The Resources of the Human Spirit - Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society
The Resources of the Human Spirit - Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society
The Resources of the Human Spirit - Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Resources</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Human</strong> <strong>Spirit</strong>27<strong>of</strong> man is different since he exists in <strong>the</strong> image and likeness <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>whole world: humans are composed <strong>of</strong> direct causation (creationwith two hands), location and division … but <strong>the</strong>y also include<strong>the</strong> spirit brea<strong>the</strong>d into <strong>the</strong>m, which does not need those things. 115. <strong>The</strong> human spirit does not dieIn several passages in his works, <strong>Ibn</strong> ¡<strong>Arabi</strong> states that <strong>the</strong> life <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> human spirit is an essential and permanent characteristic,and not a mere accident which will have a certain duration beforeits extinction. <strong>The</strong> life <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> human spirit is essential since it isborn from <strong>the</strong> divine spirit brea<strong>the</strong>d into <strong>the</strong> body; <strong>the</strong> humanspirit is eternally alive, since it does not belong to <strong>the</strong> universe<strong>of</strong> decay and decomposition linked to birth and death. Thus, <strong>the</strong>death <strong>of</strong> a human being is not a synonym for nothingness anddisappearance, but <strong>the</strong> division <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> components <strong>of</strong> his existenceand <strong>the</strong> return <strong>of</strong> each part to its origin.<strong>Ibn</strong> ¡<strong>Arabi</strong> states:Don’t you see that spirits never die, because <strong>the</strong>ir life is essential?But since life is just an accident in <strong>the</strong> body, <strong>the</strong> latter suffers deathand <strong>the</strong> void. Indeed, <strong>the</strong> visible life <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bodies is one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>effects <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> life <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> spirit, just as <strong>the</strong> light <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sun shines on<strong>the</strong> earth. If <strong>the</strong> sun disappeared, <strong>the</strong> light would disappear as welland <strong>the</strong> earth would be left in darkness. In <strong>the</strong> same way, if <strong>the</strong>spirit abandons <strong>the</strong> body and returns to its world, life will abandon<strong>the</strong> body, which will remain immobile … People say: this man isdead, but in reality [<strong>the</strong> body] has returned to its origin … just as<strong>the</strong> spirit returns to its origin. 126. <strong>The</strong> human spirit is a breath similar to <strong>the</strong> windAccording to <strong>Ibn</strong> ¡<strong>Arabi</strong>, <strong>the</strong> origin <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> human being lies in<strong>the</strong> divine spirit [i.e. fa<strong>the</strong>r <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> human spirit], brea<strong>the</strong>d intoby God <strong>the</strong> Merciful. God defined this birth with <strong>the</strong> verb “to11. Fut. II.71.12. Fut. I.55. Regarding <strong>the</strong> reality <strong>of</strong> death for Man, see <strong>the</strong> section onmawt (death) in our al-Mu¡jam Al-ͬf¨ (Beirut, 1981).
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