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SUNY Series in Islam
The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn al-'Arabi's Cosmology
The Self-Disclosure of God offers the most detailed presentation to date in any Western language of the basic teachings of Islam's greatest mystical philosopher and theologian. It represents a major step forward in making available to the Western reading public the enormous riches of Islamic teachings in the fields of cosmology, mystical philosophy, theology, and spirituality.
The Self-Disclosure of God continues the author's investigations of the world view of Ibn al-Arabi, the greatest theoretician of Sufism and the seal of the Muhammadan saints. The book is divided into three parts, dealing with the relation between God and the cosmos, the structure of the cosmos, and the nature of the human soul. A long introduction orients the reader and discusses a few of the difficulties faced by Ibn al-Arabi's interpreters. Like Chittick's earlier work, The Sufi Path of Knowledge, this book is based primarily on Ibn al-Arabi's monumental work, al-Futuhat al-makkiyya The Meccan Openings. More than one hundred complete chapters and subsections are translated, not to mention shorter passages that help put the longer discussions in context. There are detailed indices of sources, Koranic verses and hadiths. The book's index of technical terminology will be an indispensable reference for all those wishing to delve more deeply into the use of language in Islamic thought in general and Sufism in particular.
The Self-Disclosure of God continues the author's investigations of the world view of Ibn al-Arabi, the greatest theoretician of Sufism and the seal of the Muhammadan saints. The book is divided into three parts, dealing with the relation between God and the cosmos, the structure of the cosmos, and the nature of the human soul. A long introduction orients the reader and discusses a few of the difficulties faced by Ibn al-Arabi's interpreters. Like Chittick's earlier work, The Sufi Path of Knowledge, this book is based primarily on Ibn al-Arabi's monumental work, al-Futuhat al-makkiyya The Meccan Openings. More than one hundred complete chapters and subsections are translated, not to mention shorter passages that help put the longer discussions in context. There are detailed indices of sources, Koranic verses and hadiths. The book's index of technical terminology will be an indispensable reference for all those wishing to delve more deeply into the use of language in Islamic thought in general and Sufism in particular.
524 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1997
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About the author
William C. Chittick
50 books311 followersis a philosopher, writer, translator and interpreter of classical Islamic philosophical and mystical texts. He is best known for his work on Rumi and Ibn 'Arabi, and has written extensively on the school of Ibn 'Arabi, Islamic philosophy, and Islamic cosmology.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 3, 2021
I may have finished reading this book, but I am no where near finished with it :)
July 9, 2017
A dense book that takes a lot of time to digest. That's not to say that Chittick did not do his homework – far from it! The book is laid out in a helpful and clear manner that casts light on Ibn Arabi's thought.
The subject matter is, however, a little obtuse, but if one is prepared to stick with it, then the book (from a certain point of view) provides lots of answers to questions relating to The One, how It manifests, and the cosmological order.
A must-read for those seriously interested in the subject, though I would suggest reading the other volume: "The Sufi Path of Knowledge" in this series first to gain a grounding.
The subject matter is, however, a little obtuse, but if one is prepared to stick with it, then the book (from a certain point of view) provides lots of answers to questions relating to The One, how It manifests, and the cosmological order.
A must-read for those seriously interested in the subject, though I would suggest reading the other volume: "The Sufi Path of Knowledge" in this series first to gain a grounding.
November 14, 2007
More Sufi metaphysics, this ain't your grandma's Rumi. Hell, it ain't Rumi at all (though Chittick did do a volume on Rumi which I never finished)...
March 31, 2015
This was a difficult book to get through. But I'm glad I did because it gave me a further insight into the inside world of a Sufi Master. I gained the following new insights from the book. Though I wonder how many people will concur.
1) Possibility does exist and evil arises from the existence of possibility.
2) Parallel universes also exist.
3) Srlf disclosure is more than just an inrush of divine knowledge. It has a property of being able to configure the parameters of perception of the receiver.
The questions that I really wanted answered were sadly left unanswered; namely that of waystations. Ibn Arabi describes them but not how the process of how he gradated to them. Was it a linear progression or just random.
There were some troubling aspect to some of Ibn Arabi's comments. Such as the assertion that all hell-dwellers will eventually be forgiven. And the notion of God appearing in Muhammedan form.
But I came to realise that Sufi Masters like Ibn Arabi live in another dimension and their perception of reality can not always translate into anything meaningful for us lesser mortals.
1) Possibility does exist and evil arises from the existence of possibility.
2) Parallel universes also exist.
3) Srlf disclosure is more than just an inrush of divine knowledge. It has a property of being able to configure the parameters of perception of the receiver.
The questions that I really wanted answered were sadly left unanswered; namely that of waystations. Ibn Arabi describes them but not how the process of how he gradated to them. Was it a linear progression or just random.
There were some troubling aspect to some of Ibn Arabi's comments. Such as the assertion that all hell-dwellers will eventually be forgiven. And the notion of God appearing in Muhammedan form.
But I came to realise that Sufi Masters like Ibn Arabi live in another dimension and their perception of reality can not always translate into anything meaningful for us lesser mortals.
July 14, 2022
I'll start by saying that what Niels Bohr said about quantum theory is equally true of the philosophy of ibn al Arabi: "anyone who claims to fully understand it is lying."
That said, the Sufi's writings are a vast treasury of wisdom, insight, and imagination. Chittick's role here is as a kind of interpreter. He intersperses commentary alongside the translation to make the writing more intelligible and accessible to modern readers.
This is not a casual read. In fact, I would say it is the most challenging book I have ever read. If you have an interest in Islamic mysticism and are undaunted by the prospect of attempting to understand its greatest exponent, then by all means you should read this book.
That said, the Sufi's writings are a vast treasury of wisdom, insight, and imagination. Chittick's role here is as a kind of interpreter. He intersperses commentary alongside the translation to make the writing more intelligible and accessible to modern readers.
This is not a casual read. In fact, I would say it is the most challenging book I have ever read. If you have an interest in Islamic mysticism and are undaunted by the prospect of attempting to understand its greatest exponent, then by all means you should read this book.
March 11, 2021
William Chittick is an excellent chronicler of the writings of Sufi mystic Ibn al-Arabi, and this is rather like a 'Systematic Theology' outlining Arabi's perspective of the manifestation of God. A book that should be of great interest to anyone following the 'Inner spiritual path'. The main problem is in the author having to transpose rather 'technical' Islamic terms into Western conceptual structures but for for serious students it is worth the effort of familiarizing oneself with these precise terms.
June 8, 2024
Mind blowing and brilliant! It is not an easy read, though Chittick writes simply and with clarity. The concepts are difficult and one has to think deeply, read slowly, in order to grasp the significance of this great work by Ibn Al Arabi. Knowledge of the Quran helps of course.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt i learned a lot. The vastness of the meaning of the Quran and the indicators of truth all around us, if only we had the sight to see and the understanding!
This book is a first step. A book to read again and again.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt i learned a lot. The vastness of the meaning of the Quran and the indicators of truth all around us, if only we had the sight to see and the understanding!
This book is a first step. A book to read again and again.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews