Knowing God: Ibn ʿArabī and ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Qāshānī’s Metaphysics of the Divine: (109 Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Science. Texts and Studies)

Can we know God or does he reside beyond our ken? In Ibn ʿArabī and ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Qāshānī’s Metaphysics of the Divine, Ismail Lala conducts a forensic analysis of the nature of God and His interaction with creation. Looking mainly at the exegetical works of the influential mystic, Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ʿArabī (d. 638/1240), and one of his chief disseminators, ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Qāshānī (d. 736/1335?), Lala employs the term huwiyya, literally “He-ness,” as an aperture into the metaphysical worldview of both mystics. Does Al-Qāshānī agree with Ibn ʿArabī’s conception of God? Does he agree with Ibn ʿArabī on how God relates to us and how we relate to Him? Or is this where Sufi master and his disciple part ways?

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgements Transliteration Guide 1 Introduction  1The Meeting  2The Master  3The Disciple  4The Word  5The Presentation  6The Qurʾan  7The History 2 Ibn ʿArabī and Huwiyya  1Ibn ʿArabī’s Definition  2Huwiyya in Al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya  3Huwiyya in the Fuṣūṣ  4The Chapter of Yūsuf  5Conclusion of Ibn ʿArabī and Huwiyya 3 Al-Qāshānī and Huwiyya  1Al-Qāshānī’s Definition of Huwiyya  2Huwiyya, Entity and the Perfect Man  3Huwiyya in the Taʾwīlāt  4Conclusion of Huwiyya in al-Qāshānī’s Works  5The Huwiyya of Ibn ʿArabī versus the Huwiyya of al-Qāshānī 4 Conclusion Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Ismail Lala, D.Phil (2017), University of Oxford, is a seminary-trained academic who focusses on the metaphysical thought of Ibn ʿArabī and ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Qāshānī. He has published widely on this topic, as well as on Sunnī Qurʾanic commentaries, Prophetic traditions, Islamic medical ethics, and Islamic philosophy.

Review :
“A brilliant study of the nature of God in the thought of Ibn ʿArabī and his later disciple, ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Qāshānī. Dr. Lala guides the reader through a thicket of abstruse texts of Sufi metaphysics on the term huwiyya to a clear explication of the views of each thinker on the nature of God and how we can know Him. Rigorous textual analysis at its best.” - R. L. Nettler, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford “This volume, focusing on a term of decisive significance in Ibn ʿArabī’s thought, is a most welcome contribution to research in the history of speculative Sufism. The author’s semantic analysis, based on a substantial series of the relevant texts, shows with commendable precision how Ibn ʿArabī’s mystical system has undergone modification by one of its foremost interpreters, ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Qāshānī. The latter’s role as a systematiser and arch-defender of Ibn ʿArabī’s legacy in the altered conditions of his later milieu, comes into sharp relief. Lala’s study significantly extends our understanding of speculative Sufism in its historical unfolding.” - Toby Mayer, The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London “Bref, nous avons affaire ici à un travail de recherche et de réflexion méticuleux – si nous passons sur quelques rares coquilles, et sur le caractère incomplet de l’index. Le choix de centrer l’étude sur un corpus restreint (Fuṣūṣ, Taʾwīlāt) permet d’aboutir à des conclusions claires. On appréciera en outre l’insertion nette du propos dans l’histoire : le terme huwiyya est replacé dans les contextes successifs de la pensée en islam (p. 57-63). Les impacts de l’œuvre d’Ibn ʿArabī comme d’al-Qāšānī sont replacés dans le paysage politique de leur époque. Cet ouvrage fournit donc un regard utile sur la pensée métaphysique du soufisme, notamment sur l’œuvre encore peu connue d’al-Qāšānī.” - Pierre Lory, Arabica 69 (2022).