Jeffery-Street/Ibn 'Arabi, 4. An Introduction to the Texts and Teachings of Ibn Arabi

This chapter provides summaries of the principal texts and teachings of the works of Ibn ‘Arabi used for study by the Beshara School. The first part of the chapter discusses themes drawn from The Twenty-Nine Pages and the Wisdom of the Prophets, both of which illustrate Ibn ‘Arabi’s key mystical and metaphysical ideas extracted from his most important and inuential works: the Bezels of Wisdom (Fusûs al-Hikam) and the Meccan Revelations (al-Futûhât al-Makkiyyah). Also included in this section are some comments and discussions related to these principle themes extracted from William Chittick’s recent book Ibn ‘Arabi: Heir to the Prophets. Although Chittick’s works are not central to the study of Ibn ‘Arabi by the Beshara School, the extracts were chosen because they offer a concise and comprehensive rendering of Ibn ‘Arabi’s central teachings, and were added since the completion of the original doctoral thesis in 2003. The intention in doing this is to provide the general reader with additional clarification of some of the complicated themes encountered. The latter part of this chapter discusses other key texts, primarily those produced by Ibn ‘Arabi’s original followers, as well as other Sufic ‘classics’ used for study at the school.