Imaginal Worlds: Ibn al-?Arabi and the Problem of Religious Diversity(SUNY series in Islam)

In this book Chittick explains Ibn al-ʿArabī's concept of human perfection, his World of Imagination, and his teachings on why God's wisdom demands diversity of religious expression. He then suggests how these teachings can be employed to conceptualize the study of world religions in a contemporary context. Ibn al-ʿArabī, known as the "Greatest Master,"is the most influential Muslim thinker of the past 600 years. This book is an introduction to his thought concerning the ultimate destiny of human beings, God and the cosmos, and the reasons for religious diversity. It summarizes many of Ibn al-ʿArabī's teachings in a simple manner. The ideas discussed are explained in detail. The book is divided into three parts. In the first part Chittick explains Ibn al-ʿArabī's concept of human perfection; in the second part he looks at various implications of the World of Imagination; and in the third part he exposes Ibn al-ʿArabī's teachings on why God's wisdom demands diversity of religious expression, and he suggests how these teachings can be employed to conceptualize the study of world religions in a contemporary context.

Table of Contents:
Introduction PART I. HUMAN PERFECTION 1. Oneness of Being Divine Names and Human Perfection Incomparability and Similarity 2. Microcosm, Macrocosm, and Perfect Man The Goal of Creation The Path to Perfection 3. Ethics and Antinomianism Noble Character Traits Blameworthy Character Traits 4. Self-Knowledge and the Original Human Disposition The Nondelimitation of Wujud Imaginal Consciousness Self-Knowledge The Unknown Station Annihilation and Subsistence Becoming Human PART II. WORLDS OF IMAGINATION 5. Revelation and Poetic Imagery The Tarjuman al-Ashwaq Imagination Reason and Self-Disclosure The Revelation of Similitudes Witnessing the Loci of Vision 6. Meetings with Imaginal Men Discerning Imaginal Realities Varieties of Imaginal Perception Imaginal Men 7. Death and the Afterlife Revelation and Reason The Isthmus after Death The Unfolding of the Soul The Next World Inside/Outside The Garden and the Fire The Cooling of the Fire PART III. RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY 8. A Myth of Origins The Koranic View of Revelation The Divine Names and the Origins of Religion Chapter 66 9. Diversity of Belief The Roots of Belief The Two Commands Paths to God Equilibrium The Marks of Belief Nondelimited Belief The Circle of Religious Diversity 10. The Divine Roots of Religion Gods of Belief Rational Investigation Names and Knottings The Divine Form All and Nothing Prophecy and Guidance Providential Limitations Appreciating Knots Notes Bibliography Index of Sources Index of Koranic Verses Index of Hadiths and Sayings Index of Names and Terms

About the Author :
William C. Chittick is Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is the author of Faith and Practice of Islam; A Shi'ite Anthology; The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn al- Arabi's Metaphysics of Imagination; and The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi; all published by SUNY Press.

Review :
"Imaginal Worlds is an excellent summary and a solid interpretation of Ibn al-Arabi's teachings." -- Gerhard Bowering, Yale University