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Sierra .e!ada/

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by Gerald Elmore (eprinted from the &ournal of the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society0 1ol/ 2210 3444/

Ibn al-'Arab's Book of the Fabulous Gryphon ('Anq' Mughrib)

by Gerald Elmore

Introduction
The K. 'Anq' mughrib ,The $oo% of the 5abulous 6ryphon- represents a ma#or literary and doctrinal effort of Ibn al7'Arab's early period of writing in the Maghrib0 around the turn of the se!enth839th century/:3; A relati!ely long discursi!e wor% composed entirely in rhymed prose (saj'), the 'Anq' is replete with subtle allusions and e!ocati!e symbolism0 employing dar% conundrums and e!en cryptography to re!eal8re7!eil profoundly far7reaching speculations on the mirific nature of Islamic sainthood (walyah), or 'friendship with 6od'/ The boo% constitutes0 in effect0 the foundation7 manifesto of Ibn al7'Arab's re!olutionary doctrine of walyah as epitomi<ed in the old ,but 'underground'- Sufi notion of the Seal of the saints (khatm al awliy')/:=; In the present article I will gi!e translations of fi!e %ey sections from !he "abulous Gry#hon, treating of the axiomatic concept of Man as microcosm > the summa of all descripti!e reality and0 in his mystic apotheosis as sainthood's Seal of authority0 the final arbiter of prescripti!e truth/ 'f the principal extant wor%s of Ibn al7'Arab0 the 'Anq' mughrib is one of the half7do<en or so earliest/:9; Moreo!er0 by the accident of manuscript remains it would appear to be the oldest materially7attested text of any boo% by the Shay%h/:?; .ot generally counted among his best7%nown titles ,especially in the @est-0 the 'Anq' was yet a considerable literary accomplishment for its relati!ely young author0:A; and0 of all the writings of Ibn al7'Arab0 it remains the primary ,though not the definiti!e- statement of his teachings on the khatm al awliy'/:B; A characteristic of this earliest presentation of the Seal #ersona is its partial conflation with the traditional imagery of the Islamic deli!erer0 the rightly7 guided Mahd > en!isaged as the apocalyptic 'Sun rising in the @est0' li%e the legendary 6ryphon itself > as we will see in some of the material presented here/ In our concluding section the figures of the Khatm, the $ahd% and the &idd%q will be formally differentiated and ran%ed > but0 again0 in a no!el order which points to the paramount role en!isioned by Ibn al7'Arab for the Sufi awliy' as apart from the normati!e authorities of the Muslim

community0 the 'ulam' ,religious scholars-0 who otherwise assumed the office of custodians of e' #ost (a)to prophecy/ 'sman Cahia described !he "abulous Gry#hon in his *istoire et )lassi(i)ation de l'oeu+re d',bn 'Arab- as Da treatise on the Eni!ersal Seal of the saints and the Seal of the saints of the Muslim community0D adding that Ibn al7'Arab specifies in this wor% that the Eni!ersal Seal of the saints is the +hrist :F al $ash, &esus son of Mary;///0 but passes o!er in silence the Guestion of the identity of the Seal of the Muslim community/ In the "ut.ht al makkyah, howe!er0 he re!eals that the Muhammadan Seal of the saints is none other than he himself/:H; The wor% is also a treatise on the relation of man as microcosm to the uni!erse//// According to Ibn al7'Arab himself0 the 'Anq' mughrib was written after his !adbirt al ilhiyah0:I; which also dealt with the human being as synthetically summing up the uni!erse/:4; The obser!ation concerning the microcosm (al 'lam al asghar) deri!es from the preliminary descriptions of the 'Anq' made by such early bibliographers as 5lJgel0 Ahlwardt and $roc%elmann0 which0 in turn0 were informed by an examination of the opening pages of the boo% only/ @hereas the !adbirt al ilhiyah ,The Ki!ine Kirections- and other wor%s of Ibn al7'Arab were0 indeed0 based on the ancient0 Helleni<ed notion of the mi)ro)osmos as already articulated in the encyclopaedic /as'il of the '$rethren of "urity' (,khwn al &a('), the idea is not consistently pursued in the 'Anq', although it does figure prominently here and there in the !ery structure of the boo%/ 5or our first selection let us ta%e the prologue to the 'Anq', which follows a long introductory poem/ This section is important because0 besides discussing the microcosm0 the author here spea%s at length of the relation between the 'Anq' and the !adbirt. 5rom the first chapter of the latter we learn that that boo% was composed in four days in MorLn ,MawrMr-0:3N; a small town near Se!ille0 at the home of one Abu Muhammad 'Abd Allah b/ al7Estadh al7MawrMr0:33; who had been a disciple of Shay%h Abu Madyan and of Ibn Saydabun/ It was he who introduced Ibn al7'Arab to the popular medie!al wisdom miscellany0 &e)retum se)retorum (&irr al asrr) 0 falsely ascribed to Aristotle0 who supposedly compiled it for his princely pupil0 Alexander the 6reat ,Khu l7Oarnayn- > reGuesting that the younger man compare the worldly politics of the 6ree% philosopher with the Islamic teachings on the true perfection of the human estate0 or microcosm0 in the *!erlasting/:3=; In the following section we learn that the 'Anq' was intended as a %ind of seGuel to the !adbirt, in which Ibn al7'Arab would underta%e to treat more forthrightly of the spiritual caliphate of man and his teleological station of the saintly Seal/ This time0 howe!er0 the Shay%h wished to emphasi<e the radically 'spiritual7human' nature of all that he wrote > that is0 its Guintessentially &.(i character0 as opposed to the more mundane intellectual speculations of the philosophers and theologians/ :*xcept for the three paragraphs in brac%ets0 the remainder of the article is in Ibn al7'Arab's own words/;

Translation

THE PURP SE

! THE "

#$%&'

@e ha!e already authored a certain spiritual wor%0 a ordly composition0 entitled !he 1i+ine 1ire)tions )on)erning the /e(ormation o( the *uman Kingdom (Al !adbirt al ilhiyah (i islh al mamlakah al insniyah), in which we discussed how Man is a Microcosm ('lam sagh%r) drawn forth from the Macrocosm (al 'lam al kab%r), inasmuch as all that appears in the 6reater *xistence (al kawn al akbar) is to be found0 also0 in this esser *ssence (al 'ayn al asghar)/:3?; $ut in that boo% I did not treat comprehensi!ely of Man's correspondence with the Eni!erse0 but0 rather0 I focused particularly on what correlates in him as regards the mundane +aliphate (al khil(ah):3A; and strictly 'political' organi<ation (al tadbir), treating of such Guestions as: @hat is the microcosmic counterpart of the State Secretary (al ktib), the "rime Minister (al wa2%r), the +hief &ustice (al qd%), the Superintendents (al uman'), pro!incial Administrators in charge of alms7taxes0 and *missaries (al su(ar')P:3B; In that boo% I explained0 also0 the reason for which war is waged between the Intellect (al 'aql) and "assion (al haw)0:3H; and I set forth therein the nature of the confrontation of ad!ersaries and when the battle between them ta%es place/:3I; And I helped the Intellect to a consolidating !ictory0 bringing him forth as an effecti!e +ommander0 while causing Qingship (al mulk) to arise in my account0 appointing life for some in its world and perdition for others/ Thus0 the ob#ect was accomplished0 and Dhe who had a sic%ness in his heartD:34; came to belie!e/ I had intended to pro!ide in !he 1i+ine 1ire)tions that which would be declared openly sometimes and %ept concealed at other times > to wit3 @here in this Human +opy (al nuskhah al insn%yah) and Spiritual Eprising (al nash'ah al ruhn%yah):=N; is the station of the (ightly7guided eader (al imm al mahd%) who is related to the House of the "rophet both in terms of spiritual degree and physicallyP:=3; And where0 similarly0 in the same scheme is the station of the Seal of the Saints (khatm al awliy') and the Signet of the sincere 5riends (tbi' al as(iy')P :==; since the need for %nowledge of these two Stations in Man is more imperati!e than that of all of the other correspondences of created entities/ $ut I feared the insinuation of the *nemy0 Satan0 and that he would call out in the presence of the Sultan0 alleging against me what I had not intended0 so that0 on account of him0 I would be brought to the house of slander/ Thus0 I shielded the 'Qing' (al shh) with the 'Oueen' (al (ir2n) by way of safeguarding this mortal frame (al juthmn)R:=9; Then I beheld the Ki!ine Secrets bestowed by the (eal0 and I too% upon myself the responsibility of presenting them to the world/ So I wrote this boo%0 !he "abulous Gry#hon, dedicated to the 6nosis of these two Stations of the Mahd and the Seal/ $ut whene!er I discourse on such recondite matters as this0 I spea% in terms of the Two @orlds0 the Macrocosm and the Microcosm0 in order to clarify the issue for the listener by referring to the 6reater0 e'ternal @orld which he %nows and comprehends0 after which I draw comparisons between that outer @orld and its inner Secret deposited in Man > who yet denies and does not comprehend it/ 5or my purpose in e!erything of this type which I write is ne!er the 6nosis of that which appears in phenomenal existence (al kawn), but rather it is e!er the 6nosis of that which is found in this Human *ssence (al 'ayn al insni) and Adamite Substance (al shakhs al Adam%).

So !erify your speculation0 ' rational oneR and pay attention0 you who are unmindfulR Shall the existence8world (kawn) of the Sultan > whether he be #ust or despotic0 learned or bewildered > profit me aught in the HereafterP .o0 indeed0 my brotherR not unless I en!isage that Authority as proceeding (rom me and to meS:=?; and not until I ma%e my Intellect an imm unto me0 see%ing to learn of him the ways of right comportment according to the rules of the aw (al db al shar'%yah) in my inner and my outer being (btin % wa 2hir %), and pledging allegiance to him (ubyi'u hu) for the reforming of my whole Self0 first and last (islh awwl % wa khir %). @hene!er I do not ma%e this my contemplation0 I perish/:=A; $ut when I turn away from being occupied with people0 I am able to effect my own Sal!ation and I become a 'Qing'/ 5or the "rophet Muhammad ,May 6od bless and %eep himR- has declared0 addressing all of his community: *ach of you is a Shepherd0 and each of you is responsible for his floc%/:=B; Thus0 the "rophet established the imTmate for e!ery human being in himself0 ma%ing him one who is to be Sought (matl.b bi l haqq), both in the @orld of his transcendent being (ghaybu hu) and of his sensual (hissu hu). .ow if the matter is thus and the fulfilment of the +ontract of the imTmate is incumbent upon us0 then what is wrong with us that we are remiss in the way of our Sal!ation0 and are content with the inferior ran%sP How is it that one who claims to be rational ('qil) yet shuns these high sanctuaries (al ma'qil)4 So whene!er I mention in this or any of my other boo%s an instance of a phenomenal e!ent0 my purpose is to fix it in the hearing of the listener and compare it with its li%eness in Man%ind/ Then let us turn our contemplation therein to our own Human *ssence0 which is the @ay of our Sal!ationR I tread that @ay in its entirety at this Human le!el (al nash'ah al insn%yah) in accordance with whate!er the Station confers > whether of corporeality or spirituality/ Qind brother0 do not suppose that my purpose in any of my boo%s is e!er to discourse on things extraneous to my own *ssence0 not percei!ing in this that I am thereby really treating of the @ay of my Sal!ationR $"e (our )n Ruler'

@hat do I care if my own Soul:=H; sa!es me by means of one who triumphs or perishesP oo% to the Qingdom closest to you: Cou will find in each person a (egent o!er all his parts/ @eigh him as to Holy aw with #ustice at all times0 and wal% in it behind him wheresoe!er he may go/:=I; And do not be a rebel Ke!il stri!ing for scandal in the Qingdom of your Self0 but be therein an Angel5 Then let the 5riend (wal%) of this boo% meditateR 5or indeed0 I shall spea% of the matter of the Macrocosm0 treating it as the outer 'Shell' (al qishr), and ma%ing that which in Man corresponds to it as the inner '+ore' (al lubb) for the reason which I ha!e mentioned > to throw light on That of which the listener is ignorant by means of the thing which he %nows and comprehends/:=4; @ere his understanding capable of arri!ing at this Secret

without my ha!ing to ma%e mention of it0 I would not ha!e regarded its external aspect at all0 nor e!en paused for a moment o!er its inner Meaning/ Howe!er0 I shall present the Secret to you in the form of a proximate example and an exercise for impro!ement > which0 6od willing0 I will do in this present treatise of '"earls hidden in sea7shells' (la'l% l asd() and the 'Arisings of the Heights' (nawsh% l a'r(), which are Models set up by the (eal for the sa%e of the $elie!ers and the 6nostics > as a pearl7di!er's catch0 a see%er's rarity0 a precept for the sensible0 or a lo!er's caress/ :After another preambulatory section dealing with the pilgrimage (hajj), we are now introduced to what is0 in a sense0 the main character of the boo% in his most generic form of the Messenger of re!elation8inspiration (ras.l al wahy6al ilhm), 6abriel0 the angelic 'holy spirit'0 who appears on the hori<on of the author's mind as the dawning light of creati!e consciousness/ Cet another digression inter!enes ,in!ol!ing an obscure interlocutor from Tabri<- before the trustworthy Inspirator returns0 this time in the guise of a hoopoe ,the bird which brought wise Solomon intelligence of Sheba- > or0 in the e!ent0 in the modes of the three successi!e celestial idols ,star0 moon and sun- in the Our'Tnic parable of Abraham and the luminaries/ Through intimate experience o!er time Ibn al7'Arab came to reali<e that the ubiGuitous ight7figure0 Dthe 6reater SunD0 was none other than the Seal of the saints/ Although the last paragraph of the first section translated below specifies that the reference is to the particular0 $uhammadan ImTm ,not the uni!ersal one-0 in the chapter following0 where the Seal is assimilated to paradisiacal @ine8@ater0 this same archetypal figure clearly appears as the D@estern SunD ,F the Mahd- and as &esus0 the 7ni+ersal Seal/ The complex 'inter7identification' of all these symbolic #ersonae may perhaps be understood in terms of Ibn al7'Arab's own description of his special relation to &esus in the prologue to the "ut.ht ,depicting a solemn hieratic scene e!idently identical to the one in the second chapter0 below-0 where he presents himself as the 'counterpart'0 'son' and 'bosom friend' of the Seal/;:9N; A TRUST* RTH( H P E "RI+GI+G SURE TI,I+GS$&%' - WHO OO! "O#"$% % FO$M &# H$%% '&GH ( A#) W$A**&#G( OF (%"$% ( Among the forms of him who saluted me from his hori<on0:9=; manifesting unto me a part of his nature0 were0 firstly0 a Setting Star in the robe of o!eS after which his Moon rose up in the garb of illuminati!e 6uidance0 for e!ery uminary bestows its reality and clarifies for us its way/ Then these both were followed by the 6reater Sun:99; and the Most7resplendent ight0 which dispelled the dar%nesses0 illuminated the celestial chambers and eliminated troubles > this being the '*xemplary Self7manifestation' (al tajall% l mithl%) and ' ight Sent7forth' (al n.r al irsl%). :That ight7figure; saluted me0 then set in the 'ccident of the Enseen (maghrib al mu'amm) until the ad!ent of the appointed Time (al ajal al musamm)/:9?; @hen the Time is imminent0 drawing near0 he will rise as a 6uide (hdin) from the place in which he had set/ This0 then0 is the Sun of 6uidance (shams al tawj%h) and the Station of Transcendence (maqm al tan2%h), with the setting of which polytheism (al ishrk) shall cease:9A; and the co!enants of false7 Associates with 6od ('uqad al ashrk) will dissol!e0 so that their prey gets away0 their ruse being lifted/

This Setting0 in its entirety0 is in two parts for him who has two eyes to see: Although it ta%es place in :the 8al%'s;heart0 yet it is by a ight from his ord in the world of his transcendent $eing (ghaybu hu), the ight of His .earness (qurbu hu) remaining with him::9B; And there shall be for him D ight upon lightD:9H; and &oy accruing to #oy/// And if the Most7luminous "lace becomes 'dar%' at the setting of the lesser luminaries of the false7Associates0 denuded of the attributes of their dwelling7place0 that is because it was plunged in the 'cean of the Holiest *ssence0 stripped of the garments of their essential attributes/ So0 contemplate this sublime Secret > how mar!ellous it isS and this delectable Taste > how sweet it isR I remained with this Solar ight in his Most7holy Station0 con!ersing intimately with him for years0 and moonlit nights0 and ages/ .ow 6od has already made manifest to us the Sign (al 'almah) that he :+i2., the Solar7 figure;:9I; was the Seal of the imTmate (khtam al immah) 0 that is to say0 the "articular $uhammadan imTmate0 not the Eni!ersal0 General imTmate/:94; Therefore0 he who has understood0 may he %nowR and he who is ignorant0 let him %noc% on the door and persist in that as long as this ight endures on his hori<on0 before he sets in his Truth/ $ut I ha!e fully !erified his properties0 and came to %now what Secrets the (eal had placed in his %eeping/// PUREST SEA.E, *I+E - ITS ".E+,/ HEA0E+.( *ATER$12' /// Entil the year0 9inety (i+e and hal( o( a 1ay :F A4A8334I744;0:?3; when the gloom of clouds was dispelled from the sun as I was in my spiritual condition (hlat i) upon :the pre!iously7described; (eturn (ruj.') to the world of perception0 with my established Sign and my Qnowledge concealed in the undergarments of ight/ $ut this choice @ine :+i2., the Seal of the Saints; was sealed with mus% and blended with @ater from the celestial fountain0 Tasnm0 because he is the 5ollower of a true eader and the Auditor of 'ne whose word is to be heeded/ The Signal to descend from Hea!en will come to him at the end of time0 and with him will be the Threat and the "romise/ .ow when three months of the abo!e7mentioned year had gone by0:?=; and when0 upon my withdrawing apart to this @estern Sun (al shams al maghrib%yah) and my ma%ing o!er my affair to him in the 'Cathribite Assembly' (al 'isabh al :athrib%yah):?9; > the Seal recei!ing me with his purest @ine0 the hea!enly @ater clarifying for me the blend of his @ay:??; > I then beheld the Seal of the Saints of 6od0 the (eal0:?A; in the Seat of the +omprehensi!e imTmate and Truth/ He showed me the Secret of his lineage0 and I was commanded to %iss his hand/ And I saw him descend upon the '5aithful one' (al &idd%q) :?B;and the 'Kiscriminator' (al "ruq) :+i2., Abu $a%r al7SiddG and 'Emar b/ al7 QhattTb0 the first and second +aliphs; and approach the 'Truthful and Trustworthy one' (al sdiq al masd.q) :+i2., 'Al b/ AbM TTlib0 the third +aliphP;0:?H; standing parallel to him0 next to his ear/ The latter listened intently to recei!e information0 the $anner of the Seal's "recedence unfurled0 and his two Seals were D ight upon ight/D:?I; In that Station of +omprehensi!eness pre7eminence is his0 while others in that regard are Dli%e

the wearer of two garments of falsehood/D:?4; And I noticed that the .oble Sun (al shams al bayt%yah):AN; had %issed :the Seal's; hand e!en as I had0 :so I as%ed the latter concerning the former; and the Seal declared to me: DHe is of my "eople/D Thereupon he discoursed with me0 and we sang the praises of the ancient and the modern0 :A3; the cup7bearer pouring out the !intage wine0 beginning with the '"illar of the Throne of the imTmate' :+i2., the Seal;/ Meanwhile0 he leaned upon me li%e one intoxicated and dallied with me li%e one fallen madly in lo!e0 imploring: D(estore me in the (obe of Secrecy0 for0 !erily0 , am the &eal3 There will be no Saint after me and no one to bear my +o!enant/ @ithout me states will pass away0 and those of the atter days shall be connected to the 5irstD::A=; 'f what I mentioned not0 it was what it was > So0 presume the best0 and do not as% about itR:A9; @hen hearts exchanged their Secrets confidentially and the suns of the transcendent Mysteries rose in the Hea!en of its lights > our Session together reaching its term and AbM l7'AbbTs and his +ompanion :+i2., al7Qhadir and MosesP;:A?; entering upon it > I departed to !erify the Truth of what I %new0 and there was no exGuisite )ou# de $a-tre except it was recei!ed or issued at my gate/ And were it not for the !ow of #ealous "rotection of the sacred Secret ta%en0 and the fact that disclosure would be a !iolation thereof0 we would surely re!eal the Seal of Sainthood to you in his outward and his inward form/ $ut I shall0 indeed0 represent him for you behind the !eil of his finery0 for he who dares and raises :the Secret's; !eil0 sees :the !eil's; Secret/:AA; > And so shall I do with the Sun of our @est :+i2., the Mahd;0 re!ealing him to you from beyond our heart in the seclusion of our Transcendence/:AB; He of Ki!ine (e!elation and firm (esolution :+i2., the Angel 6abriel; burdened my heart until the Sun of my ord was seen therein/:AH; $ut one who rides the swift steed of di!ulgement is sought and o!erta%en0 while he who gets down from its bac% to the more docile riding7mount of secrecy is sa!ed and deli!ered/ That is0 unless one does as I shall > and as has been done before me > with surreptitiousness of symbol0 and by wrapping meaning in enigma and riddle/ :In the next chapter the Messenger of inspiration ,6abriel- is followed by a 'wind in the trees' > that is0 a prophetic dream (mubashshirah) in which the Shay%h was inspired to write the present wor%/ He was not Guite satisfied with the title of the boo% in the dream0 howe!er0 so he sought counsel with the Angel0 who0 upon consultation with higher authorities0 proposed another one/ (e#ecting that0 also ,much to 6abriel's chagrin-0 Ibn al7'Arab only later came up with the felicitous phrase ultimately chosen to denominate the boo%/ The final paragraph0 I thin%0 is one of the most telling of all for re!ealing the real meaning of the Master's teachings: Cou are yourself the (ightly7guided one and the Seal of your destiny/ (eali<e that and you will be the Sa!ior of your own time0 ma%ing your contemporaries the eGuals of the blessed companions of the "rophet/; THE ,R PPI+G ! THE 0EI.S + THE !U.. M +S$34'

In the month of the "rophet Muhammad's birth:A4; ,"eace be upon himR- 6od ,"raised be HeR- sent unto me the Messenger of Inspiration (ras.l al ilhm) 0 that being (e!elation (al wahy) which He %ept in our possession0 and the Message (al khitb) which He granted to us thereby/ Then He caused that Messenger to be followed by a spreading Herald7wind (mubashshirah):BN; in a lush garden0 which commanded me therein to write down this concealed $oo% and well7guarded Secret deposited0 entitling it for me: !he ;ook o( 7n+eiling and <on)ealing )on)erning the Gnosis o( the <ali#h and the &eal.:B3; .ot entirely satisfied0 I consulted the Angel:B=; concerning this indication (al 'almah), and he said to me0 DCoung man0 be patient > I will !erify the matter/D Thereafter he returned to me and did not depart0 but prepared the most7hallowed "lace and alighted0 and the '"resence' (al hadrah) declared: DI ha!e definitely entitled it: !he ;ook o( the =ote !ree o( the "urthest ;oundary and the &e)ret o( the >ro#hets )on)erning the Gnosis o( the <ali#h and the &eal o( the &aints.?@ABC At this I said to him: DIndeed0 I do not find in myself an expression (nuktah) for this impression (al simah), so do not compel me or lay me under a spell unawaresRD > at which he declared: DI am shamed by your re#ection/D $ut I replied: DMy ord it is @ho gi!es both death and lifeRD:B?; Then0 on 5riday0 while the "reacher (al khat%b) was in full swing0:BA; summoning the hearts of the Saints of 6od and His Ser!ants to 6od0 I obtained the Mantle of 'Suspending attraction (burd ka(( al jadhb) away from the "resence of "roximity (hadrat al qurb)'0 :BB; and the precisely suitable words unexpectedly occurred to me0 the promptings of the heart acti!ely abounding because of what the Impressions brought to it/:BH; Thus0 the Most7precious Sermon is from the Holiest Station/ D' astounding "reacher (al khatb al mughrib) and ama<ing +ritic (al muntaqid al mu'jib),? I exclaimed0 Dwill you be content with this titleP 7 !he "abulous Gry#hon )on)erning the Gnosis o( the &eal o( the &aints and the &un /ising in the 8est,@ADC and the Allegory o( the &e)ret o( the ;oundary (al sha() in the <entury "ollowing !hat o( the <hosen Ene (al $usta(F).?@AGC All of these symbolic expressions (al ishdrt) refer to the esser +opy (al nuskhah al sughrF) :+i2., Man as microcosm;0 not the 6reater +opy (al nuskhah al kubrF) :the macrocosm;/ As I explained to you earlier0 there is no benefit in the %nowledge of that which is external to your own Self unless the way of your Sal!ation is dependent thereupon/ 5or the Sun of the @est (shams al maghrib) is that which ascends of the ights of Intellections in the @orld of your Transcendence and that which manifests itself (tajall) of the Secrets of "articulari<ation and 6enerali<ation to your heart0:HN; #ust

as the Seal of Sainthood is that by which your Station is sealed in the '5urthest $oundary' of your term of duration/:H3; Similarly0 if you act in your own time and among your own brethren as those who went before among the +ompanions of the "rophet ,May 6od bless and %eep himR-:H=; as regards sublime "ractice (al 'amal al san%) and exalted Self7 manifestation (al tajall% 'al%), then your time will surely be #oined with theirs0 and you will truly become one of their peersR :'ur final section throws light on the in!ol!ed issue of the formal relation between the hierarchic grades of the Mahd and the Seal0 along with a third personage0 the &idd%q, or '5aithful 'ne' > not to mention the type of the 'Angel'/ @hereas for AbM Hamd al7 6ha<<Tl ,d/ ANA83333- the ran% of sidd%q%yah, personified in Abu $a%r al7SiddG0 the !ery embodiment of the true su))essor to the "rophet0 was the highest degree that any saint could reach after Muhammad0:H9; higher e!en than that of the expected Mahd ,with its suspectable 'imTmite' associations-0 Ibn al7'Arab posited yet another walyah rank beyond that > namely0 the Station of "roximity (maqm al qurbah), or '6eneral8Absolute "rophecy'0 which characteri<ed the lofty status of the Seal and other such peerless indi!iduals (a(rd)/:H?; ittle wonder that 'orthodox' ,F ordinary7mindedSunnites !iewed this mo!e as an insidious reassertion of the 'Ki!ine right' claim of the Sh'ites for their ,mm/:HA; @hat the latter lost in the subordination of the noble mahd to the &idd%q was gained again ,but without the #hysi)al 'Alid pedigree0 which would ha!e been a nuisance to the Sufis0 anyway- with the raising up of the new saintly Seal/; THE .I!TI+G ! A 0EI. A+, THE H .( STRUGG.E PEAR.$67' ! A+ U+PIER5E,

@hen that of which I ha!e been spea%ing was fully determined and that about which I ha!e written accrued to me0 the Messenger of Inspiration addressed me: D' Muhammad0 :HH; ha!e you discerned this Intimation concerning the delay of the @a<rate (ta'akhkhur al wi2rah):HI; :+i2., the mission of the MahdP; until after his appointment by the +ommander (al am%r) :the &idd%qP;:H4; at the time of the Amirate (al imrah)4:IN; @ere it not for the +aliphate of the true 5riend (khil(at al sad%q), the people would ha!e turned aside from the "ath:I3; because of the absence of the ongoing process of (e!elation and because of the 6nosis of 6od's Turning7away :the e!ildoer;' (ma'ri(at al sar().:I=; $ut can there be a +aliphate except after the determination of the 'ne who appoints the +aliph (thub.t al mustakhli()P:I9; 5or this reason the sophistic disputant has his doubts/ $ut say to him0 Muhammad: '' Man0 how wrong you areR All that is reGuired for his existence > it is as though it already is0 and he does existR And yet he is not existent in this @orld of change and affliction0 but rather has @isdom held him bac%0 harboring him for a Secret:I?; > that Secret which will be made manifest in its proper season0 at the coming of its destined time/'D:IA; The Sun of the @est :+i2., the mahd; ran%s below the Station of the '5aithful 'ne' (rutbat al sidd%q) > but %eep that a secretR > e!en as the 5aithful and0 therefore0 he who is below him, is under the $anner of the Seal :of the Saints; (liw' al khatm)/:IB; That is to say that the ights of the Transcendent Mysteries shining in the hearts0 which we alluded

to earlier0 might still be attained unto by one who is not a 6reater '5aithful7'ne' (sidd%q akbar) and who has not achie!ed that most7important Station/ Indeed0 e!en one utterly deluded0 duped and decei!ed can attain unto them > the Secret of this being in 6od's saying ,$e He *xaltedR-: D@e shall lure them step by step from whence they %now notD:IH; > whereas the Station of Supreme 5aithfulness (al sidd%q%yah) is attained only by the "eople of Sainthood (ahl al walyah) and he to whom it is foreordained by 6od from "re7eternity/ 5or 5aithfulness is the @ay of Sal!ation for one who possesses it and proceeds according to its way/ This0 then0 is the reason we made the @estern Sun to be beneath the 5aithful 'ne and dependent upon him0 e!en as the Seal is abo+e the Station of the 5aithful: The Mahd is the one who pa!es the way (al mumahhid li l tar%q) upon which a .oble 'ne ('at%q):II; will wal%/ $ut the Seal is "rophetary in origin (nabaw% al mahtid), Hea!enly in appearance ('alaw% al mashhad). Therefore0 we ha!e placed him abo!e the Station of 5aithfulness (al sidq), e!en as the (eal had placed him/ 5or he who ta%es his light from the amp of "rophecy (mishdt al nub.wah):I4; is greater than one who ta%es it from the amp of 5aithfulness (mishkt al sidd%q%yah) 0 the relationship between the 5ollower (al tbi') and the +ompanion (al shib) being as that of one who is present (al shhid) to one who is absent (al gh'ib). @hen it was established that the Seal would be the Head of the +ommunity (muqaddam al jam'ah) on the Kay of the coming of the Hour (qiym al s'ah), it was determined that he would ha!e two +ongregations0:4N; being Master of the Two Seals/ $ut whereas the '@inged 'ne' (dh. l ajnihah) :+i2., the Angel 6abriel; will share with the Seal the tas% of gathering the two +ongregations0:43; the Seal is alone in charge of his two Signet7seals/ The '@inged 'ne' in Man is he in whom spirituality (al r.han%yah) predominates and who is de!oted to the purification of his soul by !irtue of the Angelic Station (al rutbah al malak%yah). Incontestably0 in our !iew0 as regards this Station there is no putting off its power/ According to the degree of his ascent in that Station0 an Angel (shib al ajnihah) may ha!e two0 three or four wings/:4=; Howe!er0 the $ost trustworthy of Spirits:49; will ha!e in that Station si' hundred wings:4?; > with no ob#ection and no sin (junh) therein/:4A; @e0 howe!er0 ha!e called him a 'Seal' (khtim)0:4B; and placed him as an authority (hkim) o!er the Saints0 because on the Kay of (esurrection he will come with an 'Allegorical7Material' Seal (khtam mithl% jusmn%) in his right hand > the locus of the Most7sublime (uler (al malik al asnF) 0 and a '(e!elatory7Spiritual' Seal (khtam ni2l% r.hn%) in his left hand > the locus of the .oblest imTm (al imm al asrF)/:4H; 5or his authority was propagated on the right7hand in the host of the people of Appointment (ahl al ta'y%n), while on the left it spread with the people of *mpowerment (ahl al tamk%n) @GDC 0 the Seal being characteri<ed by two Sciences ('ilmn) and addressed by two .ames (ismn)/:44; 5or he has leadership from the $eginning (al tara''us (% l h(irah) and precedence in the Sainthood of the Hereafter (walyat al akh%rah). So0 understand0 ' Intelligent one0 these secrets0 and stri!e for the radiance of these lightsR

+otes

3/ It was probably written in Andalusia ,perhaps in Almeria- in A4B8 3=NN0 when Ibn al7'Arab was thirty7six years old/ I ha!e dealt with this and other issues in my study8translation of the 'Anq' mughrib, entitled ,slami) &ainthood in the "ullness o( !ime , eiden0 3444-0 from which the translated passages in the present article ha!e been excerpted ,and simplified0 but not abridged-/ ,I am grateful to */ &/ $rill "ublishers0 eiden0 for permission to reprint the selections from my translation of the 'Anq'/=/ The latter expression was apparently first used by the 9rd84th7 century Suff theorist0 al7 Ha%m al7Tirmidh0 'the Sage of Tirmidh' ,in what is now E<be%istan0 near the Afghan border-/ His K. Khatm al awliy' has been edited by '/ Cahia ,$eirut0 34BA- and0 under the title0 &%rat al awliy', more recently by $/ (adt%e in 1rei &)hri(ten des !heoso#hen +on !irmidh ,Stuttgart0 344=-/ 9/ The chronology of Ibn al7'Arab's earliest writings is still largely undetermined > the few express indications that we ha!e are often contradictory0 due to some of the boo%s in Guestion ha!ing been re!ised > and a great deal of patient0 critical study and comparison of many texts will be reGuired before we may begin to confidently put most of the pieces in some order/ A tentati!e prospectus of wor%s that antedate the 'Anq' ,but some only in their first drafts- would include the ,nsh' al daw'ir, Al !adb%rt al ilh%yah, Kash( al ma'nF, K. al ,sr', $ashhid al asrr al quds%yah and $awqi' al nuj.m. ?/ To date I am not aware of any manuscript of a wor% by Ibn al7'Arab ,or any other Sufi- that was actually copied in the Maghrib before MS ;erlin BHAA ,the primary text of the 'Anq'), which was transcribed in A4H83=N3 in 5e</ A/ It is worth noting that0 apart from the well7%nown masterpieces such as the "us.s al hikam and Al "ut.ht al makk%yah, the 'Anq' has been commented upon by Arab writers more times than almost any of Ibn al7 'Arab's other boo%s ,#udging from the number of listings in Cahia's re#ertoire general). +lose seconds would be the $ashhid and the $awqi'. B/ The doctrine was later de!eloped in the "ut.ht and elsewhere0 and brought to final fruition in the "us.s. H/ Cahia cites "ut.ht ,+airo0 3433-0 !ol/ II0 p/ ?40 as a prooftextS but while that passage does not actually indicate that Ibn al7'Arab was the Muhammadan Seal0 the claim is made in ibid., !ol/ I0 p/ =?? ,l/ =A-/ I/ *dited by H/ S/ .yberg in his Kleinere &)hri(ten des ,bn al 'Arab% , eiden0 3434-0 pp/ 3N97=?N/ 4/ E#. )it. ,Kamascus0 34B?-0 pp/ 3AH7I ,no/ 9N-/ 3N/ The !adb%rt and the 'Anq' are roughly of the same length ,o!er HA printed octa!o pages-/ That the former was written in only four days ,we do not %now the actual date of

composition- may seem incredible0 but it must be %ept in mind that the boo% in its present form has undergone later rewor%ing/ 33/ 5or references to al7MawrMr ,whose full name is gi!en in the corresponding passage from the "ihrist, cited in the next note-0 see +/ Addas0 Iuest (or the /ed &ul#hur ,+ambridge0 3449-0 pp/ 39N73/ 3=/ See Al !adb%rt, pp/ 3=N73/ According to Ibn al7'Arab in his "ihrist al mu'alla(at, the !adb%rt was modeled on (#seudo ) Aristotle's wor%: DI followed therein the example of Aristu in !he ;ook o( the &e)ret o( se)rets, which he wrote for Is%andarD ,A/ */ Affifi0 ed/0 DThe @or%s of Ibn 'Arab in the ight of a Memorandum Krawn Ep by Him0D ;ulletin o( the "a)ulty o( Arts, Ale'andria 7ni+ersity, I :34A?;0 p/ 34I-/ 5or Ibn al7'Arab's !ery negati!e reaction to a passage in the $ad%nah al (dilah ,The Ideal +ityof the Islamic philosopher0 al75TrTb ,d/ 99484AN-0 see "ut.ht, III0 3HI ,337?-/ 39/ The taby%n al gharad, on pp/ A7H of the ,uncritical- 34A? +airo edn/ of the 'Anq'. 3?/ D6reaterD and DlesserD here signify0 of course0 ma)ro and mi)ro , in the sense of 'extended' and 'intended'0 or e!en 'external0 sensual' and 'internal0 supersensual'/ D*ssenceD0 similarly0 is the spiritual antithesis of physical DexistenceD in the present usage/ 3A/ 5or Ibn al7'Arab's treatment of this matter in the !adb%rt, see pp/ 3=N793 and 3?97A= of Kleinere &)hri(ten. 3B/ 'n each of these offices0 see ibid., pp/ 3HB74seq., 3AH7B30 3AB7H0 3IA7B and 3I4seq/S and )(. pp/ 3I4seq., dealing with al su(ar' wa l rusul. 3H/ See ibid., pp/ 39IseG/ and 344/ AI7Ha%m al7Tirmidhwrote on this typically '6nostic' theme (e.g., in his K. al 'Aql wa l haw). 5or an analysis of the general sub#ect as it occurs in the teachings of another early *astern Sufi0 Sahl al7Tustar0 see 6/ $owering0 !he $ysti)al Jision o( E'isten)e in <lassi)al ,slam ,.ew Cor%0 34IN-0 pp/ =?37B3/ 3I/ See !adb%rt, pp/ 34?7I/ 34/ O/ 99: 9=/ The expression occurs freGuently in the Our'Tn0 but usually in the plural ,as in =:3N-/ =N/ <(. O/ AB: B=/ 9ash'ah is a fa!orite term of Ibn al7'Arab for the human 'form' in the sense of a de!elopment0 or 'e!olution'0 understood both naturally and spiritually0 in the sense of either emanationism or creation/ The word can be rendered in many ways0 but here the nuskhah and the nash'ah suggest the metaphysical and the phenomenological aspects of man/

=3/ Al mans.b ilF bayt al nab% al maqm% wa l t%n%. The ad#ecti!es modify bayt but denote two %inds of relation (nisbah) to the "rophet > by spiritual standing and through physical descent/ ==/ The latter is presumably the same as the khatm al awliy', though one could hypothesi<e that we ha!e here a foreshadowing of the dichotomy of sealhood into 'uni!ersal' and 'Muhammadan' offices/ =9/ The (ir2n ,U "er/0 (ar2%n, 'learned'- in the .ear *astern game of chess (shitranj) would more properly be called a '!i<ier' than a 'Gueen'/ =?/ @e may !iew the sultan as the animus, the energy of the self or ego0 capable of being directed to the good by 'intellect' ,the super7ego- or to e!il by 'passion'0 the id ()(. Kohn 3=: 937=-/ Thus0 the 'being8world of the sultan' is the gi!en situation0 and Ibn al7'Arab's ta%ing full responsibility for it0 while caring nothing for its conditions0 amounts to a %ind of Stoic existentialism/ =A/ Here the Shay%h alludes to the truce of al7Hudaybyah0 the occasion of O/ ?I:3N0 addressed to the "rophet: D1erily0 those who pledge allegiance to you pledge to 6od/ The hand of 6od is o!er their handsS so whoe!er brea%s his oath0 brea%s it but to his own hurt/D =B/ This is a well7%nown had%th, found in many collections ,for instance0 see in al7 $u%hTr's &ah%h alone: Kum'ah, 33S Kan'i2, 9=S ,stiqrd, =NS 8asy, 4S 9ikh, I3 and 4NS and Ahkm, 3-/ =H/ 9a(s %, in the concrete sense of 'my personal0 !ital spirit' ,rather than the corroborati!e0 'myself0 'my being' or 'my person'-0 since it is feminine/ The poem is in the tetrametre of al bas%t. =I/ <(. O/ A4: H: D@hate!er the Apostle gi!es you0 ta%eS and whate!er he forbids to you0 refrain from/D =4/ Ji2., the external0 tangible world of nature/ The fundamental principle of occultism: As is the seen0 so the unseen ,F Das abo!e0 so below0D Don earth as it is in hea!enD-/ 9N/ See "ut.ht, I0 9 ,=-/ Actually0 the words are attributed to the Guasi7Ki!ine Muhammadan (eality/ 93/ *ud'hud am%n j'a bi naba' yaq%n ,see O/ =H: HL Hseq.). The hoopoe here connotes the 'Anq' ,gryphon7phoenix-0 or s%murgh. This and the remaining translated chapters occur on pp/ 3A734 of the 34A? edn/ of the 'Anq'. 9=/ In the &%rat al nab% of Ibn Hisham0 the Angel 6abriel appears to Muhammad as Da man pure ,of form-0 his two feet astride the hori<on of hea!enD0 whence he salutes the prophet7to7be ,see A/ 6uillaume0 trans/0 !he =i(e o( $uhammad :'xford0 34AA;0 p/ 3NB-/

99/ <(. O/ B: HB7I0 upon which this imagery is based/ 9?/ That is0 the time predetermined by 6od when the sun will rise from the west0 signalling the beginning of the eschaton0 cosmically or mystically/ 9A/ In the story of Abraham and the 'twilight of the idols' ,O/ B: H?7 I9-0 when the sun set ,DI lo!e not things that set0D !/ HB- the prophet exclaimed: D' my peopleR 1erily0 I am :now; free from that which you associate :with 6od;D ,!/ HI-/ 9B/ The state of (an' ,mystical 'annihilation'- is absolute for the temporal human Gualities0 but is mitigated by baq' ,continuance of immortal abiding- in the wal%'s transcendent essence/ '5riendship with 6od' (walyah) connotes His nearness0 so that the ight does not set in reality though it a##ears to from the perspecti!e of the conditioned !iewer ,DMy 6od0 why ha!e Cou forsa%en mePD-/ 9H/ <(. O/ =?: 9A/ 9I/ This refers to a re!elation which too% place in 5e< in A4?8334H7I0 when0 Ibn al7'Arab later wrote in "ut.ht, III0 A3? ,397?-0 D6od ga!e me the sign ('almah) :of the Seal of sainthood;/D Moreo!er0 it could ha!e to do with the certain Ki!ine secret which Ibn al7'Arab imprudently di!ulged in 5e< in that same year ,see ibid., II0 9?I :937=seq/;-/ If so0 the secret may ha!e been the fact that he was himsel( the Muhammadan Seal/ 'therwise0 more specifically0 the 'almah is said to be an actual lump between the Seal's shoulder7blades0 similar to one found on the "rophet's bac% > as well as Ibn al7'Arab's0 according to a !erse in his 1%wan ,+airo0 3IAA-0 p/ 9=90 !/ H/ 94/ $utlaqah ,general- here means 'generic0 not connected with a particular religious community'/ This line is somewhat problematic ,for reasons we need not go into at this point-0 and it should be noted that there is some indication that it is a later interpolation ,made by the author himself-/ ?N/ /ah%q makht.m mi2ju hu !asn%m. <(. O/ I9: =A7I0 of which the heading is a paraphrase/ ?3/ That is to say0 A4A AH0 the Islamic lunar year which began in .o!ember0 334I0 rec%oning a 'day ,of the ord-' as one7thousand years ,see O/ ==:?H0 et al.). ?=/ That is0 into the third month ,(ab' I- of A4A0 which corresponded almost exactly with &anuary of 3344/ This date0 then0 is firmly attested as the terminus a quo for the composition of the 'Anq'. ?9/ Cathrib0 of course0 is the pre7Islamic name of Medina0 the '+ity of the "rophet'/ The ad#ecti!e alludes to O/ 99:39: D' people of Cathrib0 there is no station :reading maqm ; for you0 so return :to 6od;RD ()(. M/ +hod%iewic<0 &eal o( the &aints :+ambridge0 3449;0 p/ H=0 n/ ??-/ As for the significance of the word0 'isbah ,group0 association-0 cognate with ta'assub, it may be rele!ant to point out that Ibn al7'Arab used to meet with a circle

of fellow Sufis in 5e< in A4?8334I for nightly practice of dhikr, and he e!en suggested that it was on account of the brea%7up of this group that he began shortly thereafter to disseminate his %nowledge in boo%s/ Howe!er0 the reference is more li%ely to the Dstation of the inexpressibleD (maqmu m l yuqlu) associated with O/ 99: 39 in another Maghribine wor% by Ibn al7'Arab0 the prologue to the $ashhid al asrr, as +hod%iewic< pointed out/ ??/ The implication is that the celestial wine0 with ' ogic absolute'0 opens the eyes to the truth/ ?A/ Abu l75adl al7MaGaTbir0 a 4th83Ath7century Syrian commentator on the 'Anq', specifies that this is Dthe particular0 Muhammadan Seal0 not the uni!ersalD0 and that it is meant to signify Dthe self8soul fortified by its imbibing of the pure0 sealed wineD (,2hr al makht.m, in $& Jati)an HGB-/ $ut if so0 we must assume that the mystic is beholding his own self in apotheosis/ ?B/ This epithet is usually translated 'the !eracious one'0 although0 when applied to Abu $a%r0 it probably was primarily intensi!e of musaddiq3 'one who accepts0 or admits0 the truth of what is said'0 i.e., one who is supremely (aith(ul. $ut in the present context we need to distinguish this term from the meaning of al sdiq ,the truthful- in the following clause/ 'n the &udeo7+hristian messianic connotations of the epithet0 al "r.q, and its e!entual application to 'Emar0 see S/ $ashear0 DThe Title0 '5TrMG'0 and Its Association with 'Emar I0D &tudia islami)a, MH ,344N-0 pp/ ?H7HN/ ?H/ The referent is not at all certain and may0 rather0 be the "rophet Muhammad/ $ut this entire scene e!idently represents the same !isionary experience that is the basis of the famous passage from the exordium of the "ut.ht ,I0 =79-0 where the &idd%q appears on the right7hand of the transfigured Muhammad0 the "aruq on his left0 and the Seal ,&esusin front0 Drecounting to him the story of the 5emale (had%th al unth)?. Most significantly0 'Alis then said to translate the Seal's words into Arabic ,from Hebrew7 Aramaic- for the "rophet/ 5inally0 note that one of the notable scions of 'Aland a progenitor of Sufism0 the sixth imTm0 &a'far0 was called al &diq. ?I/ The Dtwo sealsD are the two modes of light0 cosmic and mystical0 personified in the uni!ersal Seal ,&esus- and the particular0 Muhammadan Seal ,Ibn al7'Arab- > both subsumed under the aegis of the Muhammadan (eality/ .ote that in the !ision described in the "ut.ht, the one called 'he of the two lights' (dhu l n.rayn) may be a conflation of Ibn al7'Arab himself ,Dco!ered in the robe of his modestyD- and &esus/ ?4/ This is part of a tradition recorded by Muslim (=ibs, 3=H- and AbM KT'Md (Adab, I9-/ AN/ Al bayt%yah signifies descent from the house of the "rophet and 'Al75Ttimah0 and so0 presumably0 refers to the Mahdor0 perhaps0 'Al/ A3/ The relati!e merits of the classical and modern poets was a popular theme of scholarly debate in Arabic literature/ Ibn al7Mu'ta<< ,Guoted below-0 author of the

!abaqt al shu'ar' al muhdith%n, was himself an outstanding example of the 'modern' Arab poets/ A=/ See the last paragraph of the last section translated0 below/ In O/ 9: A40 &esus ,in his second coming0 the last saint- is li%ened to Adam ,the first-/ A9/ 8a kna m kna mim m lastu adhkuru h. 6 (a 2unna khayran wa la tas'al 'ani l khabar%. This !erse ,in al bas%t) is from the 1%wan of 'Abd AllTh b/ al7Mu'ta<<0 who had the great distinction of reigning as caliph in 'Abbasid $aghdad for one day ,in =4B84NIbefore being assassinated/ Ibn al7'Arab would ha!e %nown the !erse from al76ha<<Tl's Al $unqidh min al dall, where it is Guoted0 though he might ha!e met with it also in the opening pages of the philosophical no!el0 *ayy ,bn :aq2n, by his compatriot0 Ibn Tufayl/ A?/ Abu l 'Abbas is one of the kunyahs bestowed by genealogists upon al7Qhadir0 the immortal0 wandering super7wal%/ The Our'Tnic story of the encounter of al7Qhadir and the prophet0 Moses ,O/ 3I: BN7I=- is the subtext of the section preceding this ,concerning the man from Tabri<-0 and the passage is treated elsewhere in the 'Anq', as well/ Al7 MaGaTbirsuggests that al7Qhadir0 Dwho is the leader of the saints (naq%b al awliya'), is a personification of the %nowledge of reality and the subtle secrets ('ilm al haq%qah wa l asrr al raq%qah) at the completion of things0D while his companion0 Moses0 stands for the proprietary %nowledge of the law ('ilm al shar%'ah) in the present world/ AA/ 'r: 'he who dares to raise his :own human; !eil will see his :own Ki!ine; secret/' ,+ompare this with the had%th, DHe who %nows himself %nows his ordD/AB/ He will re!eal his doctrine of the Seal in the most !eiled manner0 relying upon the reader's intuition to di!ine its real meaning/ AH/ D$urdened my heartD: shaqqa 'an qalb %. 6abriel 'forced' the prophet7to7be to recite the Scripture ,see 6uillaume0 trans/0 !he =i(e o( $uhammad, p/ 3NBS )(. also the story of two angels splitting open @shaqqaC the young Muhammad's heart to purify it0 in ibid., p/ H=-/ AI/ ,rkh' al sut.r 'alF l bud.r. "resumably0 the 'un!eilings of the full7moons' symboli<e the successi!e re!elations of the draft7titles of the 'Anq' recounted in this chapter/ A4/ That is0 (ab' I0 which began on the first day of &anuary0 3344/ BN/ This signifies the ru'y slihah ,!eridical dream-0 or wahy al mu'min, which according to tradition is 38?Bth part of prophecy and is accessible to any belie!er/ <(. O/ 9N:?B: DAnd of His Signs (ytu hu) He sends the winds as heralds (al riyh mubashshirt), that you may taste of His mercy/D <(. also al7$u%hTr0 !a'b%r al ru'y, G (et al.)3 D.othing remains of prophecy after the mission of Muhammad except for the 'herald winds'0 spiritual intimations (al mubashshirt).? @hen as%ed what this signified0 the "rophet answered: DThe !eridical dream (al ru'y l slihah).?

B3/ K. al Kash( wa l katm (( ma'ri(at al khal%(ah wa l khatm. 'ne com mentator identifies the khal%(ah and the khatm as Dthe Mahdand &esusD0 but another possibility would be to understand these expressions as denoting the exoteric0 or 'political'0 and the esoteric0 or properly mystical0 aspects of the complex Mahd8Seal persona0 corresponding to the modes of 'un!eiling' (kash() and 'concealment' (katm). In one sense0 the first aspect can be ta%en to be embodied in &esus as Mahdand uni!ersal Seal0 while the second is represented by Ibn al7'Arab himself as the special Muhammadan Seal and $uhy% l d%n ,(e!i!er of Islam-/ B=/ That is0 6abriel0 the angel of re!elation0 but also0 e!idently0 the Dmessenger of inspirationD/ B9/ K. &idrat al muntahF wa sirr al anbiy' (i ma'ri(at al khall(ah wa khatm al awliy'. (egarding the sidrat al muntahF, see O/ A9: 3973I0 where it is named as the locus of another of the "rophet's !isions of the Angel 6abriel ,)(. w/ A74-/ B?/ <(. O/ =: =AI0 recounting the theological argument between Abraham and a !ainglorious %ing/ BA/ Kuring the regular 5riday sermon (khutbah)/ Al7MaGaTbirinterprets Dthe preacherD to symboli<e the heart's mo!ing the senses to remember 6od in dhikr. BB/ Kadhbah would ordinarily be ta%en to signify 'attraction ,of the ser!ant- to ,6od by His grace-'0 but here we e!idently ha!e the opposite sense of jadhb as 'capti!ation0 enticement'0 away from nearness to 6od/ BH/ The 'impressions'0 or simat ,F ma'anin), planted by the angel of inspiration0 naturally de!elop into the heart's 'moti!es'0 or dawin, which ultimately e!o%e the precisely suitable words ,F 'ibrt-/ Thus0 in a compelling manner Ibn al7'Arab con!eys in this remar%ably detailed and psychologically accurate account of the process of literary creation the notion of the essential autonomy of spiritual inspiration0 or > it would be the same to say > of the existential (reedom of the true ser!ant of 6od/ BI/ 'Anq' mughrib (% ma'ri(at khatm al awliy' wa l shams al maghrib. This0 of course0 is the current title of the boo%/ AI7MaGaTbir explains that the wor% is so7titled Dbecause the gryphon ('Anq') is potentially existent but not existent0 and no one has first7hand %nowledge of it except for Solomon0 the prophet of 6od/// Since the gryphon0 then0 is so distinguished as to existence ('a2i2at al wujud), the boo% has been gi!en this title by !irtue of the recondite nature of its meanings and its symbols0 and the author's doctrine concerning the Seal of the saints and the Sun of the @est/D B4/ 8a 9uktat sirr al sha( (i l qarn al lhiq bi qarn al $usta(F. I read sha(an instead of shi(', for the sa%e of the rhyme/ The former occurs in the Our'Tn ,9:3N9 and 4:3N4-0 but only with negati!e connotations ,as the 'brin% :of the land of the dead;' it is an appropriate designation for the extreme $aghrib). Here the purpose is perhaps to ma%e an association between the expressions0 sirr al sha( and sidrat al muntahF. $usta(F ,for

musta(F =lah, the '+hosen one of 6od'- is an epithet of the "rophet/ The Dsecret of the boundaryD ,F the Seal8Mahd- is said to be of Dthe century followingD that of the "rophet in the sense that he is his tbi' ,follower- and the omega to his al#ha. HN/ The 'western sun' symboli<es the triumphant light of reali<ation8 understanding rising out of the unconscious0 as well as the concrete and ideal content of that creati!e manifestation in the heart/ H3/ Here we ha!e our author's most uneGui!ocal statement of the essential interiority of the apocalyptic #ersonae billed in the title of the present wor%/ 5or Ibn al7'Arab0 eschatology is0 firstly0 a radical component of mystical psychology/ H=/ A commentator cites as proof of the author's point the case of Eways al7Oaran0 a mystic who li!ed in Cemen at the time of the "rophet but ne!er met him0 yet who %new of his existence > as the "rophet did his0 saying: DThe breath of the Merciful (na(as al /ahmn) comes to me from CemenD ,see Muslim0 "ad'il al sahbah, ==97A0 et al.). The idea is that e!en as space could not separate Eways and the "rophet0 so time cannot alienate the latter7day saints/ H9/ See the references to the ,hy' 'ul.m al d%n cited by +hod%iewic< in &eal o( the &aints, p/ AH0 n/ =A/ H?/ 5or +hod%iewic<'s informati!e account of the A%barian notion of the maqm al qurbah, see the passages indexed in his &eal. HA/ Ibn Qhaldun0 for example0 insisted that the post7classical Sufis were tainted by '5Ttimid' heresy0 e!en singling out Ibn al7'Arab's 'Anq' mughrib as an instance of this ,see 5/ (osenthal0 trans/0 !he $uqaddimah :"rinceton0 34BH;0 !ol/ II0 pp/ 3IB7=NN0 especially pp/ 3I4seg/-/ HB/ /a('u sitrin wa mujahadatu bikrin. 'Enpierced ,!irgin- pearl' is one of the se!eral meanings of bikr which resonates with the imagery of the present wor%/ Another possibility would be 'first7born'0 in the sense of first 'successor'0 since the allusion is surely to Abu $a%r as the "rophet's successor0 the caliph #ar e')ellen)e. $ujhadah : Dholy struggleD (e.g., against bodily desires-/ HH/ This was Ibn al7'Arab's personal name ('alam) by which he was %nown amongst his family and closest friends/ HI/ A commentator explains this as the 'holding bac%' (ta'kh%r) of &esus in hea!en until the appointed time of his second coming/ H4/ Am%r al mu'min%n ,commander of the faithful- is the official title of the caliph ,F the &idd%q, as exemplified in Abu $a%r-/

IN/I am not entirely certain what the offices of the wi2rah and imrah are intended to signify here/ As a lesser ran% to the amrate ,F the 'caliphate' of the &idd%q, as in my translationS or else of the SealP-0 the wa<rate could stand for the walyah rank of the &idd%q or the Mahd0 depending on whether the amrate is ta%en to represent the khitm%yah or the sidd%q%yah. I3/ The caliphate of Abu $a%r was occupied by the wars of apostasy (hur.b al riddah) fought against Arab tribes that attempted to secede from the Islamic confederation after the death of the "rophet ,in 337398B9=7?-/ ,I ta%e this to be the exoteric referent of the phrase0 mujhadat bikr, in the heading/I=/ 'ther possible translations of sar( here might be 'e!asi!e artifice0 cunning' ()(. O/ =A:34-0 'repentance'0 and 'supererogation'0 etc/ I ha!e opted for the sense of the cognate !erb in O/ 4:3=H: D6od turns away (sara(a) their hearts0 for they are a people who %now notDS and H:3?B: DI shall turn away from My Signs (ayat %) those who wrongfully magnify themsel!es in the earth0 so that :e!en; if they see e!ery Sign0 they will not belie!e it0 and if they see the way of righteousness0 they will not adopt itS while when they see the way of error0 they will ta%e it as their way/D I9/ This perhaps represents an argument pointing out that inasmuch as the Mahd,the last caliph- has not yet been appointed ,by the caliph preceding himP-0 the office0 therefore0 does not now exist0 and is of no account/ AI7MaGaTbir reads0 Guite plausibly0 al mustakhla( ,the one appointed as caliph-0 whom he identifies as &esus ,see next note-/ I?/ DThat is0 the prophet of 6od0 &esus0 the 'greater caliph' (al mustakhla( al akbar), for he exists in the world of Ki!ine power and transcendence ,'lam al jabar.t wa l ghayb),? explains the commentator/ IA/ The Messenger of inspiration apparently concludes his statement at this point0 although it is possible that the remainder of the section also represents his discourse/ IB/ Here we ha!e Ibn al7'Arab's first explicit ran%ing of the walyah grades with respect to each other/ IH/ O/ H:3I= and BI: ??/ AI7MaGaTbir adds a note of caution to this sanguine pronouncement0 Guoting O/ B:3=3: DIndeed0 the de!ils inspire their followers (awliy'u hum)...? II/ 'At%q Allah ,freed by 6od- is another epithet of Abu $a%r0 who stands here for the &idd%q. Al7MaGaTbir glosses 'at%q as the intellect ,al 'aql), in accordance with the tradition0 DThe first thing created by 6od was the intellectD ,see Abu Ka'ud0 &unnah, 3B0 et at.), for it 'became precedent' ('at%q) in the sense of existential priority (sbiq%yat al wuj.d). I4/ The Seal0 as the one who ta%es his light (al akhidhu n.ra hu) from the lamp of prophecy0 might well be assumed to ran% below prophecy/ This0 howe!er0 is not the case0

as the saints are themsel!es endowed with 'general prophecy' (nub.wah mutlaqah) in Ibn al7'Arab's full7blown doctrine0 and in the same clause we learn that the sidd%q ta%es his light from the lamp of his own proper station/ $ishkh3 properly0 'a niche in the wall' where a lamp gi!es off more light than elsewhere (d. the famous ' ight7!erse'0 O/ =?: 9A-/ 4N/ AI7MaGaTbir glosses the Dtwo congregationsD ,and the Dtwo sealsD0 below- as being of the Dtangible and the hea!enly worlds ('lam al mulk wa l malak.t)?. In the margin0 howe!er0 another commentator has gi!en the better interpretation: DThis is indicati!e of &esus ,May the blessings and peace of 6od be upon himR-0 for he has two congregations > that is0 one of his own people0 the children of Israel :that is0 the +hristians;0 in respect to his own prophethood0 and another with our "rophet Muhammad ,May 6od bless and %eep him- and his communityD ()(. "ut.ht, II0 4 :473N; and ?4 :=N73;-/ The final &udgment is %nown as the 'Kay of +ongregation'/ 43/ 6abriel is the angel who will blow the trumpet heralding the beginning of the (esurrection/ 4=/ a. O/ 9A:3/ 49/ 6abriel is referred to as the 'trustworthy spirit' on the basis of O/ I3: =3/ Here0 howe!er0 the ?most trustworthy of spiritsD is apparently the Seal of the saints > that is0 &esus in his eschatological role as Dthe Son of Man coming in the clouds of Hea!en with power and great gloryD ($att. =?: 9NS )(. also =B: B?0 and /e+. 3: H-/ The !erb is in the future tense/ 4?/ In "ut.ht, III0 =B3 ,3H-0 Ibn al7'Arab states that some angels ha!e e!en more than six7hundred wings/ 4A/ .ote the play on words between janh ,wing- and junh ,sin-/ 4B/ 1ocali<ed as kht%m to denote the Seal as agent as opposed to the instrument0 which is con!entionally spelled khtam. $ut following the precedent set by al7Ha%m al7 Tirmidh0 Ibn al7'Arab generally employs the infiniti!e0 khatm, to refer to the Seal/ 4H/ The left7hand imm is superior to the one on the right in most ,but not all- comparable texts of Ibn al7'Arab ,see0 e/g/0 $awq%' al nuj.m :+airo0 34BA;0 pp/ 39I74-/ 4I/ Al7MaGaTbir speculates: DThese are the people of sainthood0 for one of them has said: 'Qnowledge of the Ki!ine law is safer0 but %nowledge of reality is more empowering ,'ilm al shar%'ah aslam, wa 'ilm al haq%qah amkan).' "erhaps the Master was alluding to this saying/D 44/ D.amely0 the religious7scholar (al 'al%m) and the saint (al wal%)?, according to al7 MaGaTbir0 who supposes that the two modes of %nowledge are the shar%'ah and the haq%qah. "erhaps0 rather0 the Dtwo namesD are simply those of &esus mentioned by Ibn al7'Arab later in the boo%: 'Abd Allah and ',sF.

(eturn to the top of the page EQ: mias/u%Vibnarabisociety/org "/'/ $ox I4=0 'xford0 '2= H2 0 EQ W?? 3IBA A334B9 ESA: mias/usaVibnarabisociety/org 9I Miller A!e X?IB0 Mill 1alley0 +A 4?4?30 ESA