The Resources of the Human Spirit - Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society

The Resources of the Human SpiritA Journey Through the Spiritual Experienceof Ibn ¡ArabiSouad Al-HakimIn the name of God, the All Compassionate, the Most MercifulWhen we look back at written history, we can distinguish thepersonalities behind certain writings and texts, regardless of timeand place; those images of Man – Sufis, sages or philosophers– who have believed in humanity and have seen in humankindthe jewel of the world and its real treasure. These peopletried, in accordance with their philosophical beliefs, to draw theattention of humanity to the search for universal truth by lookingwithin themselves, since only a deep self-knowledge allowshuman beings to free their inner strength and to enjoy the fullnessof existence in such a way that no other material or exteriorachievement can equal.Among those personalities who have believed in Man is al-Shaykh al-Akbar Muhyiddin Ibn ¡Arabi, who had the opportunityto undergo a spiritual experience which was full of extraordinaryknowledge – an experience which can open the door andlead us, through intelligence and imagination, to the “world ofthe spirit”. In the same way, such an experience, among others,allows us to establish a new domain of knowledge in the generalculture of humanity: “the culture of the spirit”.General human culture – as opposed to specialized and elitistculture – is nowadays a vast entity, which includes everything ofinterest to mankind. It covers every field and has a prolific output.Nonetheless, in spite of the availability of a great number ofwritten works, digital materials and television channels showingdocumentaries etc., there is still one unexplored field imperviousto general human culture. This is the domain of the human spirit,its power and capacities, and how to acquire these capacities, and

22 Souad Al-Hakimthe potential achievements that every human being can attainthrough a deep understanding of his or her spirit.Based on Ibn ¡Arabi’s writings, this paper contributes to theestablishment of a culture, which aims to explore the world of thehuman spirit as part of the real world and not as science fiction.The study is divided into nine sections which I believe offer acomplete image of the practical side of the human spirit accordingto Ibn ¡Arabi. These nine sections, which also demonstratethe strength, the diversity of powers and the extraordinary effectsof the human spirit, are as follows:I. The nature of the human spirit.II. The location of the human spirit in the kingdom of man.III. The relation between the body and the spirit.IV. The relation between the spirit and the soul.V. The origin of the spirit and the source of its powers andcapacities.VI. The acquisition of spiritual powers.VII. A first stage of spiritual experience which gives humanspleasure and allows human reasoning to leave asidethe “logic of the real” and to accept a higher and moredeveloped reasoning: the logic of the Real.VIII. A second stage of spiritual experience capable of showingthat the human spirit is able to increase the strength andthe senses of human beings, making it possible to see whatothers cannot see and hear what others cannot hear.IX. A third stage of spiritual experience that shows the abilityof the spirit to leave the body and pass through the dimensionsof space and time in order to broaden the field ofhuman knowledge and establish the vicegerency 1 of man:night-journeys, ascensions, spiritual gatherings, etc.1. Vicegerency is a synonym of the Caliphate according to the Quranicverses.

The Resources of the Human Spirit23I. The Nature of the Human SpiritIt is not easy to refer to the nature of the spirit, since the spirit isa metaphysical concept that is subject to neither observation norstudy. Nevertheless, this section seeks to define the characteristicsof the spirit: visible in its actions but invisible in its essence.1. Opinions on the nature of the spiritIbn ¡Arabi’s opinions differ slightly from those of earlier masterson the nature of the spirit, and in his spiritual work Al-Tadb¨råtal-ilåhiyya f¨ ißlå¢ al-mamlaka al-insåniyya, 2 he mentions thesedifferences. 3 We shall not consider the debate these opinionsprovoked here, but instead will summarize three of them:1. The spirit is an essence which is individual and has location,and comprises the moral characteristics of human beings. Itis different from the life which exists in an animal.2. According to ¡Abd al-Malik b. Hab¨b, the spirit is a subtleimage which is similar to the body. As with the body, it haseyes, ears, hands and feet that can be located in the sameplaces as their counterparts in the body.3. Imåm Ab¬ Håmid al-Ghazål¨ is one of the advocates of a thirdopinion, stating that the spirit is a recent essence which existsby itself and is impossible to locate; it is neither inside noroutside the body, and it is neither joined to nor separate fromit, since its location is impossible to determine.Ibn ¡Arabi’s comments show his tolerance and acceptance ofdifferent opinions. He argues that diversity of opinion is notharmful and does not have any effect upon the roots of theSharia, since all of these viewpoints state that the spirit is recent.He finishes his discussion thus: “May God grant success to allof them”.After acknowledging these opinions, Ibn ¡Arabi does not statehis own view on the nature of the spirit. He simply declares: “We2. Ibn ¡Arab¨ describes this spiritual work in his book ¡Anqå¤ Mughrib.3. Al-Tadb¨råt al-ilåhiyya f¨ ißlå¢ al-mamlaka al-insåniyya, pp. 129–31(Leiden, 1919).

24 Souad Al-Hakimare neither in favour of, nor against, any of these viewpoints,even though one of them stands out above the others … But thishas already been discussed in another work.”Thus, his opinion regarding the spirit is diffused throughouthis writings and is not easy to locate, like treasure concealedwithin locked chests. The one who wishes to find this knowledgemust therefore search for it, by unifying and unlocking themeanings within words so as to discover the true nature of thespirit. This is what we will attempt to do below.2. The origin of the human spiritIn order to understand the nature of any creature, it is necessaryto observe how it has come into existence. Indeed, an understandingof its origin will lead us to an understanding of itsnature. Based on this premise, we will try to find those quotesfrom Ibn ¡Arabi’s works that mention how the human spirit hascome into existence.According to Ibn ¡Arabi, the human spirit is born from amother and a father. Its father is the divine spirit, God’s Soul,the Merciful Breath and its nature is light; its mother is thealready-formed body, composed of the elements, and its natureis darkness.The fact of being born from both a mother and a father meansthat the spirit has a combined nature, which gives its essencea twofold status, similar both to its father, “light”, and to itsmother, “darkness”. Because of this, the spirit is able to join theoriginally pure world of the lights, “the world of its father, theworld of the spirit”. At the same time it also has the ability toenter the body and thus to join the world of its mother, and tobe submerged in the darkness.Ibn ¡Arabi mentions that the divine spirit is the father of thehuman spirit, whereas its mother is the already formed body. Hesays: “the human subtlety is born from the union of the divinespirit, which is the breath of God the Merciful, and the alreadyformed body composed of the formed elements of nature.” 44. Fut. I.275. This same sense can also be found on p. 575.

The Resources of the Human Spirit25Regarding the mixed nature of the spirit, he adds: “The individualsoul (the human spirit), although originally pure, on its father’sside, only exists thanks to the existence of the physical body. Forthis reason, the spirit is born mixed.” 5 In his work Al-Tadb¨råtal-ilåhiyya f¨ ißlå¢ al-mamlaka al-insåniyya, the author states thecause of this mixed nature:Since the human spirit has one face turned towards pure lightand another turned towards total darkness or nature, its essenceis a combination of light and dark. Consequently, the spirit wascreated to govern an elementary, natural existence. If the humansubtlety is not subject to any of these characteristics, the spiritwill be moderate in character. But if either pure light or pure darknessare dominant, the spirit will possess the characteristics of thedominant element. 6This blended nature of the human spirit, the result of thefusion of the breath of the divine spirit and the already formedbody, confirms the fact that Ibn ¡Arabi denies the possibilityof transference of the human spirit from one body to another.Every human spirit is thus reserved for only one body, which isgoverned by it and where it came into being.Furthermore, the moment the spirit enters a body is themoment when the body is ready to receive the breath of the spirit.According to the Hadith, Ibn ¡Arabi establishes this moment atthe beginning of the foetus’ fourth month of development. Hesays: “The spirit which emanates from the breath (the humanspirit) starts some four months after the formation of the foetusinside its mother’s womb.” 73. The human spirit is created by God’s commandmentIn accordance with the Quranic text, Ibn ¡Arabi distinguishestwo divine archetypes which make existence possible: thosewho exist “due to Creation” and those who exist “due to the5. Fut. II.272.6. Tadb¨råt, p. 168.7. Fut. I.732.

26 Souad Al-HakimCommandment”. God Almighty says: “His is Creation and theCommandment.” 8 These two ways are different: existence “dueto Creation” takes place in several stages, such as the creation ofHeaven, Earth, etc.; existence “due to the Commandment” happensin just one stage: God said “Be”, and it was. On this basis,Ibn ¡Arabi states that the human spirit was created by divineCommandment. According to our philosophical language, thesespirits are simple creatures, not complex ones, and are thereforeliving and immortal creatures, since they have not been createdin stages, in which case their fate would be decay and decomposition.Ibn ¡Arabi says:Letters are the raw material of words, just as water, earth, fire andwind are the necessary raw materials for the existence of our bodies.After that, He breathed into them the “commanded” spirit and thehuman being was created, just as the winds accepted the breathof the “commanded” spirit, and the jinn was created, and just asthe lights accepted the breath of the “commanded” spirit, and theangel was created. 9Therefore, we can infer that the spirit of the human beingcomes from the “world of the commandment”, whereas its bodycomes from the “world of creation”.4. The spirit cannot be located or dividedOne of the characteristics of the spirit, according to Ibn ¡Arabi,is that it constitutes an enduring entity in itself. Just like transcendentalintellects, 10 the spirit cannot be located; that is, it isnot composed of any material element: it is immaterial. At thesame time it is indivisible, that is, it is simple and cannot bedecomposed. Ibn ¡Arabi states:Spirits do not accept either location or division; they manifestthemselves in shapes, without exterior or interior … The existence8. Q. 7:54.9. Fut. I.85.10. Ibn ¡Arabi, Inshå¤ al-dawå¤ir, p. 23.

The Resources of the Human Spirit27of man is different since he exists in the image and likeness of thewhole world: humans are composed of direct causation (creationwith two hands), location and division … but they also includethe spirit breathed into them, which does not need those things. 115. The human spirit does not dieIn several passages in his works, Ibn ¡Arabi states that the life ofthe human spirit is an essential and permanent characteristic,and not a mere accident which will have a certain duration beforeits extinction. The life of the human spirit is essential since it isborn from the divine spirit breathed into the body; the humanspirit is eternally alive, since it does not belong to the universeof decay and decomposition linked to birth and death. Thus, thedeath of a human being is not a synonym for nothingness anddisappearance, but the division of the components of his existenceand the return of each part to its origin.Ibn ¡Arabi states:Don’t you see that spirits never die, because their life is essential?But since life is just an accident in the body, the latter suffers deathand the void. Indeed, the visible life of the bodies is one of theeffects of the life of the spirit, just as the light of the sun shines onthe earth. If the sun disappeared, the light would disappear as welland the earth would be left in darkness. In the same way, if thespirit abandons the body and returns to its world, life will abandonthe body, which will remain immobile … People say: this man isdead, but in reality [the body] has returned to its origin … just asthe spirit returns to its origin. 126. The human spirit is a breath similar to the windAccording to Ibn ¡Arabi, the origin of the human being lies inthe divine spirit [i.e. father of the human spirit], breathed intoby God the Merciful. God defined this birth with the verb “to11. Fut. II.71.12. Fut. I.55. Regarding the reality of death for Man, see the section onmawt (death) in our al-Mu¡jam Al-ͬf¨ (Beirut, 1981).

28 Souad Al-Hakimbreathe”. God said: “I have breathed into him of My Spirit.” 13Therefore, the spirits have been created from this breath. Thespirit is a breath similar to the wind. 147. Every human spirit possesses the same sanctityIbn ¡Arabi compares the human spirit with angels due to theircreation and purity. 15 Indeed, every human spirit is born fromthe breath of the divine spirit into the body. Thus, all of themare sacred and deserve to be honoured. Consequently, there isno distinction between human beings.In order to explain the equality of all human spirits, Ibn ¡Arabimentions an event which took place with the Prophet (the divinegrace and peace be on him). 16 One day, the funeral of a Jew passedin front of the Prophet (the divine grace and peace be on him),and he stood up. He was told: “This is the funeral of a Jew.” Heanswered (the divine grace and peace be on him): “Is it not asoul?” [i.e. a human spirit]. Ibn ¡Arabi comments upon this eventand says: “Since this spirit belongs to the supreme world, theProphet (the divine grace and peace be on him) stood up; becauseit was a soul, he stood up to honour its essence. This attitude isa sign of the equality of souls in their origin.”The spirit of every creature is in itself sacred and noble. Nothingaffects its nobility, since it is “the breath of God’s spirit. Itsorigin is noble.”8. The health of the spiritThe health of the spirit is maintained if a person preserves itsoriginal power, which was born from the “breath of the divinespirit”. If this is not so, it can be accidentally affected by weaknesswhen it enters the body, which is originally weak due to itscomposition and its origin.13. Q. 15:29.14. Fut. I.275.15. Fut. I.368 and 428.16. Fut. I.527.

The Resources of the Human Spirit29As a consequence the spirit becomes ill, although it is not subjectto death, decay or decomposition since, as we have alreadysaid, its life is essential; this is because it grows weak and nolonger has the power of the spirits which are not subject to thematerial. Indeed, the power does not form part of the essence ofthe human spirit, which in itself can be either powerful or weak.Ibn ¡Arabi uses two examples to describe the health or sicknessof the spirit: the wind and the rays of the sun. He says:[The spirits] are affected, undoubtedly, by all of the places theypass through. Can’t you see that if the wind blows over somethingrotten, you will smell this stench? And if it blows over somethingperfumed, it will carry a pleasant aroma? … Don’t you see thatwhen the sun shines through a green glass, the rays themselvesturn green? And if the glass is red, they turn red. The subtlety ofthe wind and the rays of the sun allow them to be easily impregnatedby things. 17How can a human being preserve the original power of thespirit? How can our spirits be protected from their original weakness?The answer Ibn ¡Arabi gives is: by virtue of a noble character.He states: “The good health of the spirit stems from nobilityof character, acquired from the moment of birth of the elementarybody; the sickness of the spirit stems from vileness of character,also acquired from the moment of birth of the elementarybody … Spirits can be at the same time both powerful and weak,due to their origin.” 18II. The location of the human spirit in theKingdom of Man: the Castle of the SpiritIn order to distinguish it from the “animal spirit”, Ibn ¡Arabi givesthe human spirit several names, each denoting one attribute oraction characterizing it. For example: “the commanded spirit”(al-r¬¢ al-amr¨), 19 since it is created by God’s order; “the spirit of17. Idem.18. Idem.19. Fut. I.85.

The Resources of the Human Spirit31the human body. He says: “The heart is the place for the spirit”; 31and, “The vegetal heart is only useful as this secret location …therefore, the vegetal heart is the castle of the spirit”. 32III. The relation between the bodyand the spiritIbn ¡Arabi insists that the human spirit does not exist independently.Image and spirit are inseparable and consequently, if thespirit were separated from the body, its original power, as givenby the divine breath, would be manifest and it would become themost arrogant being. In order to defeat it and to stop it callingitself god or master, God, glory to His transcendence, imposedHis own image upon it. 33Therefore, the spirit is forced to lead the body in this wretchedworld. 34 When the spirit leaves the body and arrives in the worldof the barzakh (isthmus), even for a brief period during sleep, orfor a long period waiting for the resurrection, God, glory to Histranscendence, imposes upon it an image which is corporeal(jasad), not carnal (jism), in order to avoid its complete separationfrom substance during awakening, sleep or death. 35Ibn ¡Arabi distinguishes between carnal and corporeal components:the carnal component is composed of already formedelements, while the corporeal one is a subtle image of the carnal.With regard to the material bodies where spirits rest duringsleep, Ibn ¡Arabi says: “Know that God has an angel responsiblefor the vision called the spirit … which possesses the images ofthe corporeal bodies that the sleeper perceives, both of himselfand others.” 36 He says of the corporeal bodies into which spiritsgo after the death of the carnal body in the barzakh: “Know thatwhen God, glory to His transcendence, takes the spirits from the31. Fut. II.122.32. Tadb¨råt, p. 132.33. Fut. I.275.34. Fut. I.143.35. Fut. I.275.36. Fut. II.377.

The Resources of the Human Spirit33V. The origin of the Spirit and source of itsPowers and capacitiesThe human spirit is born as a result of the breath of the divinespirit being blown into a body ready to receive it. This first birthis common to all human beings. However, the presence of thein-breathed spirit in the body of human beings is like the presenceof a buried treasure, and we do not know how to reach itin order to benefit from all of its riches. Ibn ¡Arabi says: “If theHoly Spirit has been breathed into Man, then Man is linked tothe Absolute Being in a non-material and sacred way, and is a‘portion’ of His divinity.” 42 He adds: “The human vicegerent inwhich the secret of My Divinity is established.” 43This secret is not given to every human being; it has to besearched for. Using the story of Moses and Khidr, peace be onthem, Ibn ¡Arabi states: “Search for the treasure (i.e. the spirit)buried under that corporeal wall.” 44 He compares the spirit with atreasure, and the body with a wall where the treasure is concealedin order to prevent it from loss or theft, and to keep it protectedat the same time.What happens if the sålik (the traveller) begins to searchinside himself, and by committing himself to God and prayer,he finds the treasure? At this moment, the second birth of thespirit takes place. Indeed, it is as if the human spirit is reborn inthe exterior world and becomes manifest in this world, in fullperception, after being hidden by the layers of materiality (thelayers of the body). 45 Ibn ¡Arabi leads us into the exterior world ofMan in order to allow us to witness the moment when the spiritcontemplates the divine Epiphany, and thus we can recognizeintellectually the moment of the second birth of the spirit, itsreception of light and its propagation in every part of the body.Inside our heart, Ibn ¡Arabi says, there is a point whose exactlocation is not known by anybody, which is similar to the time42. Inshå¤ al-Dawå¤ir, p. 21.43. Tadb¨råt, p. 181.44. Tadb¨råt, p. 105.45. Fut. II.59, Question number 26: What is the beginning of the spirit?

The Resources of the Human Spirit35question with caution, since the observer knows that those whohave followed in the footsteps of such a person have not necessarilyreached the same goals he attained. Thus, the apparentcauses of this man’s success are essential and indispensable, butthey are not enough in themselves. His success is, on the onehand, the result of his effort, and on the other, the consequenceof many different factors and imperceptible circumstances, andthe chances of those same circumstances occurring for othersare slim.In my opinion, the laws which govern success in the materialworld are the mirror of the laws of the spiritual world. As aconsequence, the development of spiritual competence in thehuman heart is not entirely in the hands of a human being, anddivine providence plays an important role. Ibn ¡Arabi says:The path can be completed by actions, but when man arrives at theDoor, he receives what has been designated for him: this is whereGod offers His gifts. Some will receive the nomination of sanctity(walåya), some prophecy (nub¬wa), some envoyship (risåla), andsome envoyship and vicegerency (khilåfa). Others will only receivevicegerency. Those who see how these people attained these designationsonly after following the path to this Door in thought, wordand deed, may conclude that they have earned these nominations,but they are wrong. 51Recognizing that the ultimate objective is beyond humaneffort, we can only examine “the path” which is subject to humaneffort. This human effort can be summarized in the principlesof Sufism, which aims to save the spirit from the imprisonmentof elemental nature by practising asceticism, the refinement ofcharacter and continuous spiritual struggle related to the physicalrealm such as hunger, night prayers, fasting, etc. 52In the Fut¬¢åt Ibn ¡Arabi says:If souls (human spirits) are purified from material impurities, theywill be able to rejoin their own world. Thereafter, they will acquirewhat the superior spirits have acquired, that is, the science of God’s51. Fut. II.272.52. Fut. II.273.

42 Souad Al-HakimIX. The spirit abandons the body andmoves outside itIn the Fut¬¢åt, Ibn ¡Arabi speaks of a science which he calls “(thescience of) the abandonment of managing spirits”. 70 This showsus an advanced spiritual degree where the human spirit abandonsthe body and enters into an ethereal body in order to actoutside the material body. Among these activities outside thebody we can include the entrance into Divine Dignity, spiritualencounters, night journeys and ascensions.1. The entrance into Divine DignityIbn ¡Arabi states that he who experiences revelation is separatedfrom the material, and every element returns to its origin, and hespiritually enters the world of the Invisible, and God Almightygives him the gift of science and knowledge. 71 When he emerges,he emanates a light that illuminates and guides.2. Spiritual encountersWhen the spirit frees itself from the imprisonment of the elements,it traverses the dimensions of time and space, and at thatmoment is able to meet with the spirits of people who existedin the past but are still present in the world of the Invisible. Ibn¡Arabi relates how he entered into such a degree when he wasin Morocco in 597/1200: he felt so lonely that God Almightysent him a person whose incarnated spirit was that of Abu ¡Abdal-Rahman al-Sulami (d.412/1021); he embraced him and spoketo him, telling him that this degree was called the station ofcloseness (qurba). 72He also tells us that he met the seven abdål (the Substitutes). 73However, the most important spiritual encounter in the Invisible70. Fut. I.55.71. Fut. I.276.72. Fut. II.261.73. Fut. II.27.