- Paperback: 289 pages
- Publisher: Anqa Publishing (1 Jan 1999)
- ISBN-10: 0953451321
- ISBN-13: 978-0953451326
- Product Dimensions: 22.6 x 15.2 x 2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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486,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #72 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Islam > Sufism
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Reviews
"For Ibn Arabi, words have a sacred function. They link what cannot be expressed with what mankind is craving to hear. Stephen Hirtenstein serves Ibn Arabi with a joyful vitality that mirrors the richness of his life and his meaning. Across a near-millennium, a new link is made." - Peter Brook, theatre and film director
"Certainly the best general introduction to Ibn Arabi's complex and fascinating life and teachings for readers still unfamiliar with this mystical genius. Stephen Hirtenstein's new book is the first study of the great Sufi mystic's life and teachings designed directly for the English-speaking audience. The result is an immensely readable, absorbing, and comprehensive overview which is accessible to the first-time reader while offering new rewards and surprises at each re-reading." - James Morris, professor of Arabic, University of Exeter
"By far the simplest and most heart-warming rendition of Ibn Arabi and his teachings that I have come across. Read this book, and you will be able to explore the spiritual journey of a giant intellect. It won't lead directly to your realisation of the primacy of consciousness, but it will certainly inspire you to explore consciousness in your experience." - Amit Goswami, professor of Physics, University of Oregon
Product Description
Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi (AD 1165-1240) is unquestionably one of the most profound figures in the history of world spirituality, a visionary of superlative wisdom and compassion. Known as the "Greatest Master" (al-Shaykh al-Akbar), he led an extraordinary inner and outer life. He travelled huge distances, from his native Spain to Syria and Turkey, writing over 350 books on the mystical path. His whole life was dedicated to exposing, at the deepest level, the primordial Unity underlying all human and natural existence, and the true degree of human dignity. The book presents a unique portrait of Ibn 'Arabi 'from the inside', using his own writing to tell the story of his life and teachings. The biographical chapters, supplemented with photographs and maps, give a vivid picture of his life and times during the height of medieval culture. These are interwoven with a series of chapters that portray the central elements of his thought, and highlight their relevance in today's world. This unusual approach gives a direct flavour of Ibn 'Arabi's genius, whose life and thought are inextricably linked. Above all, his deep insights into what it means to be truly human are applicable to people of all times and places. This highly readable and lucid book will appeal to anyone interested in the heart of Sufism or the mystical path and has a unique arrangement of biographical chapters alternating with chapters on major themes in his work.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As the first full introduction written for a general audience about the life and significance of Ibn 'Arabi (1165-1240), this volume long fills an acute gap in the general literature about Sufism in English. Ibn 'Arabi can rightly be regarded as the greatest mystical thinker in the history of Islam and as might be extrapolated from this study, perhaps some future global mysticism that is inter-sectarian. In the Islamic world Ibn 'Arabi is often referred to honorifically as al-Shaykh al-Akbar (the Greatest Master). Among the literalists and reactionary legalists in Islam the profound readings of the Qur'an and hadith, that is the staple of just about everything the Shaykh al-Akbar' wrote, is regarded with shrewd suspicion, if not outright hostility and censor. Among a core of Sufis the Shaykh al-Akbar's works have been savored with a relish and delight as often his lengthy considerations show a nearly unfathomable grasp for the living presence of the divine in all aspects of life. Any mystic can find much to ponder in a studied reading of Ibn 'Arabi's texts. For the many Christians and some Jews who are still perhaps unconsciously swayed by the centuries of anti-Islamic polemic in the west, an astute reading of Shaykh al-Akbar's work should banish many of the silly sectarian ideas that cling to our ideas about Islam. Muslims themselves are still extreamly divided over the worth of Shaykh al-Akbar's views and common misattributions to him of pantheism and even incarnationism are still common slurs betraying a willful misreading of Shaykh al-Akbar's ideas. Though it is unlikely that The Unlimited Mercifier will seriously affect this perennial debate about Shaykh al-Akbar's ultimate worth as a Muslim, Hirtenstein does offer a useful introduction to ibn 'Arabi that has not existed in English before. I believe that as scholarly work proceeds on translating the profound depth of Islam as a spiritual path toward knowing self and the divine will become more widely appreciated. The perspective of Shaykh al-Akbar, acknowledged and not, definitely sets the standard of any spiritual reading of the Qur'an. Also in the emerging world spirituality ibn 'Arabi may yet play an unique role is forging a link between the monotheisms of the west to the pantheisms and non-theisms of the east and of a rationalist scientific humanisms of modernity. The Unlimited Mercifier provides not only an introduction to the life and ideas of ibn 'Arabi but without too strong a reading between the lines that the importance and perennial relevance of Shaykh al-Akbar's ideas for emerging global civilization become apparent. Given this breath I highly recommend this introduction and eventually a closer consideration of the of Shaykh al-Akbar's works as available in the works reviewed below. Special note of SUFI PATH OF KNOWLEDGE and SELF-DISCLOSURE OF GOD by William C. Chittick should be noted by sincere students.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Up until now, information about Ibn 'Arabi has been available only in rather scholarly texts that most people have found difficult to penetrate. This book is different; it presents Ibn 'Arabi's life as a narrative, amply illustrated with photographs of the many places he visited, and intersperses sections on his philosophy so that they do not overwhelm the reader. Ibn 'Arabi was an extraordinary figure - a great mystic whose contact with the spiritual realm was so constant and intimate that it informed every aspect of his life (there are dozens of amazing spiritual visions described in these pages); a great traveller who spent nearly forty years traversing the Islamic world from Spain to the eastern regions of Turkey; a great thinker whose ideas transcend differences of religion, culture and race; and a great saint who saw his function as spreading mercy and compassion in the world. He is one of the towering geniuses of human history, but few people in the west have even heard of him. Stephen Hirtenstein's book provides an excellent starting point, making it pleasant and easy to find out more.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I want to express my admiration of this book 'The Unlimited Mercifier'. I think the book is well-structured in describing the life of Ibn 'Arabi. From homeland Andalusia [Murcia] and when he lived in Sevilla and visited North Africa which all came under the category [life in the west]. Then in his 30s he travelled to the East. Ibn 'Arabi described his journey to the East with the following:
"I set out from the land of al-Andalus, seeking the House of Holiness [Jerusalem], taking surrender (islam) as my steed, striving (mujahada) as my bed and trust(tawakkul) as my provision. I travelled the path, searching for the people of Being and Realisation, hoping that I might appear in the bosom of that company. Thus at the stream of the myriad springs and the well of Arin, I met with a youth whose essence is spiritual, whose qualities are lordly and whose inclination is angelic."
"I set out from the land of al-Andalus, seeking the House of Holiness [Jerusalem], taking surrender (islam) as my steed, striving (mujahada) as my bed and trust(tawakkul) as my provision. I travelled the path, searching for the people of Being and Realisation, hoping that I might appear in the bosom of that company. Thus at the stream of the myriad springs and the well of Arin, I met with a youth whose essence is spiritual, whose qualities are lordly and whose inclination is angelic."
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