Annals of Japan Association for Middle East Studies
Online ISSN : 2433-1872
Print ISSN : 0913-7858
Ibn ‘Arabī’s Mystical Doctrine of the “Spirit” (rūḥ)
Yuta SAGARA
Author information
JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2019 Volume 35 Issue 1 Pages 163-183

Details
Abstract

In previous studies on Ibn ‘Arabī (d. 1240), compared to the ontological and cosmological aspects of his thoughts, which were made more sophisticated by his followers, the thinkers of the “Akbarian tradition,” his psychological doctrine, which is one of the main tenets of the Sufis before him, has not yet been sufficiently analyzed. In his psychology, the concept of the “spirit” (rūḥ), which is a popular word used to denote the human soul, is less studied. Previous studies tended to recognize his doctrine of the spirit as one of the elements composing his cosmology, which describes the spirit as the “governor of cosmos” or “life of cosmos.” The spirit as the concept of mystical psychology has not been sufficiently researched. Analyzing the mystical aspect of the concept of the spirit in Ibn ‘Arabī’s thoughts, I point out that he does not only discuss the static position of the spirit in the cosmic order but also evaluates the role of the spirit in the dynamic process of the mystical path. Previous studies seem to not only place too much emphasis on the later development of his thoughts but also have a preconception, based on this historical fact, about the aspects of his thoughts that have a connection to previous ideologies. My consideration of the above suggests a need to reexamine his doctrines about the main tenets of the preceding Sufis.

Content from these authors
© 2019 Japan Association for Middle East Studies (JAMES)
Previous article Next article
feedback
Top