Ibn al-‛Arabī’s / On Five Influential Stations"

The aim of this book is to examine Ibn al-‛Arabī’s attitude towards five Sufi stations from the perspective of their influence on other stations or on the acts, sayings, etc. of the Sufi. The stations discussed are: ikhlāṣ (purification, or truthfulness, or sincerity), taqwā (God-fearingness), tawba (repentance), wara‛ (scrupulousness), and mujāhada (striving). These five stations have different measures of influence on one’s deeds and one’s performance of precepts. Each discussion of a station begins with the views of early Sufis, continues with Ibn al-‛Arabī’s approach, and ends with the translation of the relevant chapters from Ibn al-‛Arabī’s greatest work, al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya. In his discussion, Ibn al-‛Arabī reveals his original interpretation of these stations and their impact on the Sufis’ conduct. The approach he adopts to these Sufi stations illustrates the connection between his mystical philosophy and previous Sufi thought.