Muhyiddin Ibn al-Arabi’s studies in France

For the majority of French-speaking students of taṣawwuf, Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī (1165–1240) stands as the pinnacle of Islamic spiritual authority. Early interest focused on partial French renderings of his works—most notably extracts from the Fusūs al-Ḥikam and the Futūḥāt al-Makkīyya—but over the past century an ever-growing corpus of translations and studies has emerged, making Ibn ʿArabī increasingly accessible to Western readers.

René Guénon’s (1886–1951) conversion to Sufism and his articulation of Traditionalist criteria in Cairo laid the groundwork for serious Western engagement with Islamic esotericism Tibetan Buddhist EncyclopediaThe Philosophy Room. Building on Guénon’s legacy, Michel Vâlsan (1907–1974) emerged as the foremost pioneer of Akbarian studies in France, translating and annotating a broad corpus of Ibn ʿArabī’s writings—ranging from key sections of the Futūḥāt al-Makkīyya to devotional treatises and commentaries by Qushānī and Qunāwī—within the pages of Études Traditionnelles WikipediaInternet Archive.

René Guénon

René Guénon, writing under the Sufi name Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wāḥid Yaḥyā, lived in Cairo for two decades until his death on January 7, 1951, where he deepened his study of Islamic spirituality The American MuslimTibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia. His 1911 embrace of Sufism marked a decisive turn away from Western esoteric pseudo-spiritualities toward what he deemed “authentic” traditional forms The Philosophy Room. Through seminal works like The Crisis of the Modern World and The Reign of Quantity, Guénon provided conclusive criteria for distinguishing genuine metaphysical insights from modern imitations, thereby catalyzing French interest in Ibn ʿArabī Brill.

Michel Vâlsan

Biography and Editorial Role

Michel Vâlsan—born Mihai Vâlsan in Brăila, Romania—converted to Islam in the early 20th century and became known as Shaykh Mustafa ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz while leading a Shādhiliyya ṭarīqa in Paris Wikipedia. From 1961 until his death in 1974, he served as editor of the journal Études Traditionnelles, transforming it into the primary venue for French Akbarian scholarship Internet Archive. A skilled diplomat and philologist, Vâlsan combined deep Sufi insight with rigorous technical precision, providing clear annotations that illuminated the subtleties of Ibn ʿArabī’s Arabic Studies in Comparative Religion.

Major Translations

Vâlsan’s translations spanned the full spectrum of Ibn ʿArabī’s oeuvre. He rendered several extracts from the Futūḥāt al-Makkīyya, including the Khutba (Foreword) and pivotal passages such as chapters 20, 78, and 192–193, thus making these central doctrines accessible to French readers Mamluk Bibliography Online. He translated Al-Awrād al-Usbūʿ (the Monday and Thursday Litanies), which remains a staple in French Sufi practice Ibn Arabi Society. Foundational works of Sufi metaphysics—Kitāb al-Fanā’ fī al-Mushāhada (On Annihilation in Contemplation) and Hilyat al-Abdāl (The Ornament of the Substitutes)—also appeared under his pen Scribd.

Vâlsan further provided French readers with Kitāb al-Wasāyā (The Book of Testaments), Su’āl Ibn Sawdakin, Risāla ilā al-Imām al-Rāzī, and specialized treatises on the secrets of takbīrat al-ṣalāt and the invocation of the Prophet—al-Ṣalāt ‘alā al-Nabī and al-Ṣalāt al-Akbarīyya Ibn Arabi Society. He even introduced works by Ibn ʿArabī’s disciples, such as Qashānī’s Ta’wīlāt al-Qur’ān extracts and Qunāwī’s Risāla fī al-Tawajjuh al-Atamm, broadening the scope of French Akbarian literature Scribd. His editions were invariably accompanied by philological footnotes, glossary entries, and contextual essays, establishing a reference standard for subsequent translators Studies in Comparative Religion.

Michel Vâlsan translated the following writings of Ibn ‘Arabi into french:

1. –Al-Futûhât al-Makkiyya: extracts from the foreword (al-khutba), chapter 20, 45, 78, 79, 176, 181, 192, 193, 262, and 263 ;
2. –Al-Awrâd al-usbû‘ (Monday and Thursday),
3. –Kitâb al-Fanâ’ fî al-Mushâhada,
4. –Kitâb al-Jalâla,
5. –Hilyat al-Abdâl,
6. –Kitâb al-Wasâyâ,
7. –Su’âl Ibn Sawdakin,
8. –Bâb ma‘rifat asrâr Takbîrat al-Salât,
9. –Risâla ilâ al-Imâm al-Râzî,
10. –Kitâb al-I’lâm fî mâ buniya ‘alayhi al-Islâm,
11. –Kitâb al-i’lâm bi al-ishârât ahl al-Ilhâm,
12. –Wasiyya,
13. –Wasiyya li al-murîd (= chapter 22 of Al-Tadbirât al-ilâhiyya fî islâh al-Mamlakat al-insâniyya),
14. –Manzil qalb al-dhâkir wa mâ yukhtassu bihi min al-asrâr (=extract from Mawâqi‘ al-Nujûm),
15. –Risâla fî awjuh al-qalb,
16. –Al-Salât ‘alâ al-Nabî, 
17. –Al-Salât al-Akbariyya, 
18. -Translations of Al-Qashânî (extracts from Ta’wîlât al-Qur’ân) and of Al-Qunâwî (Risâla fî al-Tawajjuh al-Atamm). 
19. -Other translations are unpublished.

Michel Chodkiewicz

Michel Chodkiewicz (13 May 1929 – 31 March 2020) was a preeminent French scholar of Sufism, renowned for his pivotal role in introducing and interpreting the works of Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī to Western audiences. As Director‐General and later President of Éditions du Seuil, and subsequently Director of Studies at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), he combined scholarly rigor with spiritual insight, producing landmark translations and studies—including The Meccan Illuminations (1988), The Seal of the Saints (1986), and An Ocean Without Shore (1992)—that continue to shape Akbarian scholarship today. 

Early Life and Education

Michel Chodkiewicz was born into a Polish‐French aristocratic family in Paris on 13 May 1929, the scion of the noble Chodkiewicz lineage that settled in France in 1832 Wikipedia. Raised in a Catholic milieu, he experienced a spiritual quest during adolescence that led him to read René Guénon’s Traditionalist works and, at age seventeen, to convert to Islam and embrace Sufism under the mentorship of Michel Vâlsan Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libreWikipedia. 

After earning a reputation for philological precision, Chodkiewicz joined the Parisian publishing house Éditions du Seuil in the early 1950s and rose to become its Director‐General and CEO from 1977 to 1989 WikipediaWikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre. His tenure at Seuil not only modernized the publisher but also fostered relationships with leading Islamic and Sufi scholars. In 1982 he was appointed Director of Studies at EHESS, where until his retirement in 1994 he taught seminars on the history of sainthood and the thought of Ibn ʿArabī and his successors, profoundly influencing a generation of researchers WikipediaIbn Arabi Society.

Contributions to Ibn ʿArabī Studies

Chodkiewicz’s scholarly output bridged Arabic sources and Western audiences through annotated translations and thematic studies:

1. The Meccan Illuminations (Les Illuminations de La Mecque), selected extracts from the Futūḥāt al-Makkīyya, in collaboration with W. Chittick, D. Gril, C. Addas, and J. Morris (Sindbad, 1988) Wikipedia.

2. The Seal of the Saints: Prophethood and Sainthood in the Doctrine of Ibn ʿArabī (Gallimard, 1986), a foundational study on the metaphysical status of saints in Ibn ʿArabī’s system Wikipedia.

3. An Ocean Without Shore: Ibn ʿArabī, the Book, and the Law (Seuil, 1992), exploring the interplay between revelation, jurisprudence, and mystical exegesis in Ibn ʿArabī’s thought Wikipedia.

4. Émir ʿAbd el-Kader, Écrits spirituels (Seuil, 1982), presenting spiritual writings of Ibn ʿArabī’s adept and reformer Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre.

5. Awhad al-Dīn Balyânī, Épître sur l’Unicité absolue (Les Deux Océans, 1982), often attributed to Ibn ʿArabī, with critical translation and commentary Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre.

Beyond these, he authored numerous articles in the Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabī Society and participated in international colloquia, solidifying his reputation as one of the foremost experts on “Shaykh al-Akbar” Ibn Arabi Society.

Death and Legacy

Michel Chodkiewicz passed away on 31 March 2020 at his home in Candé, Anjou, at the age of ninety, leaving behind a robust corpus of translations, monographs, and lectures that continue to inform and inspire scholars of Sufism worldwide WikipediaIbn Arabi Society. His daughter, Claude Addas, has furthered his work through biographical studies, ensuring the vibrancy of Akbarian studies for future generations.

Charles-André Gilis

Charles-André Gilis (b. Louvain, 1934) is a Belgian writer and translator—also known by his Islamic name ‘Abd ar-Razzâq Yahyâ—whose work has been instrumental in bringing the esoteric doctrine of Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī to French readers through annotated translations and studies of key ritual texts (the Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam, Futūḥāt al-Makkīyya extracts) and thematic essays on Islamic rites from an initiatory perspective Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre.

Biography

• Birth and Background
  Charles-André Gilis was born in Louvain (Belgium) in 1934. Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre

• Religious Role
  Writing under the name ‘Abd ar-Razzâq Yahyâ, he served for about ten years as an Imâm Khâtib in a Muslim prayer space in the Paris region. Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre

• Academic and Publishing Career
  His publications—now chiefly with Éditions Le Turban Noir—focus on the works of René Guénon, Michel Vâlsan, and especially the metaphysics of Ibn ʿArabī. He has authored numerous articles and books in reviews such as Études Traditionnelles, La Règle d’Abraham, and Connaissance des religions, making complex Arabic texts accessible through precise French renderings and commentary. Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre

Contributions to Ibn ʿArabī Studies

Gilis’s translations and commentaries have made fundamental Akbarian texts available in French, notably:

1. Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam (“Wisdom of the Prophets”)
   Complete French translation as La Sagesse des prophètes (Kitâb Fusûs al-Ḥikam), Paris: Al-Bouraq (1999) Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre.

2. La prière du jour du vendredi
   Extract from Chapitre 69 of the Futūḥāt al-Makkīyya, Paris: Éditions al-Bustane (1994) Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre.

3. La prière sur le défunt (Salât al-Janâza)
   Extract from Chapitre 69 of the Futūḥāt, Beirut: Les Éditions Albouraq (2001) (see turn0search6 for similar citation).

4. Les trente-six attestations coraniques de l’unité
   Extract from Chapitre 198 of the Futūḥāt, Paris: Éditions al-Bustane (1994) Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre.

5. La Doctrine initiatique du Pèlerinage
   Full study on the esoteric significance of Hajj rites (loosely based on Chapitre 72 of the Futūḥāt), Paris: Les Éditions de l’Œuvre (1982) Ibn Arabi Society.

6. Textes sur le Jeûne
   Extracts from Chapitre 71 of the Futūḥāt, Sagesse et Tradition (2007) Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre.

Through these works, Gilis elucidates the hidden, initiatory dimensions of Islamic ritual law, following the Traditionalist orientation of Guénon and Vâlsan in showing how outward forms encode deeper metaphysical realities.

Dr. Maurice Gloton

Dr. Maurice Gloton (1926 – 28 January 2017) was a Paris-born convert to Islam whose deep mastery of Arabic grammar and Sufi terminology made him one of France’s foremost translators of Islamic mystical texts. Over several decades, he produced bilingual editions and annotated translations of key works by Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī—ranging from the metaphysical treatise Kitāb Inshāʾ al-Dawāʾir (La Production des Cercles) to devotional poetry (Tarjumān al-Ashwāq), from his magnum opus the Futūḥāt al-Makkīyya (Traité de l’Amour) to thematic exegeses on Jesus in the Qur’an (Jésus le fils de Marie). Gloton’s precision and philological footnotes have become essential references for French-speaking students of Sufism.

Brief biography

Maurice Gloton was born in Paris in 1926, later pursuing a successful career in business before dedicating himself to Islamic studies Ibn Arabi Society.

In 1950, he embraced Islam—taking the name ‘Obaidullah—and immersed himself in Arabic language and Sufi spirituality during extensive travels in the Arab world. He became known for lectures and television appearances that introduced Islamic mysticism to a wider French audience IQNA.

Later Life and Death

Gloton continued translating and annotating until his passing on 28 January 2017 at age 90, leaving behind a legacy of meticulous French renderings of foundational Sufi texts IQNA.

Contributions to Ibn ʿArabī Studies

1. La Production des Cercles (Kitāb Inshāʾ al-Dawāʾir)
   Originally composed in Tunis for his disciple Badr al-Ḥabashī, this concise treatise outlines Ibn ʿArabī’s metaphysical system via the motif of “circles,” mapping the levels of existence and the human being’s rank in the cosmos. Gloton’s French edition includes critical annotations that elucidate the conceptual diagrams anqa.co.uk.

2. L’Arbre du Monde (Shajarat al-Kawn)
   Published by Les Deux Océans in 1982, this translation presents the “Tree of the Universe” as a cosmological ode to the Perfect Man, rendering Ibn ʿArabī’s symbolic vision into French with philological notes and an introductory study of its cosmological themes The New York Public Library.

3. L’interprète des désirs (Tarjumān al-Ashwāq and al-Dhakhāʾir wa-l-A‘lāq)
   In a 1996 bilingual edition from Albin Michel, Gloton offers the complete French translation of Ibn ʿArabī’s mystical love poems alongside the author’s own commentary, enriched by Pierre Lory’s foreword and extensive glosses on the interplay of poetic imagery and Sufi doctrine Wikipedia.

4. Traité de l’Amour (Chapter 178 of Futūḥāt al-Makkīyya)
   Released in 1986 in the “Spiritualités vivantes” series by Albin Michel, this volume renders Ibn ʿArabī’s profound discourse on Divine Love into French, supplementing the translation with contextual commentary that situates it within the broader framework of Sufi metaphysics Sufi Tavern.

5. Jésus le fils de Marie dans le Coran et selon l’enseignement d’Ibn ʿArabî
   Published by Albouraq in 2006, this work combines a verse-by-verse exegesis of Qur’anic passages on Jesus with selections from Ibn ʿArabī’s esoteric commentary, offering French readers insight into the Meccan master’s Christological reflections Fons Vitae Publishing.

6. De la Mort à la Résurrection (Chapters 61–65 of Futūḥāt al-Makkīyya)
   Issued by Albouraq in January 2009, this translation and annotation of five chapters explores eschatological themes—Hell, Paradise, the Barzakh (intermediate realm), and the stages leading to the Day of Resurrection—illuminating Ibn ʿArabī’s vision of posthumous existence albouraq.fr.

Denis Gril

Denis Gril was born in Paris in 1949 and studied Arabic language and civilisation at the Sorbonne Apple Podcasts. He spent several years teaching and researching in Arabic countries and served for five years as a member of the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale in Cairo Apple Podcasts. Since 1981, he has taught Arabic language and Islamic thought at the Université de Provence (now Aix-Marseille Université) and is a member of IREMAM (Institut de Recherches et d’Études sur le Monde arabe et musulman) Apple Podcasts. An Emeritus Professor at Aix-Marseille Université, his research focuses on the history of Sufism, the thought of Ibn ʿArabī, and Sufi exegesis of the Qur’an Fondazione Internazionale Oasis. He is also the author and co-author of major French translations of Ibn ʿArabī, including Le dévoilement des effets du voyage (1994) and Le Livre de l’Arbre et des Quatre Oiseaux (1984), as well as numerous scholarly articles Fondazione Internazionale Oasis.

Contributions to Ibn ʿArabī Studies

1. Le dévoilement de l’effet du voyage (Kitâb al-Isfâr ‘an natâ’ij al-asfâr)
   Published in 1994 by Éditions de l’Éclat, this bilingual edition presents Ibn ʿArabī’s treatise on the spiritual “effects” of the mystic journey, accompanied by Gril’s critical introduction and extensive annotations elucidating the text’s hermeneutical subtleties Fondazione Internazionale Oasis.

2. Le Livre de l’Arbre et des Quatre Oiseaux (Risâlat al-Ittiḥād al-Kawnī)
   Issued by Les Deux Océans in 1984, this translation renders Ibn ʿArabī’s cosmological treatise—framed as an allegory of the Perfect Man and the cosmos—into French, supplemented by philological notes and an interpretive foreword Wikipédia, l’encyclopédie libre.

3. The Kitâb al-inbâh of ‘Abdallāh Badr al-Ḥabashī
   In a seminal 1979 article in Annales Islamologiques (Vol. 15, pp. 97–164), Gril edited the Arabic text and provided both a French introduction and translation of this disciple’s account of Ibn ʿArabī’s spiritual pedagogy, highlighting the master’s teaching style and doctrinal nuances PerséeIbn Arabi Society.

4. Numerous articles on Ibn ʿArabī’s hermeneutics, cosmology, and ethics
   Gril has contributed over a dozen articles to journals such as Annales Islamologiques, the Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society, and Études Traditionnelles, exploring topics from Quranic exegesis and the “journey through the circles” to the foundations of Sufi sainthood PerséeIbn Arabi Society.

Claude Addas

Claude Addas is a French-Polish scholar of Islam, renowned for her deep linguistic expertise and pioneering research on Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī Wikipedia. She is the daughter of the distinguished Akbarian scholar Michel Chodkiewicz and earned university degrees in both Arabic and Persian, providing the philological foundation for her later biographical studies Wikipedia.

Contributions to Ibn al-Arabī Studies

1. Ibn ʿArabī, ou, La quête du soufre rouge (Bibliothèque des Sciences humaines, Gallimard, 3 March 1989)

   • First published by Gallimard, this definitive French biography integrates meticulous archival research with extensive manuscript analysis, situating Ibn ʿArabī’s life against the backdrop of Andalusian exile and the political upheavals of the Crusades Gallimard.

   • Addas’s study is based on a detailed examination of Ibn ʿArabī’s own writings alongside a vast secondary literature in Arabic and Persian, marking the first methodical reconstruction of his “double itinerary”—from Andalusia to Damascus and the esoteric “Night Journey” of Sufi experience Fons Vitae Publishing.

2. Quest for the Red Sulphur: The Life of Ibn ʿArabī (Islamic Texts Society, 1993)

   • Peter Kingsley’s English translation made Addas’s groundbreaking biography accessible to Anglophone audiences; it is praised by William Chittick as “the best and most thoroughly documented account” and by Gregory Lipton as “Ibn ʿArabī’s preeminent Western biographer” WikipediaITS.

   • The translation appeared in 1993 under the auspices of the Islamic Texts Society, further solidifying Addas’s international reputation Amazon.

3. Ibn ʿArabî et le voyage sans retour (Le Seuil, 1996)

   • This monograph delves into the visionary and existential aspects of Ibn ʿArabī’s spiritual path, emphasizing the irreversible transformation intrinsic to the mystic’s pedagogical journey Wikipedia.

   • It was later translated into English as Ibn ʿArabī: The Voyage of No Return (Islamic Texts Society, 2000), expanding Addas’s influence among non-Francophone scholars Accueil.

4. Ibn ʿArabī: The Voyage of No Return (Islamic Texts Society, 2000)

   • The English edition presents Addas’s insights into Ibn ʿArabī’s teaching style and nocturnal visions, underlining his role as guide on the soul’s irreversible passage toward divine union Wikipedia.

5. La Maison muhammadienne: Aperçus de la dévotion au Prophète en mystique musulmane (Gallimard, 2015)

   • In this later study, Addas examines the doctrine of muhammadiyya (“Muhammadan essence”), analyzing devotional practices and the metaphysical centrality of the Prophet in Sufi thought, thereby broadening the scope of Akbarian studies into the domain of prophetic mysticism Wikipedia.