T.Ç.

SELÇUK ÜNiVERSiTESi

SELÇUK UNIVERSITY

III. U L U S L A R A R A S I :MEVLANA KONGRESİ

3rct I N T E R N A T I O N A L MEVLANA CONGRESS

BiLDiRiLER 1 PAPERS

5-6 MAYTS 2003 5-6 MAY 2003

KONYA 1 TÜRKİYE 1 TURKEY

THE SCHOOL OF IBN ARABI IN MASHRIQ AND TURKEY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ABD AL-KARlM AL-JILI

Ass. Prof. Yasushi TONAGA*

ı. Introduction

ı) Ibn Arabi

Ibn Arabi is widely known as an outstanding mystic in the history of {slamic thought and was almost a contemporary of Mevlana Jalal al-Din Rumi. He was a prolific writer, with a legacy of over 700 works according to O. Yahia. 1 His main works include Meccan Revelation (al-Futuhat al-Makkiya), The Beze ls of Wisdom ( Fusus al-Hikam), the latter of which was the subject of more than ı 00 commentaries, which goes to show how extensively his thought was received in the Islamic world.

Thn Arabi's philosophy can be explained in terms of an antology known as the "oneness of being" (wahda al-wujud) and the theory of ideal human existence referred to as the theory of the "perfect man" (insan kamil) or "the seal of the saints" (khatm al-awliya'). "Oneness of being" (wahda al-wujud) is a view that sees everything in this world as the serf-manifestation (tajalli) of the Absolute, which is called "existence" (wujud). There is no doubt that Ibn Arabi put forward this theory, yet it was only later that the theory was organİsed into the shape ih which we know it today. Ibn Arabi himself did not use the term "wahda al-wujud". The theory that we are taught today is the mystical thought which his disciples rearranged in a philosophical manner.

The "perfect man" (insan kamil) refers to a person who has completed his spiritual practice and fully understood the mystery of the world. In Ibn Arabi's thought, however, this does not simply refer to the image of an ideal person, but also has an ontological significance. That is to say, the perfect man is a link between Allah and the created world. He is an imago del which reflects Allah as well as a microcosm which reflects the universe. Ibn Arabi's grand cosmology can been seen in the way in which Allah, the perfect man and the casmos as a whole are interrelated.

• Kyoto University, Japan 1 Osman Yahia, Histoiı·e et classification de I' ceuvere d'lbn Arabi, 2 vols., Damas, I 964.

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2) The School of Ibn Arabi

(I) Histarical outline of research oh the School of Ibn Arabi

Only about 50 years ago, it was said that the flourishing of Islamic thought had ended in the Ith century and thereupon entered an age of decay.2

Opposed to this view were scholars of whom Henry Corbin is a typical representative. They emphasized the many great thinkers in the Shi'ite and Iranian world after the 13 1ıı century, throughout the so-called Safavid Renaissance, and to the present day. This great philosophical tradition finds its roots in Ibn Arabi, Suhrawardi Shaykh al-lshraq, the mashshai philosophy and theology of the Twelver Shi'ism.

It can be said that in comparison, research on the development ·of latter day ideas in the Sunni world lagged behind.3 It was only in the 1990s that serious discussion began on the development of ideas in the post I 31

h century Ottoman Empire, Arab world, Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China4

.

This trend of research was based upon the claim that Islamic thought did not lose its power even after 121

h century, but continued to grow and bear new ideas. Happily enough we have had a good accumulation of the studies on this topic in these two decades especially in Turkey. Compaı·ed to this, the studies on Arab world are stili stagnant. The fact that we have not yet had an annotated list of biographies of the members exemplifies this situation.

It can be said that the characteristic of the present condition is that, we have come to a point where we can draw comparisons not only from the Arabic

2 Arthur J. Arberry, Sujism: An Accoımt oftlıe Mystics oflslant, 1950; repr. London, 1979., ch. 1 1. 3 James W. Morris. "Ibn Arabi and His Interpreters Part 2: Intluences and Interpretations,"

Journal of ılı e American Oriental Society, 106-4, 1986, p. 734. ~ M. Tahrali's "A General Outline of the Intluence of lbn Arabi on the Ottoman Era" (loımıal of

tlıe Mulıyiddin lb11 Ara bi Society, 26(1999), pp. 45-53) gives usa general outline of the School of lbn Arabi during the Ottoman Period. The studies on Arab world include Taha 'Abd ai-Baqi Surur, al-Tasawwııf al-Islami fil-lmam af-Siıa'rani (Cairo: Dar Nahda Misr, n.d.); Tawfıq ai­Tawil,-tar/-. Tasawwııf ji Misr- lhan al-'Asr al- 'Utlıma11i: al-Juz' al-Tiıaııi Imam al-Tasawwııf ji Misr, af-Siıa'rani (Cairo: ai-Hay'ah al-Misriyah al-'Ammah li ai-Kitab, 1 988); Taha 'Abd ai­Baqi Surur, al-S!ıa'rani wa al-Tasaıvwııf al-Islami (Cairo: Muhammad 'Abd al-Hadi al­Muhtadi, n.d.); Bakri Aladdin: 'AbdalGa11i an-Nabulsi: Oeııvre, vie et doctrine (Ph.D. Thesis presented to Sorbonne, 1985); Bakri Al addi n (ed.), (Nabulusi) af- Wııjııd af-Haqq (Damas: lnstitut Francais de Damas, i 995); Michel Chodkiewicz, Tlıe Spiriwaf Writi11gs of Amir 'Abd af-Kader (Aibany: State University of New York Press, i 995); Bruno Etienne, Abde/kader (Paris: Hachette Livre, 1 995). W e can get general information on the members of the School through W.C. Chittick's "Notes on lbn ai-Arabi's Intluence in the Subcontinent" (TiıeMusfim World, 82-3/4(1992), pp. 218-241). Syed' Muhammad Nagib al-Attas's Tlıe Mysticism of Hamza/ı Fa11suri (Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press, 1970) and S. Murata's Clıi11ese Gfeams of Sııji Liglıt: Wa11g Tai-Yu 's Great Learni11g of t!ıe Pııre a11d Reaf a11d Liu Clıi's

Dispfaying tlıe Co/lceafmellt oftlıe Real Realm (State University of New York Press, 2000) are exaınples of the studies on Southeast Asia and Ch ina respectively.

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and Persian world, but also from the Ottoman Empire, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and China. The attached list could show such a situation.

(2) What is the School of Ibn Arabi

Up to this point, I have been taking the term "the School of Ibn Arabi" for grarited:·It should, however, be noted tliat this term is in fact rather problematic. As J.W. Morris has rightly pointed out, the term "school" must be used with · much care. The reason for this is that: 1. Inquiry into the philosophical and theological unity and diversity of the members has not yet begun. 2. These members are not only commentators but also independent thinkers.5

Various ways to categorise the so-called the School of Ibn Arabi have been put forward by a number of scholars. According to W. C. Chittick, it can be divided in the followirig manner: 1 )al-Qunawi and his circle; 2) c,::ommentators of Fusus al-Hikam; 3) followers of Ibn Arabi in silsila (spiritual lineage); 4) those under his intellectual influence.6

For instance, regarding those belonging to the School of Ibn Arabi in South Asia, Chittick says that relatively few authors were familiar with Ibn al­'Arabi's own writings, even if most had some acquaintance with the Fusus al­Hikam thrqugh one of its numerous commentaries. The major Iines of influence were tıot Ibn al-'Arabi's own works, but those of such authors as Farghani and Abd al-Rahman J am i. "7 The same can be said about Ch ina, where Najm al-Din Daya Razi, the author ofMirsad al-Tbad, is influential, together with Jami. It is difficult to say whether those who have not read Ibn Arabi's own works and are not under his direct influence belong to the School of Ibn Arabi. It may be for this reason that there are researchers who use the term "the School of wahda al­wujud" instead of "the School of Ibn Arabi" Moreover, whether or not al­Balyani, Ibn Sabin, and Mevlana Jalal al-Din Rumi should be included in the School ultimately depends on how the School is defined.8

5 J. W. Morris, "Ib nArabi and His lnterpreters Part 2: Intıuences and Interpretations," pp. 75 ı -2. 6 William C. Chittick, "Ibn Arabi and His School," S. H. Nasr (ed.) lslamic Spiriwality:

Manifestations, New York, 1991; William C. Chittick, "The Shool of lbn Arabi," S. H. Nasr and O. Learnan (eds.) Histoı)' of Jslamic Plıilosop!ıy, vol. 1, London; New York, 1996. S. H. Nasr gives the fallawing typology focusing on Shi'ism/lran. ı) Suti (many of who use Persian); 2) Shi'ite theologians; 3) Commentators. S. H. Nasr, "Seventh-century Sufism and the School of lbn Arabi." From this typology, the categories ı to 3 can be deterrnined without much ambiguity, but this is not the case for 4). The fact that there is no agreement regarding who to place und er 4) and what the standards are for this category is one of the reasons behind the ambiguities in the definition of and the ran ge of membership in the School of lbn Ara bi.

7 William C. Chittick, "Note on lbn al- Arabi's Intıuence in the Subcontinent," Tlıe Muslim World, 82-3/4,1992, p.221.

g For Balyani, see W. C. Chittick, "Ibn Arabi and His School," p. 54; W C. Chittick, "The Shool of lbn Arabi," p. 519. Regarding the definition of wahda al-wujud, see William C. Chittick, "Rumi and Wahdat al-Wujud," Amin Banani, Richard Hovannisian and Georges Sabagh (eds.), Poe/J}' and Mysticism in Islam: the H eritage of Rumi, New York, 1994, pp. 70-1 ı ı.

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In this presentation, I have not reached a stage where I can define with any certitude the concept of "the School of Ibn Arabi. " I would, however, !ike to include here those who are thought to· have been under the influence of Ibn Arabi, even though this influence may be indirect, and their references are not necessarily traceable back to Ibn Arabi. From this point of view, it might be better to use the term "Akbarian tradition," which refers to the trend in a more flexible sense, rather than using the term "school," which brings to mind something that actually exists.

3) Within a wider context

Although we have only talked about the School of Ibn Arabi, it should be taken into consideration within a wider context. This is because we cannot consider the 'pure' School of Ibn Arabi. Even if we could demarcate it, it also has intermingled with the other trend of thought.

First of all, the thought of Ibn Arabi often assimilated with the thought of some poets.9 The commentators of such poems, may adopt the explanations in the style of Ibn Arabi and those of the theoretical works by Ibn Arabi may use the poems in their explanations. Generally speaking, the commentators understood the thought of Ibn Arabi and that of Mevlana" Rumi in the same line. If we turn our eyes to Arab world, the same thing happened between Ibn Arabi and Ibn al-Farid. The comparison between these two equivalent cases is stili Ieft as a task to undertake.

Secondly, we have tended to lirnit our interest within a region. When we see that Anqaravi(d. 1632), Bosnevi (d. 1644) of Ottoman Empire, Molla Sadra (d. 1640) of Iran, Muhibb Allah Ilahabadi (d. 1648) of Indi an Subcontinent, and Sumatrani(d. 1630) of Malay world lived almost in the same era and that Isınail Haqqi Bursevi(d. 1725) of Ottoman Empire, al-Nabulusi(l728) of

Arab world, and Liu Zhi (1730) of China are contemporaries, the task of comp~rison between these thinkers seems to deserve undertaking. Such an inter­regional point of view should be needed.

4) Objective of this pa per

Although based on the above perspective, I would !ike to confine myself to the study of a unique thinker, Abd al-Karim al-Jili, in my paper. This paper attempts to investigate the following points.

First of all, I would like to consider wahda al-wujud, Ibn Arabi's fundamental philosophy of thought, by tracing its transformations in the presence of the various manifestations of the Absolute. These refer to the

9 Compared to the theoretical works which were too diffıcult for the comman people to understand and therefore monopolized by the elites, the poems could be remembered and recited by the commoners. W e can say it was through poetry that profound mystical knowledge has spread in the Islami c world.

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question of Allah's absolute supremapy, and came to be systematİsed after Ibn Arabi's death. I will analyse arid compare the categorisations of Abd al-Karim al-Jili with those of Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi, Abd al-Razzaq al-Kashani, Dawud Qaysari and relate them to the question of the absolute being. That is to say, I will investigate the ı:elationship between the Absolute One and the Many, and that between the Absolute One and the personal God in the ccintext of Islamic thought.

Secondly, I would !ike to consider the theory of perfect man according to Abd al-Karim al-Jili and how the difference of the systematisation of wahdah al-wujud influences this theory. ·

2. Systefnatization of divine manifestation and the position of Allah 10 ı) Ibn Arabi's wahda al-wujud

'· Islam is a dichotomous religion, which clearly distinguishes between the creator, Allah, and the created. All that human beings can do is to obey Allah's orders (Islamic law) and leave everything in Allah's hands. However, certain Sufis who pursued mystical philosophy, including Ibn Arabi, began to introduce a third aspect in the relationship between God and creation. The third element posited by Ibn Arabi is "the reality of realities" (haqiqa al-haqa'iq). hi addition to this there is the "unlimited existence" (wujud mutlaq), which exists by itself, and the "limited existence" (wujud muqayyad), which is non-existent by itself and is able to exist only by depending on the "unlimited existence." 11 Ibn Arabi here does not say clearly whether Allah is "unlimited existence" or "the reality of realities."

2) the theory of the manifestation of existence in the School of Ibn Arabi

(ı) A five-stage theory of manifestation: From Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi to Dawud Qaysari 12

10 Asa part of the so-called School of Ibn Arabi, and alsa in Abd al-Karim al-Jili's case, wahda al­wujud and insan kamil are two sictes of the same coin. I think that regarding insan kamil, the ideas of those in the School of lbn Arabi up to Dawud Qaysari differ from that of Abd al­Karİm ai-Jili. Further space would be needed to discuss this point in grcater depth. For further details, see

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-Ao),~,:ttti!i:JU ;kllJHlt ' ı 994 (Yasushi Tonaga, "The Supremacy of Allah in Isıamic

Mysticism: Abd al-Karim al-Jili's Ontoıogy and the Theory of Perfect Man," Daimeido Publishing, ı 994.)

11 lbn 'Arabi, lnslıa' al-Dawa'ir, H. S. Neyberg (ed.) Kleinere Slıriftell des lbn al- Arabi, Leiden: E. J. Brill, ı9ı9, p. ıs.

12 For a clear elucidation of this topic, see William C. Chittick, "The Five Di vi ne Presences: From al-Qunawi to al-Qaysari," Tlıe Muslim World, 72, ı982, pp. 107-ı28.

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Abd ai-Razzaq al-Kashani, who joined the tradition of Ibn Arabi organİsed the process of manifestation and sorted it out into five stages.

13

Although he explains the same concept by using all kinds of terminology borrowed from al-Qur'an, the hadiths, theology and philosophy, I would I ike to use the fallawing fıve terms to represent these terminologies in orderto explain the five stages of manifestation.

I. ahadiya (negative oneness) 14

2. wahidiya (affirmative oneness) 15

3. alam al-jabarut (world of jabarutf.

4. al am al-malakut (world of mal akut)

5. alam al-mulk (world ofmulk)

Let me give a simple explanation of the two higher dimensions related to the Absolute/God.

1. Ahadiya: The essence (dhat) of God which has eliminated (suqut isqat) alllimitations. 16

2. wahidiya : Characterised by the unification of all the names and attributes of God. 17 This is

called "the presence of divinity" (hadra al-uluhiyah), 18 The reason should be clear if we look at the fallawing example.

"The greatest name" (ism azam) is a name which unites all names and is called Allah. This is because the name Allah is characterized by all attributes (sifat), that is to say, it is the name of the essence (dhat) which has been named by all names (asma\ For this reason, people call the level of the essence which contains all names "the presence of divinity" (hadra ilabiya). 19

In other words, since Allah is the greatest divine name which integrates all names. wahidiya is referred to at the level of Allah, that is to say, the presence of divinity (or "the divine presence").

13 The division of the process of manifestation into fıve is not original to Abd al-Razzaq al­Kashani but can already be seenin such a fıgure as al-Qunawi. Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi, 1 jaz al­Bayan fi Ta'wil Umm ai-Qur'an, Cairo, n.d., p. 99. For al-Qunawi's theory of "fıve presences" ( hadarat khams), see Nihat Keklik, Saru/din Konevi 'nin felsefesinde Allalı-Kainm ve Insan. Istanbul, 1967, pp.93-l04; William C. Chittick, "Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi on the Oneness of Being," lmemational Plıi!osoplıical Quarterly, 21, 1981, pp. 171 -84.

14 Abd al-Razzaq al-Kashi (al-Kashani), lstilalıat a/-Sufiya, ed. A. Sprenger, Calcutta, 1845; repr. Lahore, 1981, pp. 5, 26 etpassim.

15 al-Kashani, lstilalıat, pp. 6, 7 et passim 16 al-Kashani, lstilalıat, pp. 5, 26. 17 al-Kashani,lstilalıat, p. 42. ıx Abd al-Razzaq al-Kashani, Kitab Slıark Fusus al-Hikam, al-Qahira, 1321 A.H., p. I 10. 19 al-Kashani,lstilalıat, p. 8.

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In this way, although Abd al-Razzaq al-Kashani puts forward a systematic theory of five levels, he has also written what seemingiy goes against this theory.

"the first manifesation" (tajalli awwal) refers to the essential manifestation (tajalli dhati), (that is to say) only the essence mani'fests itself in the essence and is at the !eve! of ahadiya. There is here neither attribute (nat) nor figure (rasm). The oneness (wahda) of the essence, which is the only tnie pure existence, is (this existence) itself. This is because from the point of view of existence, anything other than the (true) existence an absolute is non­existence ('adam mutlaq), or in other words si state in which there is absolutely nothing (al-la-shay' al-mahd). Within this ahadiya, there is no need for oneness (wahda) or limitation (taayyun) which can be distinguished from (other) things (sha/). This is because there is absolutely nothing (else) apart from (true existence), (Since) this oneness is the essence itself (ayn dhati-hi). This oneness is the souı·ce of ahadiya and wahidiya (mansha' al-ahadiya wa al-wahidiya). This is because (this oneness) is the essence itself in the sense that it is unlimited (mutlaq) and includes (both) the possibility that there is nothing with it (bi-shart an la yakuna shay' maa-bu), which means ahadiya, and the possibility that there is something with it (bi-shart an yakuna maa-hu shay), which. means wahidiya.2° Continuing from this, the "second manifestation" is said to be the manifestation of wahidiya from ahadiya, and the "phenomenal manifestation" (tajalli shuhudi) which can be called the third manifestation, is said to be the manifestation of various kinds of existence (akwan) in the phenomenal world.

Now, what is worth pointing out regarding the "first manifestation" mentioned above, is that oneness, which is the "source of ahadiya and wahidiya," is characterised by the term la-bi-shart (without-any-limitation). That is to say, mutlaq (absolute/unlimited). Ahadiya is conditioned by bi-shart­la (with-non-limitation), and bence it seems that there is some other stage above this.

Anather example which contradicts the theory of five levels can alsa be seen in Kashani's Kitab Slıark Fusul' There the grades (maratib) are divided into six. The first is "non-self-division" (la-taayyun) which "escapes all limitations (qayd) and viewpoints (itibar). The second is the limitation inside the essence (ayn and dhat) which unifies all the active, necessary and divine (limitations) and passive and cosmic limitations (taayyunat filiya wujubiya ilahiya infialiya kawniya). The third is a grade that integrates all active limitations (taayyunat fıliya) from these two kinds limitatiçıns and is called "the

211 ai-Kashani, /stilalıat, p. 154. 11 al-Kashani, Kitab Sizark Fusus, p. 239

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grade of Allah" (martaba Allah). The fourth is a grade where these (active limitations) separate (martaba tafsiliya) and are called "the grade of names" (martaba al-asma'). As opposed to this, the fıfth grade is a limitation which integrates all of the second lirnitation, mat is passive limitations (taayyunat infialiya), and is called the "grade of existing beings, of possibility and the created" (martaba kawniya imkaniya khalqiya). The sixth grade is a grade where these have separated (martaba tafsiliya) and is called the "grade of the world" (martaba al-alam).22

This can be summarised as follows: (l) without limitation; (2)integration of divine and created limitations; (3)integration of divine limitations only; (4)separation of (3)me integration of divine limitations; (5)integration of preated limitations only; (6)separation of (5)the integration of created limitations. That (3)the integration of divine limitations corresponds to wahidiya mentioned at the begining of this seetion is clear from the fact that this is called the grade of Allah. In the same way, (4) which has divine limitations (names and attributes), which corresponds to alam al-jabarut and below, (5) to alam al-malakut, and (6) to alam al-mulk.

Division of the process of manifestation into five, and assuroing a stage above ahadiya as the highest stage, can be also seen in Abd al-Razzaq al­Kashani's disciple, Dawud Qaysari. For instance, the theory of five presences can be found in Qaysari's Moqaddame-ye Sharh-e Fusus al-Hikam23 and in this case, wahidiya is called the divine grade (martaba ilahiya). On the other hand, assumption of higher si.age above ahadiya also can be found.24 Here Dawud Qaysari refers to what Abd al-Razzaq al-Kashani calls oneness (wahda) as He­ness (huwiya). The above can be organİsed and understood as follows.

I. ahadiya wahda

ahadiya

.2. wahidiya

3. alam al-jabarut

4. alam al-malakut

5. alam al-mulk

22 T. Izutsu summarises this part, but for the second stage he reads fa ili ya instead of fı liya, the written form in the text. Toshihiko Izutsu, A Comparative Swdy of Tlıe Key Plıilosoplıical "Concepts in Sufism and Taoism: lbn Arabi and Lao-Tw, Clıuang-Tw, 2 vols., Tokyo, 1966, pp.153-154. In this way, the meaning is more easily understood.

23 Da'ud Qaysari, Moqaddame-ye Sizarlı-e Fusus ai-Hikam, in Jalal al-Din Ashtiyani, Sizarlı-e Moqaddame-ye Qaysari bar Fusus ai-Hikam, Mashhad, 1385 A.H., p. 268,

24 Da'ud Qaysari, Moqaddame-ye Sizarlı-e Fusus ai-Hikam, in Jalal al-Din Ashtiyani, Sizarlı-e Moqaddame-ye Qaysari bar Fusus al-Hikam, p. 84; Da'ud Qaysari, Rasa'el-e Qaysari, ed. Jalal al-Din Ashtiyani, n.p., 1974 A.D. [1394 A.H.], p. 8.

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Important points regarding the theories of manifestation from Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi and Abd al-Razzaq al-K~shani to Dawud Qaysari, and the position of Allah in these theories, can be summarised as follows.

ı. Abd al-Razzaq al-Kashani divides the process of ma~ifestation into fi:ve levels.

2. However, wahda is also assumed as being above ahadiya, which is the· highest of the five levels. This is referred to in terrus of a philosophical concept la-bi-shart (without-any-limitation). But since this wahda and ahadiya put together are also called ahadiya; the fact that ahadiya is placed at the highest position does not change.

3. In both ı. and 2. above, Allah is positioned in wahidiya.

(2) New systemisation by Abd al-Karim al-Jili

'· Abd al-Karim al-Jili states throughout his work, starting from his first work, al-Kalıfiva al-Raqinı (The Cave and the Tablet) and his last work, Maratih al-Wujud (The Stages of Existence), that the stages of existence can all together be divided into forty?5 Indeed in these two works he lists forty, but when considered in detail, there are some differences in what he has written regarding .the stages of manifestation.26 The differences, however, mainly appear in the stages of the created world, and the stages in the divine essence and attributes generally correspond.

In order to concentrate on the !eve! of Allah, I will organise the upper parts (parts corresponding to the essence and attribute of God) according to Abd al-Karim al-Jili's work the Stages of Existence, and explain these stages by drawing on other works?7

25 He shows such forty stages in al-Ka/ıfıva al-Raqim and Maratih al-Wııjud. Abd al-Karim al-Jili, al-Kalıfıva al-Raqim fi Slıarlı Bi sm Allalı al-Ra/ıman al-Ralıiln, ed. Badawi Taha Allam, al­Qahira, [1984], pp.51-55; Abd al-Karim al-Jili, Maratih al-Wııjudwa Haqiqa Kul!Mawjud, preface [and ed.] Badawi Taha All am, al-Qahira, n.d., pp. I 2-24. He also says the number of the stages are forty in al-Insan al-Kamil. Abd al-Karim al-Jili, al-Insan al-Kamilfi Ma rifa al­A ıvaklıir ıva al-Awa'il, 2 vols. in I, al-Qahira, 1963, pp. 52, 88. hi al-Kamalat al-!lalıiya, he treats only the up per part of these stages as flow of the manifestation (tajalli). Abd al-Karim al­Jili, al-Kamalat al- llalıiya ıva al-Mulıammadiya, MS Ma had al-Makhtutat al- Arabiya bi Jami a al-Duwal al- Arabiya 444 Tasawwuf, fols. 6b-7a.

26 For example, if we compare the explanations in al-Kalıfıva al-Raqim andMaratih al-Wııjud, fıfteen or so stages do not correspond to each other, and even in the case of the mo re. com mo n stages, the arrangements are different.

27 In the case of al-Qunawi and his followers, the manifestation from the divine essence to the phenomenal world are categorized into fıve stages. These are ahadiya, wahidiya, and the stages below them, respectively corresponding to the divine essence, the names and attributes, and the world. In ai-Jili's case, however, the stages are ramifıed into forty. Hence 1. divine essence and 2. ahadiya corresponds the essence, 3. wahidiya is the border between the essence and the attributes, and the stages between 4. divinity and 7. Master-ness expresses the attributes. According toMaratih al-Wııjud, the eighth stage is the border between the attributes and the names, and the ninth stage through the eleventh cxpresses the names. The twelfth

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ı. Divine essence (al-dhat al-ilahrya). Alsa called "the mystery of the mystery" (ghayb al-ghayb) due to the purity of its essence, purified from all relationships (nisab) and manifestations (tajalliyat).

2. Ahadiya (negative oneness). The first descent of the essence (awwal al­tanazzulat al-dhatiyah).

ı and 2 represent only the essence of the God.

3 .Wahidiya (affrimative oneness). The second descent of the essence. Diversity initially begins and ultimately ends here. It is here that names and

1

attributes appear for the first time. It is a: condition in which essence and attributes accommodate each other.

4. Divinity (uluhiya). Diversity begins to limit itself and everything is distinguished from each other. From this stage to stage 7 are the stages corresponding to God's attributes. At this stage, both attributes canceming the absolute (haqqi) and those canceming the created (khalqi) appear together.

5.Merciful-ness (rahmaniya). Expresses only the attributes canceming the absolute.

6. Lord-ness (rububiya). Expresses only attribute canceming the created. However, it expresses both the attributes comman to the Lord (Allah) and those that are peculiar to the created.

7. Master-ness (malikiya). Expresses only the attributes canceming the created without expressing those comman to the Lord.

The fallawing two points should be noted here. Firstly, the stage of divine essence was established above ahadiya. Secondly, Allah is thought to correspond to the fourth stage in His essence. In this sense, it can be said that the grade of Allah is posited both above and below ahadiya in the system of manifeslation. In fact, the formula: Allah's essence>ahadiya> Allah's attribute is comprehensible in same sense. However, Abd al-Karİm al-Jili 's statement elsewhere possibly breaks down this formula

This can be seenin the fallawing excerpt from The PeJfect Man.

stage is the border between the names and the acts, and the thirteenth stage and after correspond to the divine act, i.e. the world as the effect of the divine act of creation. As ı

mentioned in the preceding note, al-Jili's fourth stages vary largely among his works. For example. he deseribed stages one through seven as the divine realm and eight and after as the created world in al-Kalıfıva al-Raqim, while he ramities the divine realm into seventeen in al­Kamalm al-llalıiya. Even in the case of al-Jili, we stili tind the ambiguity "which existed in Ib n Arabi's trichotomy, which ı mentioned in 1 .-I). While he identities the third element ('reality of realities' or 'unlimited existence') with the tirst stage (the pure essence or heavy clouds) in his Kitab ai-Nuqta and in al-Insan al-Kamil (vol. 2, p. 43), he identities it with the second stage (ahadiya) inMaratib ai-Wııjııd, p. 14. Abd al-Karim ai-Jili, Kiıab ai-Nuqta, ed. Badawi Taha All am, al-Qahira, [ 1 982], pp. 23-24; al-Jili, al-Insan al-Kamil, vol.2, p. 43.

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The greatest among the places of manifestation ·of the essence (a'la mazahir al-dhat) is the place of manifestation of divinity (mazhar al-uluhiya) • • o Now, divinity is the Mather of the Book (umm al-kitab) and al-Qur'an is ahadiya, al-Furqan is Qur'anic wahidiya (al-wahidiya al-Qur'aniya), the glorious Book (al-Kitab al-Majid) is the MercifuL28

Ahadiya is the highest among the names under the daminance of divinity (uluhiya), and wahidiya is the first descent of the Absolute from ahadiya. The highest of the stages encompassed by wahidiya is the stage of the Merciful. The highest of the places of manifest.ation of Merciful-ness is within Lord-ness, and the highest of the places of manifestation of Lord-ness is within the name of the King (al-Malik). King-ness is below Lord-ness, and Lord-ness is below Merciful-ness, Merciful-ness is below wahidiya, wahidiya is below ahadiya, and ahadiya is below divinity (uluhiya).29

'· Here it is clearly stated that divinity (uluhiya) is higher than ahadiya. This openly contradicts the order of stages of existence we have dealt with above. Abd al-Kaı·im al-Jili does not give any explanation about this "contradiction," but the following passage discussing Merciful-ness and divinity (uluhiya) helps us to understand.30

:The relationship of the stage of the Merciful-ness with divinity (uluhiya) is thesame as the relationship of sugar crystals with sugar cane. Sugar crystals are the highest stage in the processing of sugar cane and sugar cane produces sugar crystals as well as other things. Therefore, if you say from this point of view (of purity) that sugar crystals are superior to sugar cane, then (certainly) the merciful-ness is superior to divinity (uluhiya), but if you say that sugar cane is superior to sugar crystals due to the qualities of integration, inclusiveness and so on (this is also true), then divinity (uluhiya) is superior to the Merciful­ness.31 The same can be said about ahadiya and divinity (uluhiya). From the

2x Umm al-Kitab is considered as the origin of all of the revealed scriptures and appears three times in al-Qur'an (3:7, I 3:39, 43:4). Al-Qur'an is descended from this U mm al-Ki tab as the last and supreme reyelation. Both al-Furqan and al-Kitab al-Majid are other names for al­Qur'an. Al-Furqan appears seven times in al-Qur'an (e.g. 2:53). The term al-Kitab al-Majid itself does not appear, but the term al-Qur'an al-Majid appears twice (Q50:1. 85:21 ).

lY al-Jili, al-Insan al-Kamil, vol. I, p. 23. Here the seventh stage is called al-Malikiya (King-ness) inaccordance with the divine name al-Malik (King). This is interchangeable with al-Malikiya (Master-ness) because Malik yawm al-din (Master of the day of the judgement) in QI :4 is often read as Malik yawm al-din (King of the day of the judgeınent). Hence al-Mali ki ya (King­ness) can here be identilied with the al-Malikiya (Master-ness) ınentioned before.

30 The stateınent that the divinity is higher, than ahadiya appears only in al-Insan al-Kamil, and the divinity is placed below ahadiya in all of al-Kalıf ıva al-Raqim, al-Kdmalat al-llalıiya and Maratih al-Wujud. Although we could sol ve this clear construction if either al-Insan al-Kamil or al-Kalıfwa al-Raqim were attributed to him wrongly, therc is no possibility for that. That is because I made such a kin d of interpretation.

31 al-Jili, al-Insan al-Kamil al-Kamil, vol. I, p. 27.

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point of view of purity, ahadiya, which is the pure essence of God and has no relation with the created, is higher than divinity (uluhiya), which also contains the attribute of created beings. But from the point of view of integration and encompassment, divinity (uluhiya), which contains both the aspects of the absolute being and the created beings, is higher than ahadiya, ~which does not include any aspect of the created beings.

Abd al-Karİm al-Jili's antology may be summarised as follows.

First!y, Abd al-Karim al-Jili divides the existential stages into forty stages and assumes a stage called "the divine essente" which is beyand ahadiya.

Secondly, in these stages of existence, it is possible to find Allah's position both at the !eve! of essence and at that of attribute. "Divine essence" and divinity (uluhiya) Correspond to these. Thirdly, in the sense that divinity (uluhiya) is an attribute and not the essence, it is lower in grade than ahadiya, but from the point of view of integration it is at a higher stage than ahadiya.

3) The supremacy of Allah

Abd al-Razzaq al-Kashani and others place Allah at the intersection of the absolute being and the created world. Mystic philosophy is always required to give ekplanation of how the created world, which is many, is manifested from the absolute being, which is singular. Abd al-Razzaq al-Kashani and others tried to explain this by borrowing the theological concept of Allah the creator. It is said that the absolute being (al-Haqq) first manifests as Allah, and although Allah Himself is one, it includes the many since it integrates everything. Abd ai­Razzaq al-Kashani and other interpreted the belief that Allah has created the world to mean that the created world is manifested from Allah, and that the plurality that is latent in Allah is manifested. In this sense, it was necessary for Allah to be placed at the intersection. However in this case, to place Allah at the second !eve! has the danger of provoking an assumption that there is something beyof!d Allah. To counter this, Abd al-Karİm al-Jili placed Allah at the first !eve! and emphasised that Allah is the highest existence which is beyand all things. In this case, the function of the intersection is taken over by the divinity (ulihiya). Since, the criticism in the Rasulid Yemen of that time was very much influenced by Ibn Taymiya's ritque,32 Abd al-Karim al-Jili's theory can be said to have contained reactionary elements against this.

3. Abd al-Karİm al-Jili's Theory of Insan Kamil (Perfect Man) 1) Correspondence between insan kamil and Allah

Abd al-Karim al-Jili's explanation of insan kamil (Perfect Man) is almost the same as those of the foregoing thinkers belonging to the School of Ibn

32 Alexander Knysh, lbn Arabi in tlıe Later /slamic Tradition: Tlıe Making of a Palemical Image bı Medieval Islam, Albany, I 999, p. 235.

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Arabi. That is, man is the copy of Allah and integrates the things as Allah does33

; man is the copy of both al-Baqq and al-khalq34; man integrates the

realities of ai-Haqq and those of al-khalq35; man is wali Allah.36 Allah and insan

kamil perfectly correspond each other in their role of integrating the opposites, and insan kamil is the mirror of the substitute of Allah.37 To sum up, it is generally accepted that perfect man is the copy of Allah in the viewpoint of integration according to both Abd al-Karİm al-Iili and other members of the School. The question is to w hi ch level of Allah insan kamil is similar, becaus.e the position of Allah in the manifestation system öf wujud is placed in both the first and the fourth stages. The. former case is the level of substitute and the latter that of attributes. I believe the similarity between Allah and insan kamil is to be endorsed in this manife.station system as far as insan kamil is the ideal

· model of those who struggle on the way to Allah and the antology and the rheory of practice are the both sides of a coin.

2) Correspondence between Insan Kamil and the divinity (uİuhiyah) The expressions of insan kamil include the following; "integrating the

realities of the Absolute and those of creatures (al-jami' Ii al-haqa'iq al-haqqiyah wa al-haqa'iq al-khalqiyah)"38 and "facing to all the realities of existence (muqapil bi jamf al-haqa'iq al-wujudiyah)".39 Comparing them to the expres.sions of uluhiyah such as "the unity of the divine stations and the entirety of the· stations of the creatures (shumul al-maratib al-ilahiyah wa jami' al­maratib al-kawniyah)"40 and "all the realities of existence and its preservation in i ts stations" Gami' haqa'iq al-wujud wa hifz-ha fı maratib-ha)" ,41 it is clear that their meanings are almost the same. Further insan kamil is said to "have spreading pleasure called the divine pleasure (yakun la-hu... ladhdhah sarayaniyalı tusamma ladhdhah al-uluhiyah)"42 and uluhiyah is called "the most perfec! presence (al-hadrah al-akmaliyah)" .43 This alsa endorses the close relationship between insan kamil and uluhiyah. On the other hand, "divine essence" is free from all the relationship and manifestation, as we have mentioned before, and has no comman part with insan kamil.

33 ai-Jili, Slıark. p. 152, al-lman al-Kamil, vol. 2, pp.47, 48. 34 ai-Jili, Slıark, p. 107. 35 ai-Jili, Mm·atib, p. 41. 3

" ai-Jili, ai-Kamalat, fol. 25a. 37 ai-Jili, Mir'at, foi,IOa 38 ai-Jili,Marari6,p.41.

· 39 al-Jili, al-Insan al-Kamil, vol.2, p.47. 40 ai-Jili, al-Insan al-Kamil, vol. I, p.23. 41 ai-Jili, al-Insan al-Kamil, vol. I, p.23. 42 ai-Jili, al-Insan al-Kamil, vol.2, p.48. 43 al-Jili, al-Insan al-Kamil, vol.2, p.48.

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To sum up, we can consider that it is 'Allah in the level of divinity (uluhiyah)' that insan kamil is similar to. So, according to Abd al-Karİm al-Jili, even insan kamil cannot reach the divine essence but can only reach the divine names and attributes. The fallawing passage exemplifies this.

It is only through the names and attributes that you fallawthe way to the gnosis of the Absolute (al-Haqq. [Here it is interchangeably used with Allah.]). All the names and attributes are under this name [of Allah] and it is only possible through the names and attributes to reach it [the Absolute]. This Jeads to the fact tha~ the only way to reach All~h is through this name [of Allah].44

This leads to his original explanation about the spiritual way of servants.

Allah is the first manifestation of the essence and creatures cannot be characterized with Allah. This is because ahadiyah is pure essence (sirafah al­dhat) which has no relationship with reality (haqiqah) nor created-ness (makhluqiyah). That is to say, he -1 mean- servant ('abd) was already decided and has no way to reach it [ahadiyah].45

This makes contrast to the comman explanation among the School of Ibn Arabi that when the way of training is expressed in the terms of the manifestation of existence, servants first pass wahidiyah to ahadiyah and then return to wahidiyah again.

We, however, should not be too pessimistic if our last reaching point is only divine names and attributes. This is because "nor the Absolute neither creatures cannot appear without each other46

" and "we are the manifesting places of everything, and divine names and attributes cannot appear without us creatures" .47 Although the fact that we (human be ing) stay at the !eve! of di vi ne names and attributes lawers the our, stage, the Absolute can appear only because we stay on this stage. Further we can say that it is man who plays an indispensable role for the formatian of the world. Now we will move on the next explanation of insan ka.mil. He is n<5t only understood as the ultimate goal of our training, but also is incorporated into the stages of manifestation of exislence. According to Maratih al-Wujud, it is the last, i.e. 401ıı, stage, although according to al-Kahf wa al-Raqim it is the 35 1ıı stage. It is very lowly located in the stages. However, even Allah does not appear without this 'man', nor can exist the world.

This is why (perfect) man is said to correspond to Allah and embodies the divine names and attributes notwithstanding his Iow stage. Such a high evaluation of something in the lower position of the stages of manifestation

44 al-Jili, al-Insan al-Kamil, vol.!, p. 16. 45 ai-Jili, al-Insan al-Kamil, vol. 1, p.26. 4

r. al-Jili, S lı ark, p. 104. 47 al-Jili, Slıark, p. 70 ..

328

when we change the viewpoint was already found in the aforeinentioned case of

uiuhiyah.

4. Conclusion: The supremacy of Allah and the position of man

In this way, I have tried to show that the antology of Abd Lil-Karim al-Jili.

who, without ımıch doubt, is considered to belong to the School of "oneness of being" (wahda al-wujud), is actually quite different from the ordinary theories

of this school.

In Abd al-Kariın al-Jili's ontological theoı·y~ "divine essence" is assumed above ahadiya, and at the same time divinity (uluhiyal is put forward as a level which expresses the attributes ofGod. Allah is placed in both of these positions. Moreover. from the point of view of integration, the divinity. which is supposed

. to be at the fourth level, is placed higher than the ahadiya at the second level.

On the one hand Abd al-Karim al-Jili defends the supremacy of Allah by '·

putting the "divine essence" at the top, on the other hand he tries to value the state of integration which goes beyand dichotomous oppositions by evaluating divinity(uluhiya) above ahadiya. Abd al-Karim ai-Jili puts the name of Allah on this stage as divinity (uluhiya), which roughly means Allah-ness. It may be said

that he created a new image of Allah which surpasses the foregoing image - a negative ai1d transcendent image, by enunciating that Allah is basically integrating.

As for the theoı·y of insan kamiL when he states the correspondence to Allah. he tries to defend the supremacy of Allah by the stateınent that insan kamil can only embody the divine attributes and His essence is unknownable. In this cantext we can see the low position of men in the stage of the manifestation as the expressian of both the humbleness of human being and the greatness of Allah. On the other hand. he maintains the greatness of insan kamil by pointing out that the existence of insan kamil is indispensable to the manifestation of Allah and evaluating the divinity which is closely reiated to insan kamil highly.

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330

LIST: B lG NAME S IN THE SCHOOL OF IBN 'ARABI

•=so-ı:alled o~ponents to the school. The numbers in parantheses are the year.of death.

Turlde h 1 Arabic 1 Peraian i

Iran &

Khornsan

Urdu/ Malny/ Chinese 1

China Anatolla Arab·

Ibn 'ArabiÜ240)

. Indiıın

Subcontinent

Sadr al·Din Qunawi(l274)

Fnkhr al· Din 'Iraqi(l281)

Jandi(l291)

Tilimsani(l29ıl

· Farghani(lSOl)

'Aziz al· Din NasafiÜ301)

'Abd al·Rnzzaq nl·Kashani(ca.l?30)

*'Ala' al·Dawla Si.ninani(lSSO)

D a ' u d Q n y s ar i (1850)

Ruh al· Din Shiraii(l867)

•M:aneri(l381)

'Ali Haınadani(lSSiıl

Haydar Amuli(aftef 1385)

Ibn Abi Jumhur(l401·2l

Sham s al· Din Maghribi(1406·7)·

'Abd al·Karim al·Jili(1422l *Gisudaraz(l422)

. 'Ali Turkn(1427)

Molla FanariÜ430)

Muhammad Izniki(14<i0)

'Ala' al·Di.n,Maha'imİ(1482)

'Abd nl·Rahmnn JnmiÜ492)

Bali Efendi(l552)

Sha'raniÜ565)

.Hamza Faiısuri(l6·17rr) • Ahmad Sirhfi:ııli(ısz4l

Anknravi(l632)

BosneviÜ644) Mo)la SadraÜ640) Su.matrani(1630)

Isma'il Hakki Nabulusi(1728)

Bursavi(l725)

Ihrahim Hakki(l780)

Amir 'Abd al:Qadir(1883)

Muhlbb Allah Ilahnbadi(l648)

*Ran~Ü658l

Dara Shikoh(l659)

. Zlınng Sh1zbongÜ670) *' ~q, Sha Qiling(l710) 1:-M jJ;, Li u Zhi(1730) ~J ~

Sb ah W ali AnahÜ762)

Ma Dexin(1874),& -t!tM-

Ma Lianyuan(l903).&:ii~:il:.

For further infomıatianl M. 'l'alı:rnli, "AGeneı:sl Outllno o!tbo Inlluence ~Ibn Arabi on the Ottman

Era,• Jollple.l ol the Mu/zyiddin Ibn Ara bi Srx:iely. 26, 1999, pp. 45·6S "'<ror '.1\ırldııh world); W. C.

Chittick, ~ot<ı• on Ibn ni· Arnbro_ Iniluenoo In tho Subcontlruı~~· Tho Muslim IVorld, 82·814, lG92, pp.

218·_241 Cfur lndiıın subcontlnnntl.