Ibn Arabis Mystical Poetics

By Denis E. McAuley

Book Description

Denis E. McAuley opens a doorway into the profound spiritual poetry of one of Sufism's most influential masters, Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn 'Arabī. This groundbreaking study reveals how the thirteenth-century mystic wove together verse and divine wisdom in ways that have remained largely unexplored until now.

For Ibn 'Arabī, poetry was far more than artistic expression. He understood the rhythmic patterns of verse as mirrors of creation itself, where spiritual meaning and poetic form unite just as spirit descends into matter. The mystic claimed his poems arrived through direct revelation, delivered word by word by spiritual forces beyond ordinary consciousness.

McAuley guides readers through Ibn 'Arabī's most innovative poetic works, examining verses that respond to Qur'anic chapters, poems constructed around single rhyme patterns, and an entire cycle based on Arabic letters. These close examinations reveal a poet whose creative vision bridges ancient pre-Islamic traditions with medieval theological understanding across Islamic, Jewish, and Christian contexts.

Through careful analysis spanning six centuries of literary tradition, this study illuminates how Ibn 'Arabī's unique approach to mystical poetry offers fresh perspectives on both classical Arabic literature and the spiritual dimensions of creative expression. Readers seeking to understand how divine inspiration manifests through artistic form will discover rich insights into the intersection of mysticism and poetic craft.