101 Hadith Qudsi by pImam ibn Arabi

Appendix
The writings of Mu¢y¨dd¨n Ibn ¡Arab¨ are inseparably infused with the
words of the Qur¤an and ¢ad¨th, and some ¢ad¨th in the Mishkåt appear
prominently and frequently in his other works. For example, the thirty-¥rst
¢ad¨th, concerning the three parts of the ritual prayer, is an important part
of the Chapter of Muhammad in the Fuß¬ß al-¢ikam. James Morris has drawn
attention to those ¢ad¨th quds¨ concerning the vision of the face of God. The
101st ¢ad¨th at the end of the Mishkåt, which Ibn ¡Arab¨ studied while facing
the Ka¡ba, appears in full in Chapters 64 and 65 of the Fut¬¢åt. 19
An interesting example of Ibn ¡Arab¨’s use of this selection of ¢ad¨th quds¨
is to be found at the very end of the enormous Fut¬¢åt, in Chapter 560. This
¥nal chapter describes the fundamental instruction which he gives to all
who would lead the spiritual life, in a series of nearly 170 practical teachings
(waßiyya). In many ways a summary of what has come before in the Fut¬¢åt,
these “reminders of what God has commanded” are taken from the Quran,
Hadith, his own experience and the experience of other mystics. There are
several sections that quote and sometimes comment upon ¢ad¨th quds¨, which
in almost all cases are drawn directly from the Mishkåt. A close analysis shows
that no less than 60 out of the 101 are repeated verbatim, in fact all those
which particularly constitute advice to people in this world, rather than
Divine addresses to people in Paradise. Although the overall organisation is
different, two long passages (Fut.|IV.|527–9 and 534–6) reiterate the precise
order of the Mishkåt al-anwår, leading us to conclude that this latter was
certainly used in the writing of the ¥nal chapter.
Further, in Chapter 560 Ibn ¡Arab¨ sometimes adds comments upon the
implications of these ¢ad¨th. One striking example is the ¥rst ¢ad¨th quds¨
mentioned in the Mishkåt, which emphasises our utter dependence upon God
for guidance, sustenance and forgiveness. This he describes as being “like a
remedy for whatever sickness befalls certain weak souls with regard to the
knowledge of God, when they have no knowledge of what is meant by His
saying ‘there is no thing like Him’.” Telling his reader to apply these remedies,
he adds: “If you neglect what I have advised you to do, you will have only
yourself to blame. If you are ignorant, then I have informed you. If you are
forgetful, then I have awakened you and reminded you. If you are a believer, then
this reminder will bene¥t you. For myself, I have obeyed God’s command in
reminding you, and your making use of the reminder is testimony to your
faith … This is my instruction, so adhere to it, and this is my advice, so
know it well.” 20
19. This ¢ad¨th is the ¥nal part of the tradition on the Abodes of the Resurrection,
other parts of which are cited in Khabars 9, 13, 15, 20, 26, 29 and 38.
20. Fut.|IV.|452.
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