The zeitgeist of of contemporary Spain had deeply impacted Ibn Arabi, who has not only engaged in the pursuit of knowledge and ideas, but also focused on knowing reality through personal experience. Ibn Arabi is regarded as a Sufi teacher who did not confine himself to one tradition or dogma, but saw the unity of God in the unity of creation. His emphatic assertion “all that is left to us by tradition is mere words, it is up to us to find out what they mean” reflects his sensitivity to the demands of the times he was living in.
Ibn Arabi and his philosophy evoked varied reactions, some considered him a saint and the others a heretic. His books were banned. Once he was forced to flee from Egypt to escape the charge of heresy. Critics strongly resented his emphasis on employing reason to realise Truth, which was considered by Ibn Arabi as an expression of the divine. In a beautiful simile, Ibn Arabi says, “Light cannot be seen in itself, but only through the objects in which it is reflected. Similarly , God can be seen by the reflection on his creation, which is nothing but himself.” How contemporary society reacted to Ibn Arabi is best reflected in a story by Sheikh Muzaffar Ozak and included in Ibn Arabi’s book Futuhat al –Makkiya.
According to the narration, a teacher of Muslim law was delivering a lecture on the subject of heresy. One student got up and asked if the heretic under study was someone like Ibn Arabi. The teacher responded in the affirmative. This was during Ramadan, the month of fasting. In the evening, after breaking his fast, another student asked the same teacher, “Who according to you is the greatest saint of our times?” The teacher replied, “Ibn Arabi”.
http://newageislam.com/ibn-arabi--the-man-who-saw-god-in-creation/islam-and-spiritualism/d/2564
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11:10 PM
Moderate Islamist here
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