Ibn al-‘Arabi · Theology

The Unity of Being

Ibn al-‘Arabi’s vast metaphysics turns on a single, dizzying idea: there is, in the strictest sense, only one Being - God - and everything we call ‘the world’ is the radiance of that one Being appearing to itself.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned Ibn al-‘Arabi’s central vision: there is only one Being (wujud), namely God; creatures have no being of their own but are the loci in which the one Being manifests, distinct from God in ‘form’ yet not a second reality. Reconstruct why he says the world is ‘He / not He’ - both identi…

Leads to Baruch Spinoza.

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