Osman Yahya (Ibn Arabi) - Theophanies and Lights in the Thought of Ibn Arabi

8/8/2019 Osman Yahya (Ibn Arabi) - Theophanies and Lights in the Thought of Ibn Arabi

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Theophanies and Lights in the Thought of Ibn 'Arabi

The Theory of Akbarian Theophanies

Ibn'Arabi's idea of theophanies is closely tied in with his theories on being, knowledge and

spiritual experience. More precisely, this idea forms the basis of his description of existence,

knowledge and liberating experience. For the Master, existence, like knowledge and liberating

experience, is only a reflection of theophanic effects and particular aspects of their universal

manifestation. From this we already have an intimation of the importance of theophany and its

major role in the thought of Ibn 'Arabi on three levels: existence, knowledge and the liberating

experience of the human being.

Theophanies, Sources of Existence

Theophanies in the realm of being are manifestations of the divine Truth with regard to infinite

perfection and eternal glory. God-Truth in Himself is an inexhaustible source of riches and

splendors: He is the "Hidden Treasure" which longs to express itself and be known. God-Truth is

Beauty and the property of beauty is to shine forth. He is Love whose nature is to give of itself The

divine theophanies are essentially the outpouring of His Beauty, His Perfection and His Love which

are expressed in the immense theatre of the universe. The Existential Theophanies taken as a

whole comprise three levels which the Master calls hadart(Presences or Dignities).

First level: Pure Essence. These are called existential theophanies of the Essence.

Second level: the Attributes. These are the existential theophanies of divine qualities.

Third level: Acts. These are the active existential theophanies since the nature of God or the

divinity as such is Essence, Attributes and Action, personified by His Divine Names.

The existential theophanies of the divine Essence are the determinations of God in Himself, for

Himself in His Essence transcending all manifestation and form. The world from which these

theophanies and their radiance spring is that of Unity ('alam al-ahadiyya). In this universe, the

divine Essence appears as beyond all description, name or qualification. It is the world of pure

Essence considered as Mystery of Mysteries and Secret of Secrets from which the theophanies of

the Essence originate, the mirror in which the absolute existential Reality is reflected.

The existential theophanies of divine Attributes are the determinations of God in Himself for

Himself under the aspect of His intrinsic Names and Attributes. The world specified for this type of

theophany is the Unicity ('alam al-wahda) of the Essence with Its Attributes. God-Truth manifests

both in His Essence and in His intrinsic Perfection after his concealment as "Hidden Treasure

This appearance arises by the mediation of what Ibn 'Arabi calls the most holy emanation (al-fayd

al-aqdas). In this particular world of theophanies the beings destined to incarnate appear in the

form of immutable realities.


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The existential theophanies of divine Action are the extrinsic effects of divine Power in the manifest

world. The world where these theophanies are exercised and revealed is called by the Master 'alam

al-Wahdniyya, the Unity in its three aspects: Essence-Attribute-Action. It appears by the way of

the holy emanation (al-fayd al-Muqaddas): a universe where God manifests Himself in the form of

eternal realities encompassing species and individuals, sensible forms and abstractions.

God-Truth alone is, then, the principle and source of existential theophanies. He contains the

theophanies in their many dimensions. As we have just seen, the theophanies revolve around the

Essence, Attributes and Actions. They do not come from nothing nor do they return to nothing.

From the fact that God is at the centre of the existential theophanies, the source of their

manifestations and many dimensions, they are nothing but the manifestation of the Absolute and

cannot be dissociated from Him. They come from God-Truth and return to Him.

Thus the existential theophanies are manifested in the three levels of Being:ahadiyya (Unity) -

wahda (Unicity) - wahdniyya (Unification), according to the modes of Essence, Attributes and

intrinsic and extrinsic Action. That, in substance, is Ibn 'Arabi's theory of theophanies. It is

different on the one hand from the idea of emanation (al-fayd) cherished by the philosophers, andon the other hand from the idea of creation advocated by the Moslem theologians(mutakalimun),

even if certain aspects and conclusions coincide.

The fundamental difference which distinguishes Ibn 'Arabi from the philosophers is the Master's

notion of the Unity of Being in its creative act, which is at the base of all existential manifestations,

whilst the philosophers favour the notion of the multiplicity of Being. Ibn 'Arabi considers Being as

an unconditional absolute (mawjd-la-bi-shart) beyond all duality or multiplicity. According to him,

the multiplicity which we observe at the sensible or spiritual levels does not affect the Unity of

Being in its creative act. It simply represents its various degrees and many states. The existential

theophanies, therefore, only constitute a facet of the Absolute-God who is One in His existence

and many in His manifestations. One sees how the philosophical theory of emanation goes againstthat of Ibn 'Arabi. For the philosophers, Absolute Being is subject to a negative condition (mawjd-

bi-shart-la) from which the possibility of the multiplicity of being within the manifest follows, at

every level, spiritual or material.

The major difference which divides the Akbarian idea of theophany and the theologians' notion of

creation, hangs on the understanding of the existential multiplicity as a divine action outside of

Being in its Essence and its Attributes on the part of the theologians, who do not distinguish

between Essence, Attributes or Action within the divinity. Ibn 'Arabi, on the contrary, conceives of

the many aspects of creation as an effect of the existential theophany itself in act in the manifold

modes of manifest existence. The theophanies of Act, like those of Attributes and Essence, revolve

in the divine sphere: they are the expressions of Its absolute Perfection. For the Master, nothing isexternal to the divinity and nothing can exist outside of the Absolute.

Theophanies, Sources of Knowledge and Spiritual Realisation

As we have seen, the Akbarian theory of theophanies is not limited to the sphere of existence, it is

related to knowledge and spiritual realisation. The divine theophanies are the origin of sensible and

spiritual knowledge, the mainspring of its evolution and the domain of its diffusion. They are the


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eternal archetypes which, by lighting up the mirror of the heart and the intellect, give rise to

experiential knowledge and Certainty. In reality, the links between being and knowledge are

sufficiently strong to provoke the expansion and evolution of consciousness because the most

subtle part of the human being is his intelligence and his heart: they are the quintessence of man

himself, the heart is the receptacle of gnosis and the intellect is the centre of knowledge. This is

how Ibn 'Arabi defines theophany as the basis of knowledge: "It is what reveals itself to the heartin the lights of the Invisible." This definition enlightens us on the nature of knowledge, its source,

its means, and its object. Knowledge is the unveiling of the deep reality of things, its essence,

before the gnostic. This unveiling works symbolically by the opening of the heart under the

influence of the divine theophanies which project their lights into the heart.

This allows us to grasp the nature of knowledge and the relationship established between being

and knowledge, principally at the level of the human condition. It thus renders credible the thorny

questions which one asks oneself, such as:

- What is the intermediary between being and knowledge?

- How is knowledge transformed into being in the heart of the gnostic?

- How does being in turn become knowledge in the heart of the gnostic?

Light is the link which binds being to knowledge. It is the crucible of the final transmutation. It is

through It and in It that the nature of knowledge is transformed into being in the heart of the

gnostic. Just as the nature of being in turn is transformed into knowledge, and it is then that the

most subtle mysteries are revealed in the inmost depths of his heart and the reality of things

appears to him in their archetypal form.

When Light shines on the mirror of the heart it is gradually diffused in the same manner as the

irradiation of the existential theophanies. Each particle of Light projects spiritual knowledge

according to distinctive nuances of colour. One may thus differentiate between what the Master

calls:

(a) nr al-anwr(The Light of lights). This comes from the essential theophanies of absolute

Truth. Ibn 'Arabi sometimes calls it "the dazzling irradiations" which provoke the annihilation of the

being and cannot be perceived by him except in the most intimate secret of his heart (as-sirr).

This secret of the heart is an uncreated substance, of celestial origin, by which man gains access

to the superior angelic and divine world. It is the theophany of the Light of lights which reveals the

absolute reality in its most transcendent aspect, and causes certainty at its highest degree to be

born in the heart. Ibn 'Arabi calls this form of knowledge haqq-al-yaqn (absolute Certainty), and itis the fruit of direct experience.

(b) anwr al-ma'ni(The Light of the intellect). By this term, Ibn 'Arabi refers to the intellectual

knowledge transmitted by these theophanies at the moment of their irradiation in the heart. This

light is the way of access to the meaning of Truth as it is grasped by human intelligence. Thanks to

it man sees the reality of existence in the world of Unicity with the eye of the heart. He also

perceives the link which unites all things to God. Thanks to the irradiation of the theophany of the


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Light of the intellect in the heart, Certainty is established ('ayn al-yaqn) - the Certainty which

comes from direct vision.

(c) anwr al-tabi' (The Light of nature). This refers to the learning and knowledge which human

reason acquires under the influence of the existential theophanies in Act. It is here that the gnostic

and the philosopher concur in the acquisition of learning. At this level, they join together in

studying the exterior phenomena of existence: their appearance, their evolution and their

disappearance. But the gnostic perceives them as an effect of the celestial lights propelled on to

the stage of outward existence whilst at the same time detecting beneath the surface the shadow

of the superior Being. Thus, in the world of multiplicity the sublime signs of the world of Unification

appear to him. Philosophers and learned men only see isolated earthly phenomena. The influence

of the theophanies of the lights of nature produces in the heart a form of knowledge called ilm al-

yaqn (Certainty arising from knowledge).

The world of Unity is the domain where the existential theophanies of the divine Essence are

manifested; the world of Unicity is the domain of theophanies of divine Attributes; the world of

Unification is the domain where the divine theophanies occur, extrinsically and intrinsically, in Act.Knowledge and illumination at the level of being follow the same process.

The theophanies of the Essence at the level of being are comparable to the theophanies of the

Light of lights at the level of knowledge. The theophanies of Attributes at the level of being are

comparable to the theophanies of the Light of the intellect at the level of learning. The theophanies

of Acts at the level of the being relate to the theophanies of nature at the level of knowledge of

matter. There is therefore a perfect concordance between the three forms of unity of the

theophanies of Being and those of knowledge.

Theophanies and Liberating Experience

For Ibn 'Arabi, the theophanies of lights are the sources of gnosis and knowledge, and transmit

learning and knowledge through the organs of man's senses in the form of waves of light. As we

have already said, lights are the principles of existence in Ibn 'Arabi's perception and it is due to

the effect of their emanation and diffusion that things move and come to life. Knowledge and

existence are joined together in human consciousness at the level of the spiritual plane and man's

ultimate destiny. For man light is, therefore, principle, means and end. It is at the origin of his

condition of being for it is an integral part of his constitution and of all elements of life -simple or

complex. It is also the channel through which man subsists on the material and spiritual planes. It

is both food and drink and the essence of sensible, rational and spiritual knowledge. Lastly, it is

the final destiny of man for it is through it that immortality is achieved.

If what we have just explained comes from the truth, it is easy for us to grasp the close links

which exist between the notions of theophany and liberating experience. That leads us to examine

this particular aspect of Ibn 'Arabi's thought, viz. liberating experience which is the pivot of his

general theory of divine existential theophany. It is thanks to the divine theophanies that the man

on the Way is guided in his quest for perfection through the stages and abodes up to the highest

station. The spiritual knowledges which irradiate his being are intangible realities which spring

from the source of absolute Truth. They fill his heart with joy and happiness; they arouse in him


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the taste for perfection and the desire to attain saintliness. They penetrate the whole of his being,

his thought, his will, his sensibility, his consciousness, his feelings and his aspirations, transformed

into energies of light and fire. Then the man becomes a living witness to purity, saintliness and

redemption.

The Stages, Abodes and Stations are the components of the Temple ofwalya: human-divine

friendship in Islam. They are its composition and meaning. For Ibn 'Arabi this building material

comes from the divine theophanies, whether they manifest on the plane of being or knowledge.

The Stages (al-ahwl) result from psychological or spiritual influences which affect the man of the

Way during his progress towards the God-King. We might mention Ecstasy (wajd), Annihilation

('istilm), Happiness (bast), Despondency (qabd), Awakening (sah) Drunkenness (sukr), etc...

They arise like flashes on the horizon, blinding flashes of lightning which straight away disappear.

However, these stages are necessary for the liberating experience of man; thanks to them he may

distinguish the contingent from the permanent, the ephemeral from the eternal, until there no

longer remains in his consciousness anything except that which is destined to endure.

The Abodes (manzil) are the spiritual places of the divine Sphere. They are the luminous oases of

eternal paradise, the palace of Truth. The man of the Way takes refuge there, and rests after the

vicissitudes of his quest and his struggle. There he finds the shadow of light, rays of knowledge

and the joy of saintliness.

Finally, the Stations (maqmt) are the topmost foundations ofwalaya: the moral distinctions and

spiritual degrees accorded to the men of the Way. They constitute the stabilising element of

liberating experience.

According to Ibn 'Arabi, al-fan'(extinction) is the apex of the Stages; al-baq'(permanency) the

apex of the Abodes; al-yaqn (certainty) the apex of the Stations. Each one of these manifestationsassumes three distinct forms and at the same time is in close and constant relationship with the

divine theophanies in their existential and gnostic manifestations.

Al-fan'(extinction) is a sort of mental, yet real, death. The man of the Way experiences it freely;

it is the final passage which leads to the summit of the Stages. It liberates man from all

contingency outside of his spiritual quest; his ultimate aim is the Truth. Three degrees may be

distinguished here: fan'of acts, attributes and essence.

The Sufi fan'in its triple manifestation does not have an exclusively negative effect or action; it is

the annihilation of everything contingent, whether this be in the form of action, attribute or

essence; more precisely, it is the annihilation of everything that is not God, and God - may HisName be praised - is the supreme object of all good, all beauty. Fan'thus conceived is an internal

state which requires from the Sufi a sustained and permanent effort of concentration to break his

fetters and take on the demands and calls of truth, by his acts, his moral virtues, his whole being.

That implies perfect control of himself: in words, deeds and thoughts. It is at this price that he

attains an interior spiritual state where he becomes the pure and clear mirror in which the lights of

Truth are reflected in all their splendour.


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The state ofbaq', permanency, is life with God, through God, in God, for God. It is the summit of

the mystical Abodes in the waiting for the Beloved. Here there are also three degrees, each one

referring to a particular aspect of the divine theophanies as principle of existence and its

qualitative evolution: faith - knowledge - grace.

The first aspect of the Sufi permanency is situated at the level of acts. The action of the Sufi is

here united with the divine action acquiring its order, harmony and durability. This specific degree

of Sufi baq'is the result of the shooting forth of the divine theophany as existential principle and

the lights of nature as source of knowledge.

The second aspect of permanency is situated at the level of qualities and attributes. Here human

virtues are raised to the level of the divine Attributes, acquiring their perfection, dignity and

durability: such that the man's heart attains to a spiritual abode where it is the pure and clear

mirror on which the characteristics of the supreme Creator are engraved. In its turn, the power of

acts in the abode of permanence becomes a docile instrument by which the divine plans in the

world and within the living person, are realised. This particular form ofbaq'is a reflection of the

divine existential theophanies at the level of the Attributes and Qualities, and the effect of thelights of the intellect as principle of knowledge.

The last degree ofbaq'is permanency of the essence. In this domain the essence of the servant

is raised to the height of the divine Essence in its Unity, Sublimity and Universality. He is totally

absorbed by the divine Life. It is through God that he sees, through Him that he hears, through

Him that he expresses his will, through Him that he contemplates. This is the most perfect form of

Sufi baq', the final stage of the hero's quest. This particular abode is in its turn acquired by the

effect of the theophanies of the Essence on the existential plane and by the effect of the

theophanies of Light at the gnostic level.

But in what form does man receive these three degrees offan'? How can he realise his quest forpermanency which is the pinnacle of the abodes of heroes? In short, what is the mount which

allows the Sufi to realise the state offan'and baq'? By means of divine Love is the Master's

reply. Only Love is capable of guaranteeing us access to the degrees offan'and baq'. Let us

hear Ibn 'Arabi, in his symbolic and poetic language, describe to us the experience offan'in its

various modes and the degrees ofbaq'in the shadow of Love and the presence of the Beloved,

God-Truth:

My Beloved, joy of my eyes

You are me as Myself, there where I am My companion at every

moment

- May God be glorified! -

You are my essence

Hand in hand let us enter together into the presence of the only

Beloved

Let there be no more distinction between us Becoming One in

Reality

Oh, how wonderful a thought


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and what subtle blending:

"The transparency of the glass, the purity of its contents become

identical causing confusion:

Is it the glass or is it the wine that we see? "

All life in the universe vanishes

Moons are eclipsed, the sun disintegrates, the stars explode.

We are thus thrice annihilated.

Similar to annihilation itself

And we attain to the three degrees of Permanency

Following the example of Permanency itself.

Certainty (al-yaqn) is the summit of the Stations, as we have already seen. By it the Temple of

walya is fully completed. This is the repository of liberating experience in Islam. In relation to the

exoteric religious life Certainty is the sister of religious life in its perfection (ihsn), that is to say

the adoration of God - may He be exalted - according to the visionary way; through this channel it

is the pillar of Islam in the accomplishment of its external practices, as it is the foundation of faith

(imn) in its internal dogma. It is in fact ihsn which gives the external religion its true meaning

and the domain of faith its real values.

Certainty (al-yaqn), like Permanency and Extinction, comprises three degrees. The first degree is

referred to by the Master and by current Sufis by the name 'ilm al-yaqn (the knowledge of

Certainty), which means that Certainty is the result of knowledge. At this degree the object of

Certainty is knowledge just as the aim of knowledge is Certainty. Both together are in the soul

uniquely, such that Certainty is the first degree of spiritual life and the last of speculative

experience. This particular degree of mysticalyaqn is the result of divine theophanies in Act at the

level of existence and also the result of theophanies of lights of nature at the gnostic level.

The second degree ofyaqn is what one calls in Sufi terms 'ayn al-yaqn (the Eye of Certainty),

that is, Certainty as a consequence of contemplation and vision. At this level, the object of

Certainty is present in front of the gnostic and is not only a speculative concept. Here knowledge

becomes what one calls 'ilm-hudr(Presence of knowledge), and that is the second aspect of

Certainty in the spiritual way and in liberating experience. By this kind of knowledge, the man of

the Way is distinguished from philosophers and learned men. This particular degree of spiritual

Certainty is the result of divine theophanies of Attributes at the level of existence, just as it is the

result of theophanies of lights of the intellect at the level of gnosis.

Finally, the last degree ofyaqn is called haqq al-yaqn (the total reality of Certainty), that is,

Certainty as supreme truth. Here, Certainty has a particular colouring: it is the fruit of an all-

embracing experience because the object of Certainty is identical to the one who is experiencing it,

knowledge being transformed into actual experience and actual experience into knowledge. At this

stage, in fact, knowledge is not limited to the intellect, nor to the vision of the one who is

contemplating it, it becomes one with the human being. This is the final phase ofyaqn, the

apotheosis of the spiritual and intellectual journey. This high degree of Sufi Certainty is the effect

of the Emanation of the divine Theophanies in Essence at its existential level and that of the

diffusion of the Light of lights (Dazzling Irradiations) at the level of the theophanies of the gnostic.


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Translated from the French by Cecilia Twinch

Osman Yahya (Ibn Arabi) - Theophanies and Lights in the Thought of Ibn Arabi

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