IbnalArabandthebigquestionsofIslamicAnalyticTheology:

Contribution,revelance,andsignificance

This translator is in the midst of a project to produce the first complete translation of Ibn alArabsal-Futtal-Makkyah,oneofthegreatestworksofWesterncivilization,writtenbythe
greatest teacher, the shaykh al-akbar. Taking the many difficult and obtuse passages in this
10,000pageworkseriouslyandliterally,stayingwiththemuntiltheystartedtomakesense,led
this translator to languages other than English or conventional spoken languages: namely, 19th
centurymathematics,geometry,and17thcenturynaturalphilosophy.Theselanguagesareefforts
tounderstandtheworldaroundus,andtounderstandourselves,andthisisexactlythegoal,and
relevance,ofIslamicanalytictheology.
The justification for delving into these languages and applying them to a 13th century Islamic
figureisthattheyconveyIbnal-Arabsvisionconsistently:forexample,thereareanumberof
passagesinwhichIbnal-Arabtalksofmultiplyinganalifbyanalif,anda1bya1,andgetting
tworesults.Weknowthathisdescriptionisnotatypographicalerror,becauseinthemarginof
themanuscriptiswrittenamarkcorrect,inIbnal-Arabsownhandwriting.Inthesepassages,
he says that one result puts the first element forward, visibly, and pushes the second element
back,intotheunseen.Thesecondresultisifthetwoelements(alifor1)aremultipliedinreverse
order. What he is describing is noncommutative geometry and vector multiplication, a system
developedinthe19thcenturybyWilliamKingdonClifford.Ibnal-Arabalsospeaksoffractals,
a system developed in the 19th century in Sidi Bel Abbas, Algeria, by Gaston Julia. The
application of these languages to the 13th century is not a sin against history of science
methodology:Ibnal-Arabisdescribingsomethingthatmuchlaterisdiscovered,examined,and
developedintoasystem.Thathehimselfmightnothaveknownthathisvisionshowedelements
thattrulyareconsistentandgeneralizableisclearfromonestatementhemakes:Thisistoshow
youthatIamnotaknower(lim)ofeverythingIconvey;norisitnecessaryformetobesuch.
ThesamereasonthatlanguagesnotofIbnal-Arabsperiodcanbesosuccessfulinconveying
his vision is the reason his ideas are relevant today: he is speaking of the fundamental, big
questions of existence. Before our excessive academic specialization, these questions were
addressedbyallscholars,especiallythenaturalphilosophers.And,theseareexactlythequestions
that occupied the mutakallimn, the analytic theologians of kalm, of the Islamic tradition. We
willconsiderfoursuchbigquestionshere:limits,inertia,time,andmotion.
Considerthisgraph.Asthevaluesontheredcurvefrombelowapproach
themiddleoftheXtheygetcloserandcloser;andthevaluesonthered
curve from above do the same. The two red curvestwo oceanscrash
togetherattheasymptotebutnevercross,becausethereisabarzakhthey
donotbreach.
marajal-barayn yaltaqiyn, baynahum barzakh-u(l) l yabghiyn [alRamn55:19,20].
Here,Godsendstwoseastocrashtogether,butbetweenthemisabarzakhtheydonotbreach.
Thebarzakhismathematicallydefinedasaboundednullsurface;itisamembrane.Thetwoseas
aretraditionallyunderstoodtobethisworld(duny)andtheotherworld(khirah).Weenterinto
theotherworldthroughthebarzakhatdeathandduringthedream.Wemighttrytobeconscious
andawareduringthedream,andweapproachsleep,astheredcurveapproachesthemiddleof
the X in the graph, closer and closer, still conscious . . . until we are actually dreaming, or we
wakeuphourslaterbackintoconsciousness.

Thisideaofthelimittakesusintoabigquestionaboutconsciousness.Andasthegraphshows,
the other world is not so far away: in fact, the two worlds are separated by the thinnest of
membranes,aboundednullsurface.
Thebigquestionsconcerningthecreationofthecosmosrevealtellingassumptionswehold.The
ideaofabigbangisverymuchareplayofsomereligiousstoriesofcreation.Theyassumethat
there was a burst of energy, and then inertia took over, and the universe started to wind down.
Thedeitysitsback,havingwounduptheclock,andweareleftwithaworldfizzlingoutandin
continualneedofourenergyandstruggle.MargaretWheatleydescribesthis(false)assumption:
Ifwewantprogress,thenwemustprovidetheenergytoreversedecay.Bysheerforceof
will, because we are the planets intelligence, we will make the world work. We will
resistdeath....Whatafearfulposturethishasbeen!1
In contrast, Ibn al-Arab speaks of the New Creation (qf 50:15) and the dependence of
everyone,andeveryparticle,ontheperpetualbestowalofbeingfromtheonetruebeing.
Inthispassagebelow,Ibnal-ArabwillreadversesfromtheQurnthatteachusthatGodacts
everymomentincreation.Here,theredfontindicatesatranslationoftheversesfromal-Ramn
55:24-31whichIbnal-Arabiscitingandthegreenfontindicatesthistranslatorsannotations.
walahul-jawri,Hehasthecoursingships:
thejawr
[thejawrareshipscoursing,andtheSuncoursingfromregiontoregion,andthestars,andthe
winds;also,agirloryoungwoman,so-calledbecauseofheractivityandrunning(E.W.Lane),
andabenefitorblessingbestowedbyGod.ForIbnal-Arab,allthesemeaningscoalesceinthe
spirit-beings, who are the original templates and preservers of creation; they are also the
archetypallettersintheirzodiacalpositions]
arethespirit-beings,
l-munshat,commencingtheiroriginationcourses
fromthe[Divine]name-basedtruths,
fl-bari,acrosstheocean
oftheSubstantivedht,mostholy,
kl-almi,fa-bi-ayyilirabbikumtukadhdhibn,likethetallmountains;sothenwhichof
yourCherishersgiftswillyoudeny?
yasluhu,OfHimdemands(whoeverisintheHeavensandtheEarth)
OfHimdemandstheupperworld[itsbeing],initselevationandwhollyapartness,andthelower
world,initsdescentanditsdiminishment,duringeverytiniestkharah:
ParaphrasingfromLisnal-arab:MayGodnotmakeit(therainshower)kharatahu(onlythis,
thattinyraindrop),normakeitthelastmakharofit.Thekharisthefleetingthought,thetiniest
vibration,theslightestraindrop.
[Heis]fshn,inabrilliantradiance,

MargaretWheatley[2006]LeadershipandtheNewScience:DiscoveringOrderinaChaoticWorld.San
Francisco:Berrett-KoehlerPublishers,p.19.

Theyawmherein55:29isthequantumtimeperiod(zamanfard),theshortestquantityoftime,
during which the Divine lights up inradiant tajall every point (ayn, particle) with His wujd,
clothing them all in being. Since the quantum is singular, yawm, Ibn al-Arab says that each
particlegetsitsbrilliantradianceinasinglequantumtimeperiod.Therefore,particlessolarsystemx
timequantum=Weekcreation,withthetimequantumbeingperhapsPlancktime,10-44.
fa-bi-ayyilirabbikumtukadhdhibn,ThenwhichofyourCherishersgiftswillyoudeny?
kullumanalayhfn-in,everythingonherwilldisappear;
becausetheentities[sg.,ayn]willnotbevoided,butshe[theEarth]isajourneyfromnearto
nearer,
fa-bi-ayyilirabbikumtukadhdhibn,ThenwhichofyourCherishersgiftswillyoudeny?
sanafrughu,Weshallfinish
sanafrughuminkum:Weshallceasefromyou,andilaykum:Weshallmakeyoutheobjectto
whichWedirectOurselves,2
fa-bi-ayyilirabbikumtukadhdhibn,ThenwhichofyourCherishersgiftswillyoudeny?
IftheQurnweretobereadlikethis,notwowoulddisagree,andtherewouldcomeaboutno
twoantagonists,andnotworamswouldbuttheads.Thereforeoverseecarefullyyour[pl.]signs
[verses], and do not exit from your substantive dht; if that happens, then definitely devote
yourselftoclarity[thatis,youressentialpostureofubudyah,implyingpassivityandreceptivity
totruth].Whenthecosmos[m.]issafefromyouropinionandyourmanagement,3hewillbetruly
underyoursubjugation.Becauseofthishewascreated.Heexaltedsaid,Subjugatedforyouis
whateverisintheHeavensandwhateverisonEarth,entirely,fromHim.4Godguideusandyou
to what has our betterment5 and our happiness, in this world and the next; He is the most
GenerousFriend!
Julian Barbour wrote The End of Time to propose a physics and cosomology that is atemporal.
From ideas going back as far as Zenos paradoxes, he developed a physics that operated in a
single moment.6 In analytic philosophy, the Ashr position is that the ara, the thing that
subsists in, or by, another thing (Lane) disappears every moment. Ibn al-Arab speaks
approvingly of this position, but he says that not only the colorings and variegations disappear
every instance; the inorganic atoms and the organic bodies also disappear every moment. The
blank,skeletalplatformcalledthething,asinIndeedOurwordtoathing,whenWewantittobe,

Thefirstglossisfortheverbwithminkumandthesecondfortheverbwithilaykum.

ComparethismanagementtoWheatleysbecausewearetheplanetsintelligence.

al-jthyah45:9

al is connected to ul, which is a communitys finding resolution and harmony after conflict, and
mali, the harmonious working of the parts in the wholewhich is where we get masala, the sauce
which brings out the best in each ingredient and brings them out as a whole. This social ideal may be
distinguishedfromidealswhichnegatetheindividualsneedsinfavorofthesocietysneedsorwhichfavor
theindividualattheexpenseofthesociety.Thetaskhr(subjugation)Ibnal-Arabisspeakingofisfound
afteronesarrogance(cf.,rubbyah)thatwearethemanagershasvanishedandonehasreturnedtoones
truenature(ubudyah).
6

SeethistranslatorsTimeisnotreal:TimeinIbnArabi,andfromParmenides(andHeraclitus)to
JulianBarbour,JournaloftheMuhyiddinIbnArabiSociety,51:2012:77-102

isOursayingtoit,Be!anditis,7isstable(thbit),butitsbeing(wujd)mustbesuppliedbyGod
everymoment.Eachbrillianceradiatingtoeachparticleisunique;Ibnal-Arabcitesthistruthas
Ablibal-Makksmaximthatnotwotajallsarethesame,andnotwopeoplegetthesame
tajall.Inthispassage,Ibnal-Arabarguesthateverything,notjusttheara,disappearsevery
moment.
The world of organic bodies and inorganic atoms has no permanence unless there is a
bringingaboutofvariegationsinthetwo[HeavensandEarth];thuswhennovariegation
isfoundinthetwothevariegationbywhichtheatomsandbodiesmaypersistandhave
beingtheatomsandbodiesgetvoided.
Thusthevariegationiswhatkeepstheseeminglysolidthingsgoing.WorkingfromLeibnizs
bestof all possible worlds, physicistsJulianBarbourandLeeSmolindevelopedaprocessof
extremal variation describing how the universe could be created, by the principle that every
particlemustbemaximallydifferentfromeachneighboringparticle.Theyshowedhowatomicto
cosmic structure may arise simply from this process. Here, Ibn al-Arab is saying that each
particlewhichsupposedlystandsonitsownactuallyexistsandpersistsonlywhenavariegation
streaks over it; when that tint or variegation vanishes, the particlethe atoms and bodies
disappears.
Andthereisnoquestionthatthevarietiesbecomevoidatthesecondtimeperiodafterthe
timeperiodoftheirbeing.ThusTrueOne[aqq]neverstopsoverseeingandpreserving
theworldoforganicbodiesandinorganicatoms,upperandlower;asoftenasHevoids
an ara of them, during which is its being, He creates in that time period an ara
similartoitoroppositeit,preservingtheworldtherebyfrombeingvoided,duringevery
timeperiod.Heiscreatingever,andtheworldisdependentonHimexaltedeverand
ever,withanessentialdependency,boththeworldofvarietiesandtheatoms.Therefore
thisisthewatchfulguardTrueOnehasoverHiscreation,inordertosecurebeingforit.
These are the flickering radiances which are expressed in His book as His being every
dayuponaradiantbrilliance.8

ThisexistenceflickeringinandoutisdescribedbyIbnal-Arabusingtheallegoryofthe
buskershisaudiencewouldhaveseenatnightfestivitiesaroundanursofasaint.Ibnal-Arab
hashisaudienceenvisiontheshapesthebuskersformwhichareseenbutarentactuallythere,
bythemovementoftheemberattheendofthestickwhichisneveractuallyseen.
If you want to recognize the form of the configuration of the universe, and its visible
emergence,andtherapidityofthediffusionoftheDivinecommand[Be!]throughoutthe
universe,andwhatthesightsandtheinsightsperceiveoftheuniverse,thenlookatwhat
comesaboutintheairwiththerapidityofthemotionoftheember[f.]offireinthehand
ofhermoverwhenherotatesher.Intheeyeoftheobservertherenewlyappearsacircle,
oralinedrawnout,ifhemakesamotionwhichislengthwise,orwhatevershapehelikes.
These folk drawings would later be adopted by artists Man Ray and
Picasso. [See photo of Picasso.] The creation is the Qurnic New
Creationwhichtakesplaceduringtheshortesttimeperiod,thezamanfard.
Consider the flip-book and the movie frame. We never actually see the
frames,whentheymovefasterthan15framespersecond.Weseeonlythe

7
8

al-nal16:40

al-Ramn55:29.FromHimdemand(seek)everythingintheHeavensandtheEarth[theirbeing];every
day[smallesttimequantum]Heisuponabrilliantradiance[providingthemtheirbeing].

image.Theform(image,movie)weseeisthebeinggiventoeachframe.WiththeNewCreation
flickeringinandout,themovieweseeiswujd(being);theframes,we,areinvisible!IbnalArabdescribesthissituationwiththephilosophicalprinciplethatthereisnothingbehindGod
(laysawarAllhmarman,literally,thereisnothingbehindGodtoshoot-at),soallweseeis
God.Weareasinvisibleasthemovieframes.
The vision that Ibn al-Arab was given of the Youth, with the headings of the Futt alMakkyahetchedinlightthroughouthisbody(considerthewordphoto-graph),isilluminated
by every language and insight. Islamic analytic theology is a structure for asking the big
questions. For centuries this structure examined ancient ideas from China, India, and Greece;
perhapsnowthisstructuremayalsoradiateinsightsandideasbackacrosstheglobe.