Five Divine Presences ; From al-Qūnawī to al-Qayṣarī

Introduction

The doctrine of the Five Divine Presences (al-ḥaḍarāt al-ilāhiyyat al-khams [الحضرات الإلهية الخمس]) is a cornerstone of the school of Ibn al-ʿArabī (d. 638/1240), alongside waḥdat al-wujūd (Oneness of Being) and the al-insān al-kāmil (Perfect Man). This article traces the development of this doctrine through five key figures: Ṣadr al-Dīn al-Qūnawī (d. 673/1274), Ṣaʿīd al-Dīn al-Farghānī (d. ca. 700/1300), Muʿayyid al-Dīn al-Jandī (d. ca. 700/1300), Kamāl al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī (d. 730/1329 or 736/1335-6), and Sharaf al-Dīn Dāwūd al-Qayṣarī (d. 751/1350).

Al-Qūnawī, Ibn al-ʿArabī’s chief disciple, systematized his master’s ideas, emphasizing their harmony with the Qurʾān and Hadith. His works, such as al-Fukūk, laid the foundation for later commentaries. Al-Farghānī and al-Jandī, his disciples, further refined these ideas, while al-Kāshānī and al-Qayṣarī produced influential commentaries on Ibn al-ʿArabī’s Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam.

Categories of Being

For Ibn al-ʿArabī and his followers, Being (wujūd [وجود]) belongs solely to God. All other existents are manifestations (tajalliyāt [تجليات]) of the One Being. The Presences (ḥaḍarāt) represent distinct modes of this manifestation. Al-Qūnawī identifies three fundamental levels:

1. The Unseen (al-ghayb [الغيب])
2. The Visible (al-shahāda [الشهادة])
3. The Perfect Man (al-insān al-kāmil [الإنسان الكامل]), who bridges the two.

These levels are further subdivided into five Presences:

1. The Presence of Knowledge (ḥaḍrat al-ʿilm [حضرة العلم]) or the Inward (al-bāṭin [الباطن])
2. The Presence of the Outward (al-ẓāhir [الظاهر])
3. The Central Presence (the Perfect Man)
4. The Presence of the Spirits (al-arwāḥ [الأرواح])
5. The World of Image-Exemplars (al-mithāl [المثال]).

Five Divine Presences

Al-Qūnawī’s schema presents the Presences in a descending order:

1. Presence of Knowledge: The uncreated Unseen, encompassing God’s Names and Attributes.
2. World of Spirits: The created Unseen, including angels and intellects.
3. World of Image-Exemplars: A bridge between the spiritual and sensory worlds.
4. Sensory World: The physical realm (ʿālam al-ḥiss [عالم الحس]).
5. Perfect Man: The all-comprehensive reality unifying all levels.

Al-Farghānī expands this to six levels by distinguishing between Exclusive Unity (al-aḥadiyya [الأحدية]) and Inclusive Unity (al-wāḥidiyya [الواحدية]), but the fivefold scheme remains dominant.

Al-Jandī’s Scheme

Al-Jandī, in his commentary on the Fuṣūṣ, divides the Presences differently:

1. World of Meanings (al-maʿānī [المعاني])
2. World of Spirits
3. World of Image-Exemplars (discontiguous)
4. World of Imagination (contiguous)
5. World of Corporeal-Bodies (al-ajsām [الأجسام]).

He emphasizes the role of imagination (khayāl [خيال]) as a mediating realm where spiritual realities take form.

Al-Kāshānī’s Summary

Al-Kāshānī simplifies the Presences into five worlds:

1. Presence of the Essence (al-dhāt [الذات])
2. Presence of the Attributes and Names (al-ulūhiyya [الألوهية])
3. Presence of Acts (al-rubūbiyya [الربوبية])
4. Presence of Image-Exemplars
5. Presence of Sense-Perception.

Al-Qayṣarī’s Scheme

Al-Qayṣarī, aligning with al-Qūnawī, describes the Presences as:

1. Nondelimited Unseen (al-ghayb al-muṭlaq [الغيب المطلق])
2. Nondelimited Visible (al-shahāda al-muṭlaqa [الشهادة المطلقة])
3. Relative Unseen (Spirits)
4. Relative Visible (Image-Exemplars)
5. Human world (comprehending all).

Conclusion

While variations exist, the Five Divine Presences provide a framework for understanding Ibn al-ʿArabī’s metaphysics. The doctrine reflects the dynamic interplay between unity and multiplicity, offering a map of reality from the Divine Essence to the material world.