Ibn al-‘Arabi · Theology

The Creative Imagination

Between the world of pure spirit and the world of dense matter lies, for Ibn al-‘Arabi, a third realm - the world of imagination (khayal), the barzakh - where meanings take on form, where visions and dreams are real, and where the heart meets God in images.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Ibn al-‘Arabi posits a real intermediate world - the world of imagination (khayal), or barzakh - between pure spirit and dense matter, where meanings take on form and bodies become subtle; that dreams, visions, and the resurrection-body belong there; and that imagination is a cognitive faculty for per…

Leads to Plato.

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