qualities of the spiritually transformed (abdal). He particularly focuses on the four essential prerequisites of spiritual discipline: silence, seclusion, hunger and vigilance, describing how these appear among both aspirants and the spiritually realised. One of the most popular of his short works, the Hilyat al-abdal was much copied, and this book includes the first critical edition of the text based on the best manuscripts, including one written in Malatya during the author's lifetime. In addition, it provides a substantial introduction on the abdal saints, and a translation of Chapter 53 from the Futuhat al-makkiyya, which deals with the same subject-matter. Published in association with the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society.

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Text in English & Arabic. This book unearths a hidden treasure from the golden age of Ottoman scholarship, an original Arabic commentary by Isma'il Anqarawi on the Light Verse of the Quran, presented here in English for the first time. A devoted follower of Rumi and Ibn 'Arabi, Anqarawi was a highly influential figure in the 17th-century Ottoman world. Perhaps best known as a charismatic and beloved shaykh of the Sufi Mawlawi (Mevlevi) order, he was also a renowned author. "The Lamp of Mysteries" reveals profound insights into the famous and mysterious Light Verse. Bilal Kuspinar has also provided a detailed account of Anqarawi's life and works, an analysis of the Commentary, and a critical edition of the Arabic text.

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