The Synthesis of Classical Doctrine and Sufi Metaphysics in Ibn Arabi's Conception of Religious Multiplicity

Author: Elias Abrar

"The idea of the universality of divine revelation itself is non-negotiable in Islam and is firmly embedded within doctrine and constitutes a matter of faith. God has spoken before and Islam is latest example of this phenomenon. The standing of other faiths after the appearance of Islam is another matter altogether, and Muslims continue to grapple with this issue in the present day. Muhammad Ibn al-Arabi, hereafter referred to as Ibn Arabi, is an example of [a] Sufi intellectual whose prodigious corpus has served the needs of individuals of all persuasions interested in presenting Sufism as antithetical to Islam or, conversely, conveying an agreeable face of religion."