The Significance of “Kitab al-Isra” in the understanding of Ibn al-Arabi’s Language

The significance of Kitāb al-Isrā lies not merely in its content but in its style. This is the classical style with which Shaykh al-Akbar began his writings. As we have read in the introduction by Ismāʿīl ibn Sawdakīn, when he asked Shaykh al-Akbar Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn al-ʿArabī, “Is this book confined to the realm of meanings (ʿālam al-maʿānī)?” the Shaykh replied:

“This unveiling (kashf) came to me in the form of abstract meanings, and most of my unveilings are of this nature. Then God Almighty granted me the ability to translate these meanings into language and confine them within forms. Thus, in this book and my other works, I have expressed these abstract meanings symbolically, in such a way that they resemble dreams, whose true interpretation can only be grasped by those well-versed in their principles.”

Understanding this response is critical. A reader of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s works cannot comprehend his discourse without first familiarizing themselves with his linguistic and terminological framework. Here, the Shaykh speaks of kashf (unveiling), not mushāhada (direct witnessing). Superficially, these terms may seem synonymous. However, in Ibn al-ʿArabī’s expansive lexicon, kashf refers to the manifestation of meaning, whereas mushāhada pertains to the manifestation of form. Mushāhada operates within the realm of sensory perception, while kashf pertains to the realm of abstract truths. This distinction is evident in the title of his work Kashf al-Maʿnā ʿan Sirr Asmāʾ Allāh al-Ḥusnā (“Unveiling the Meaning Behind the Secret of God’s Beautiful Names”), which clarifies that kashf relates to meanings, while mushāhada relates to forms.

The Shaykh further states:

“This unveiling came to me in the form of abstract meanings, and most of my unveilings occur this way.”

By “abstract meanings” (mujarrad al-maʿānī), he refers to immutable truths. When a mystic (mukāshif) is granted access to these truths, they perceive their essence. Since these truths transcend form, their expression demands a specific stylistic framework to communicate them to audiences. The Shaykh explains:

“God endowed me with the capacity to translate these abstract meanings into language and forms.”

Translating truths into forms makes them intelligible. Without this process, those unaware of these realities would remain ignorant. The Qurʾān and ḥadīth similarly frame divine truths in accessible language. Whether termed “interpretation” (taʿbīr) or “expression” (bayān), the principle remains the same. Hence, the Shaykh states:

“I have encoded these truths symbolically in my works, rendering them akin to dreams. Only those who know their interpretation can access their realities, while those ignorant of correct interpretation remain deprived of their essence.”

Ibn al-ʿArabī’s style mirrors the revelatory discourse of the Qurʾān and ḥadīth. Just as the Qurʾān’s truths are accessible only to those who delve into its inner dimensions (bāṭin), connect its words to their origins, and immerse themselves in its meanings, prophetic discourse employs a similar symbolic framework. While this preface does not aim to elaborate on Qurʾānic and ḥadīth hermeneutics, we return to Ibn al-ʿArabī and assert: To grasp the subtleties of his style, understand his terminology, and access the core meanings of his words, one must study his earliest works. These texts—such as ʿAnqāʾ Mughrib, Mawāqiʿ al-Nujūm, Risālat al-Anwār, Mashāhid al-Asrār al-Qudsiyya, and above all, Kitāb al-Isrā—cultivate the stylistic foundations through which he developed his lexicon, refined his language, structured his discourse, and enriched Sufi thought with novel expressions.

Sua’d al-Hakim Understanding 

Sʿuad al-Ḥakīm describes this process as the “Birth of a new language” (mawlid lugha jadīda), dedicating a monograph to cataloguing terms either coined by Ibn al-ʿArabī or redefined beyond their pre-existing usage in Arabic. In her analysis, she writes:

“When I examined Ibn al-ʿArabī’s language, with its hundreds of unique terms, I sought to trace the identity of this Sufi lexicon. Drawing parallels with the evolution of philosophical Arabic—beginning with al-Kindī’s translations of Greek philosophy and his foundational glossary Fī al-Ḥudūd (‘On Definitions’), progressing through al-Fārābī’s Kitāb al-Ḥurūf, Ibn Sīnā’s al-Ishārāt, and culminating in Ibn Rushd—it became evident that philosophical Arabic developed through engagement with non-Islamic, non-Arabic texts. In contrast, the Sufi lexicon emerged under the canopy of Islamic and Arabic texts, with the Qurʾān as its primary source. Though Ibn al-ʿArabī employed philosophical vocabulary, his lexicon is fundamentally rooted in Islamic revelatory texts, not philosophical traditions.”

Sufi Linguistic Foundations and Ibn al-ʿArabī’s Lexical Innovations

A meticulous analysis of the Sufi linguistic tradition reveals its profound grounding in Islamic and Arabic textual sources, with the Qurʾān serving as its paramount foundation. Ibn al-ʿArabī, emerging in the post-philosophical era of Islamic thought, occasionally employed philosophical vocabulary in his discourse. However, it is categorically untenable to assert that his lexicon, in its essence or origin, derives from philosophical frameworks. Rather, his terminology arises independently from the revelatory corpus of Islam.

Sʿuad al-Ḥakīm, in her rigorous study, traces the genesis and evolution of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s terminology. By systematically examining each term’s etymology, contextualizing it within its primary sources, and cross-referencing it against lexicons of philosophy, Sufism, theology (ʿilm al-kalām), and jurisprudence (uṣūl al-fiqh), she concludes that comprehension of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s linguistic universe necessitates reconstructing it on his own terms. This approach demands the creation of a novel linguistic framework, one that mirrors the Shaykh’s unique conceptual architecture.

To achieve this, she revisited Ibn al-ʿArabī’s corpus with a singular focus: deconstructing the morphology, derivational patterns (ishrāq), and syntactic structures of his lexicon, while interrogating the ontological relationship between terms (ism) and their referents (musammā). Her analysis uncovered hundreds of neologisms and terminological innovations exclusive to Ibn al-ʿArabī’s works, underscoring the distinctiveness of his linguistic project.

Translator’s Annotation:

Kitāb al-Isrā stands as a paradigmatic exemplar of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s method of transposing Arabic vocabulary into a structured technical lexicon. This text represents a seminal milestone in deciphering his linguistic and stylistic idiosyncrasies. In its prologue, the Shaykh writes:

“I rendered this discourse in both prose and poetry, encoding it in symbols and allusions, and employing rhymed diction to facilitate memorization.”

This deliberate stylistic choice—interweaving the opaque with the evocative—epitomizes Ibn al-ʿArabī’s hermeneutical strategy, wherein language functions as both a veil and a gateway to transcendent truths.

The central thesis of this Article is to elucidate the pivotal role of Kitāb al-Isrā in decoding Ibn al-ʿArabī’s distinctive stylistic and hermeneutical framework. Below, we present illustrative excerpts from the Shaykh’s discourse to demonstrate how linguistic forms, when employed as vessels for transcendent truths, inevitably become veils (ḥujub) obscuring their essence. Only by transcending these lexical constraints can readers access the ontological realities they encode.

Metaphorical Transmutation of Cosmic Terminology

Ibn al-ʿArabī explicitly states:

“When I speak of ‘heaven’ (samāʾ) and ‘earth’ (arḍ), I do not intend the physical cosmos. Rather, these terms denote abstract hierarchies—such as elevation (ʿulūw) and lowness (sufūl).”

In Arabic, samāʾ and arḍ conventionally signify celestial and terrestrial domains. However, a literalist adherence to these definitions obstructs comprehension of the Shaykh’s metaphysical intent. He frequently repurposes samāʾ and arḍ to symbolize the soul (rūḥ) and body (jism), respectively, thereby redefining their semantic boundaries within a Sufi cosmovision.

Expansion of Qurʾānic Lexemes: al-Kalim (The Words)

The term al-kalim (pl. kalimāt), derived from the Qurʾānic designation of Jesus as “God’s Word and a Spirit from Him” (4:171), undergoes profound conceptual expansion in Ibn al-ʿArabī’s works. While the Qurʾān applies kalima uniquely to Christ, the Shaykh universalizes it, declaring all existent entities to be manifestations of God’s inexhaustible “Words” (kalimāt Allāh). This ontological reimagining transforms kalim from a Christological epithet into a metaphysical principle denoting theophanic differentiation within creation.

Symbolic Geography: The Journey from al-Andalus to al-Quds

In Bāb al-Safar al-Qalb (“Chapter on the Heart’s Journey”), Ibn al-ʿArabī writes:

“I departed from the lands of al-Andalus and set forth toward al-Quds.”

Superficially, this suggests a physical pilgrimage from Islamic Spain to Jerusalem. However, as Ismāʿīl ibn Sawdakīn clarifies in his commentary, al-Andalus (etymologically linked to dals, “darkness”) symbolizes emergence from the corporeal obscurity of the body, while al-Quds (lit. “Holiness”) signifies the soul’s ascent to the Divine Presence (ḥaḍrat al-quds). This allegorical journey encapsulates the Sufi path from material confinement (ḥabs al-jism) to spiritual liberation (ṭalāq al-rūḥ).

Allegorical Encounters and Ontological Thresholds

The same chapter narrates a symbolic encounter:

“By a flowing river and temperate spring, I met a youth endowed with spiritual essence (dhāt rūḥāniyya), divine attributes (ṣifāt rabbāniyya), and celestial grace (iltifāt ilāhī). I asked, ‘What lies beyond?’ He replied, ‘A Being without end.’ When I inquired, ‘Where did this matter originate?’ he answered, ‘From before the gaze of the Veiler (al-ḥājib).’”

Here, the “youth” epitomizes the Perfect Human (al-insān al-kāmil), the “river” the flux of existence, and the “Veiler” the divine principle that obscures absolute unity (aḥadiyya) from contingent beings. The “temperate spring” symbolizes equilibrium (iʿtidāl) between manifest and hidden realities, while the “Being without end” references the Infinite Divine Essence (dhāt al-ghaniyya). Without decoding these metaphors, the passage remains opaque, underscoring Ibn al-ʿArabī’s reliance on symbolic hermeneutics (taʾwīl ramzī).

The Sun as Symbol of the Soul

In a pivotal passage, the Shaykh admonishes:

“You veil your own sun (shams)—recognize your soul’s reality!”

Here, shams transcends its literal meaning as the celestial sun, instead symbolizing the soul’s luminous essence (jawhar nūrānī). The “veil” (ḥijāb) represents ignorance of one’s true spiritual identity, while “recognition” (maʿrifa) denotes the unitive realization of the soul’s divine origin.

The Mirrored Self and the Muhammadan Reality

In a profound allegory, the Shaykh describes an encounter with the ʿAyn (The Reality):

“The ʿAyn declared: ‘It is neither simple [basīṭ] nor composite [murakkab], neither midway on the path [wasṭ al-ṭarīq] nor deviant [kajraw]. It transcends spatialization [taḥayyuz] and division [taqāsīm], is sanctified from corporeal indwelling [ḥulūl fi’l-ajsām], bears the Trust of Ilī [amānat Ilī], and unites sublime attributes [ṣifāt ʿāliya]. Its support to manifested beings parallels the support granted to the vicegerent [khalīfa]. It neither indwells the Essence [dhāt] nor exits the Attributes [ṣifāt]. It is a known quality [waṣf maʿrūf]—an attribute inseparable from its Descriptor [mawṣūf]. It is a contingent being [ḥādith] emanating from the Ancient All-Sufficient [al-ghani al-qadīm], endowed with every hidden secret [sirr makhfī] and elevated meaning [maʿnā ʿālī]. It has no shadow [ẓill] nor equal [mithl]. It is a luminous mirror [mirʾāt munīra], wherein you behold your reality [ḥaqīqa] in form [ṣūra]. When this form manifests to you, recognize it—for this is your quest. Having attained it, cling fast.”

This passage, though never explicitly naming the Ḥaqīqa Muḥammadiyya (Muhammadan Reality), alludes to it through symbolic precision. The “mirror” symbolizes the Perfect Human (al-insān al-kāmil) as the locus of divine self-disclosure (tajallī), while the “Trust of Ilī” references the primordial covenant (mīthāq) in Qurʾān 7:172. Only those grounded in Sufi metaphysics recognize this as a discourse on the Muhammadan Light (nūr Muḥammadī), the ontological archetype mediating between God and creation.

The Imaginal Realm (ʿĀlam al-Mithāl) and the Barzakh

Ibn al-ʿArabī’s reference to the “Turbulent Sea” (baḥr masjūr)—interpreted by Ibn Sawdakīn as the aetherial sphere (kurat al-athīr)—symbolizes the liminal Barzakh, where spiritual realities (ḥaqāʾiq) assume symbolic forms (ṣuwar mithāliyya). The “boat of the simple world” (safīnat al-ʿālam al-basīṭ) traversing this sea represents the soul’s journey through the imaginal realm, where contradictions coalesce and metaphysical truths are visualized.

The First Heaven The Confluence of Realities (Majmaʿ al-Baḥrayn)

When asked, “From whence have you come?” the Shaykh replies:

“From the Confluence of the Two Seas [majmaʿ al-baḥrayn] and the Mine of the Two Grasps [maʿdin al-qabḍatayn].”

While majmaʿ al-baḥrayn literally denotes the meeting of two bodies of water (Qurʾān 18:60), Ibn al-ʿArabī reimagines it as the convergence of sensory (ḥiss) and intelligible (maʿnā) realities, or the union of spirit (rūḥ) and body (jism). The “Two Grasps” symbolize divine power (qudra) and human receptivity (qābiliyya), reflecting the symbiotic relationship between Creator and creation.

The Third Heaven; the Josephian Station

In the third heaven, the Shaykh describes:

“Beyond this station lies a Great Station [maqām ʿaẓīm], a Noble Observatorium [mashhad karīm], the Abode of Bliss [manzil al-surūr]—free from sorrow, the Locus of Beauty [maqām al-jamāl] and Integration [jāʾat al-ijmāl].”

These terms—maqām ʿaẓīm, mashhad karīm, manzil al-surūr—evoke the Josephian (Yūsufian) spiritual hierarchy, where beauty (jamāl) and integration (ijmāl) harmonize divine transcendence (tanzīh) and immanence (tashbīh). The “Abode of Bliss” signifies the soul’s rest in theomorphic perfection, transcending existential duality.

In the third celestial sphere (Venus [Zuhara]), Ibn al-ʿArabī employs bridal imagery:

“I was shown the Heaven of Beauty [samāʾ al-jamāl] and the Mine of Majesty [maʿdin al-jalāl].”

Here, “Heaven of Beauty” and “Mine of Majesty” dialectically engage God’s gentleness (lutf) and severity (qahr), which are resolved in the Muhammadan Reality. The bridal metaphor (ʿurs)—referencing both marriage and the Sufi “union” (wiṣāl)—symbolizes the soul’s mystical wedding to the Divine. The term ʿurs (lit. “wedding”) is intentionally polysemous, alluding to the death anniversary of saints as a symbolic return to divine union.

The Fourth Heaven: Solar Metaphysics

In verses dedicated to the fourth heaven, the Shaykh writes:

“May the people of the East receive the effusion of this Sun [shams], whose radiance dispels creation’s darkness—Unique in singularity [tawḥīd], beyond analogy [tashbīh], uncontained by genus or species. We perceived it in our existential perfection [kamāl al-wujūd] as bats perceive the blazing sun.”

The “Sun” symbolizes the Muhammadan Light (nūr Muḥammadī), the ontological source of cosmic illumination. The bat’s flawed vision (adrāka al-khuffāsh) analogizes humanity’s limited capacity to grasp absolute divine unity, which transcends categorical thought (tarkīb al-jins wa’l-faṣl).

The Fifth Heaven: Martial Symbolism

The fifth heaven, termed “Executioner of the Sphere” (Jallād al-Falak), associated with Mars (Mirrīkh), symbolizes the necessity of sovereignty (khilāfa) and governance (ḥukm) through divine justice (ʿadl). The “sword” (sayf) here represents the bifurcation of truth (ḥaqq) from falsehood (bāṭil), a recurring theme in Ibn al-ʿArabī’s political metaphysics.

The Sixth Heaven: Ontological Ascent and the Paradox of Servitude

In the sixth heaven, Ibn al-ʿArabī elucidates:

“Thus, I ascended from my own essence (dhāt), which is servitude (ʿubūdiyya), to His Essence (dhāt), which is lordship (rubūbiyya). Through my contingent attributes (ṣifāt ḥāditha), I traced His eternal attributes (ṣifāt qadīma); through my acts (afʿāl), I recognized His Names (asmāʾ); and through my terrestrial constriction (arḍ al-ḍīq), I apprehended His celestial expanse (samāʾ al-wusʿa).”

This passage encapsulates the Sufi metaphysical journey from the limited self (nafs) to the Unlimited Divine. The “ascent” (ʿurūj) signifies the transcendence of creaturely confines (ḥudūd al-khalq), while the “recognition” (maʿrifa) of divine Names through human acts underscores creation’s ontological dependency on the Creator. The juxtaposition of “servitude” (ʿubūdiyya) and “lordship” (rubūbiyya) reflects the dialectic between human contingency and divine absoluteness. To interpret “earth” (arḍ) and “heaven” (samāʾ) as mere physical domains—rather than metaphors for existential limitation (ḍīq) and divine infinitude (wusʿa)—is to succumb to hermeneutic literalism, obscuring the Shaykh’s intent.