William Chittick has just written what I believe will soon be regarded as the best book on Ibn 'Arabi that has yet been published in English. This is quite a feat, given the numbers of books that have been written about Ibn 'Arabi, especially in recent years. Having studied Ibn 'Arabi for the last 30 years, Chittick boils down Ibn 'Arabi's viewpoint in this new book, titled, *Ibn 'Arabi: Heir to the Prophets.*
Written in a clear crisp style that will appeal to the interested public, aspiring Sufis, and scholars alike, *Ibn 'Arabi: Heir to the Prophets* is a small 150 page book that can act as an introduction to Chittick's more weightier tomes on "al-Shaykh al-akbar" (the greatest shaykh).
After a few pages giving a synopsis of Ibn 'Arabi's life, Prof. Chittick divides his book into nine chapters: The Muhammadan Inheritance (dealing with topics such as reading the Qur'an, understanding God, and knowing he self); the Lover of God; the Divine Roots of Love; the Cosmology of Remembrance; Knowledge and Realization; Time, Space, and the Objectivity of Ethical Norms; the In-Between (dealing with the soul); the Disclosure of the Intervening Image (regarding self-awarenes, death, and love); and the Hermeneutics of Mercy (focusing on topics such as the inherent mercy in "being," diversity, and surrender).
This year, if you are going to buy one book on Sufism either as a gift for yourself or a friend, *Ibn 'Arabi: Heir to the Prophets* (Oneworld Press) should be that book.
Review by Dr. Alan Godlas
Written in a clear crisp style that will appeal to the interested public, aspiring Sufis, and scholars alike, *Ibn 'Arabi: Heir to the Prophets* is a small 150 page book that can act as an introduction to Chittick's more weightier tomes on "al-Shaykh al-akbar" (the greatest shaykh).
After a few pages giving a synopsis of Ibn 'Arabi's life, Prof. Chittick divides his book into nine chapters: The Muhammadan Inheritance (dealing with topics such as reading the Qur'an, understanding God, and knowing he self); the Lover of God; the Divine Roots of Love; the Cosmology of Remembrance; Knowledge and Realization; Time, Space, and the Objectivity of Ethical Norms; the In-Between (dealing with the soul); the Disclosure of the Intervening Image (regarding self-awarenes, death, and love); and the Hermeneutics of Mercy (focusing on topics such as the inherent mercy in "being," diversity, and surrender).
This year, if you are going to buy one book on Sufism either as a gift for yourself or a friend, *Ibn 'Arabi: Heir to the Prophets* (Oneworld Press) should be that book.
Review by Dr. Alan Godlas
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