review of chittick

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British Society for Middle Eastern Studies

The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn al-'Arabi's Cosmology by William C. ChittickReview by: Ian Richard NettonBritish Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 26, No. 1 (May, 1999), pp. 170-171Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/195651 .

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REVIEWS: GENERALEVIEWS: GENERALin the reader.And mistakes such as wishing God's CreatedSpeech by J. R. T. M. Petersupon F. E. Peters (p. 1179) drive one to doubt the rigourof the work.

Obviouslythere will be discrepanciesandinequalities n a huge collection of this kind,though it is sad to come across faults without having to look too hard. The manyexcellent essays it includesrewardthe search,but they deserve better attention hantheyappearto have received.SELLY OAK COLLEGES,BIRMINGHAM DAVID THOMAS

THE SELF-DISCLOSUREOF GOD: PRINCIPLESOF IBN AL-'ARABI'S COSMOL-OGY. By WILLIAMC. CHITTICKSUNY Series in Islam). Albany, New York: StateUniversity of New York Press, 1998. XL + 483 pp., $24.95 (pb).William Chittickis one of the world's foremost translatorsof, and commentatorsupon,Ibn al-'Arabi.He is Professor of ComparativeStudies at the State University of NewYork, Stony Brook and has publishednumerousrelated andrelevantbooks in the fieldsof Sifi and Ibn al-'Arabi studies. Most significanthere are his Imaginal worlds: Ibnal-CArabi and the problem of religious diversity, and The Sufi path of knowledge: Ibnal-'Arabl's metaphysics of imagination (hereafter referred to as SPK). Chittick is one ofthe most lucid guides to the complex forest of Ibn al-'Arabi's thought. His SPK wasbased primarily on al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya (The Meccan openings). The self-disclosureof God also takes the al-Futuhdtas its primary ocus, translatingmore thanone hundredchaptersand sub-sections.Chittick tells us that in this presentvolume he 'continues theinvestigations' which were begun in SPK but with the focus on cosmology. He notes:

One majordifferencebetween this volume and SPK is the manner n which I haveattemptedo contextualisehe discussions. t is relativelyeasy to haveIbnal-'Arabi aywhat one wants him to say. Critics and devotees have quoted him selectively forcenturies,andmodemscholarship as continued n the samepath... It was my purposein SPK to let Ibn al-'Arabi speak for himself ... In this work [Theself-disclosure], I haveattempted,as much as possible, to put discussions into the context not only of Ibnal-'Arabigrandproject,butalso of the specifictopicthathe is presenting. n contrast oSPK, I have seriously tried to avoid quoting snippets of text and brief passages.Moreover,n contrast o thatwork,I have tried not to drop anything n the midst of apassage. (pp.IX-X)

This is a remarkablebook, both in terms of its size (over 500 double columnedpages!)and its content.Its structure s magnificentlysimple. After an introduction here are threemain sections followed by appendices,notes, bibliographyand indices. The introductionsurveys, inter alia, the principles of Ibn al-'Arabi'scosmology as well as some of hisbasic themes such as the names of God, existence andnon-existence,tanzihand tashblh,modes of knowing, human perfection, and the Barzakh. The three main sectionscomprise large chunks of translation rom the Futuhdt underthe headings of 'God andthe cosmos', 'The orderof the worlds' and 'The structureof the microcosm'. Chittickis well aware of the dilemmas faced by any translator rom Arabic but especially by thetranslator from Ibn al-'Arabi's voluminous corpus. With these and other dilemmasChittick shows himself to be al-Murshid al-Akbar. In the absence of a completetranslationof the Futuhdt(the implementationof which Chittickclearly believes would

in the reader.And mistakes such as wishing God's CreatedSpeech by J. R. T. M. Petersupon F. E. Peters (p. 1179) drive one to doubt the rigourof the work.Obviouslythere will be discrepanciesandinequalities n a huge collection of this kind,though it is sad to come across faults without having to look too hard. The manyexcellent essays it includesrewardthe search,but they deserve better attention hantheyappearto have received.

SELLY OAK COLLEGES,BIRMINGHAM DAVID THOMAS

THE SELF-DISCLOSUREOF GOD: PRINCIPLESOF IBN AL-'ARABI'S COSMOL-OGY. By WILLIAMC. CHITTICKSUNY Series in Islam). Albany, New York: StateUniversity of New York Press, 1998. XL + 483 pp., $24.95 (pb).William Chittickis one of the world's foremost translatorsof, and commentatorsupon,Ibn al-'Arabi.He is Professor of ComparativeStudies at the State University of NewYork, Stony Brook and has publishednumerousrelated andrelevantbooks in the fieldsof Sifi and Ibn al-'Arabi studies. Most significanthere are his Imaginal worlds: Ibnal-CArabi and the problem of religious diversity, and The Sufi path of knowledge: Ibnal-'Arabl's metaphysics of imagination (hereafter referred to as SPK). Chittick is one ofthe most lucid guides to the complex forest of Ibn al-'Arabi's thought. His SPK wasbased primarily on al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya (The Meccan openings). The self-disclosureof God also takes the al-Futuhdtas its primary ocus, translatingmore thanone hundredchaptersand sub-sections.Chittick tells us that in this presentvolume he 'continues theinvestigations' which were begun in SPK but with the focus on cosmology. He notes:

One majordifferencebetween this volume and SPK is the manner n which I haveattemptedo contextualisehe discussions. t is relativelyeasy to haveIbnal-'Arabi aywhat one wants him to say. Critics and devotees have quoted him selectively forcenturies,andmodemscholarship as continued n the samepath... It was my purposein SPK to let Ibn al-'Arabi speak for himself ... In this work [Theself-disclosure], I haveattempted,as much as possible, to put discussions into the context not only of Ibnal-'Arabigrandproject,butalso of the specifictopicthathe is presenting. n contrast oSPK, I have seriously tried to avoid quoting snippets of text and brief passages.Moreover,n contrast o thatwork,I have tried not to drop anything n the midst of apassage. (pp.IX-X)

This is a remarkablebook, both in terms of its size (over 500 double columnedpages!)and its content.Its structure s magnificentlysimple. After an introduction here are threemain sections followed by appendices,notes, bibliographyand indices. The introductionsurveys, inter alia, the principles of Ibn al-'Arabi'scosmology as well as some of hisbasic themes such as the names of God, existence andnon-existence,tanzihand tashblh,modes of knowing, human perfection, and the Barzakh. The three main sectionscomprise large chunks of translation rom the Futuhdt underthe headings of 'God andthe cosmos', 'The orderof the worlds' and 'The structureof the microcosm'. Chittickis well aware of the dilemmas faced by any translator rom Arabic but especially by thetranslator from Ibn al-'Arabi's voluminous corpus. With these and other dilemmasChittick shows himself to be al-Murshid al-Akbar. In the absence of a completetranslationof the Futuhdt(the implementationof which Chittickclearly believes would17070

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REVIEWS:GENERALEVIEWS:GENERALoccupy not one but several lifetimes), Chittick's translations and commentaries willguide both scholar and student for many years to come with lucidity, care and sensitivity.UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS IAN RICHARD NETTON

CAZIZNASAFI. By LLOYD RIDGEON. (Curzon Sufi Series.) Richmond, Curzon Press,1998. xiv + 234 pp., ?35 (hb), ?14.99 (pb).'Aziz Nasafi is often referred to in the literature on Sufism, yet there has not up to nowbeen a comprehensive guide to his thought and works. He lived at a particularly creativeperiod, and a very difficult time for the Islamic world, when the Mongols devastatedCentral Asia. It is often suggested that Sufism became especially popular given its abilityto help the local Muslim population find some sort of inspiration during the troubles.Also, of course, the absence of a strong central religious authority enabled moreheterodox forms of theory and practice to flourish. The author explores in some depththe nature of the historical context, and then goes on to describe NasafT's ontologicalviews, his account of the theory of knowledge, the nature of the Sufi path, visionaryexperience and unity with God, and what is involved in the perfection of human beings.There is also an account of Nasaft's works and an evaluation of his contribution toSufism as a school of thought. The text is illustrated throughout by many translations,which are very helpful in giving the reader something of an idea of the style of Nasafi.

There are many virtues in this book, in particular the determination of Ridgeon toavoid the easy platitudes of much work on Sufism. For example, lie does not assert, asdo so many, that the mystical views of the Sufis are closely linked with Neoplatonism,or with the thought of the falasifa in the Islamic world. He shows that while there maybe correspondences between some of these concepts, they are generally used verydifferently, and it is important to note the context within which such concepts are used.There is little to be gained by making loose connections between quite disparate systemsof thought, as he quite rightly argues. The other point which Ridgeon makes is thatNasafi is far from an original or creative thinker. His chief role was as an expounder ofother people's ideas, although he was far more than just a conduit. He was capable ofexplaining clearly ideas and arguments which are very unclear, and one of the notablefeatures of his works is his ability to present the Sufi message in a way which makesit appear rational and accessible to anyone. Nasafi manages to avoid many of thecontroversies to which Sufism was subject by taking a moderate line. He rejects theantinomian tendency in Sufism, stressing the significance of following a normal Islamicway of life, and not emphasizing asceticism in too radical a manner. However, for somethe ascetic life and a highly original approach to God might be appropriate. For Nasafi,the significance of humility lies in the fact that we cannot rule out alternative forms ofcoming close to God.This inclusive aspect of his account of Sufism is quite compelling, and excludesneither the mutakallimin nor even the falasifa as thinkers who have useful and validpoints of view. The fact that we cannot pin-point Nasafi as a Shi'i or otherwise is alsointeresting. It is hardly surprising that he became so influential, since his accessibility isobviously something which he worked hard to refine. It is a shame that we tend toconcentrate on thinkers who pride themselves on their obscurity, yet without commenta-tors like Nasafi their views would remain obscure and little known. This is not to suggest

occupy not one but several lifetimes), Chittick's translations and commentaries willguide both scholar and student for many years to come with lucidity, care and sensitivity.UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS IAN RICHARD NETTON

CAZIZNASAFI. By LLOYD RIDGEON. (Curzon Sufi Series.) Richmond, Curzon Press,1998. xiv + 234 pp., ?35 (hb), ?14.99 (pb).'Aziz Nasafi is often referred to in the literature on Sufism, yet there has not up to nowbeen a comprehensive guide to his thought and works. He lived at a particularly creativeperiod, and a very difficult time for the Islamic world, when the Mongols devastatedCentral Asia. It is often suggested that Sufism became especially popular given its abilityto help the local Muslim population find some sort of inspiration during the troubles.Also, of course, the absence of a strong central religious authority enabled moreheterodox forms of theory and practice to flourish. The author explores in some depththe nature of the historical context, and then goes on to describe NasafT's ontologicalviews, his account of the theory of knowledge, the nature of the Sufi path, visionaryexperience and unity with God, and what is involved in the perfection of human beings.There is also an account of Nasaft's works and an evaluation of his contribution toSufism as a school of thought. The text is illustrated throughout by many translations,which are very helpful in giving the reader something of an idea of the style of Nasafi.

There are many virtues in this book, in particular the determination of Ridgeon toavoid the easy platitudes of much work on Sufism. For example, lie does not assert, asdo so many, that the mystical views of the Sufis are closely linked with Neoplatonism,or with the thought of the falasifa in the Islamic world. He shows that while there maybe correspondences between some of these concepts, they are generally used verydifferently, and it is important to note the context within which such concepts are used.There is little to be gained by making loose connections between quite disparate systemsof thought, as he quite rightly argues. The other point which Ridgeon makes is thatNasafi is far from an original or creative thinker. His chief role was as an expounder ofother people's ideas, although he was far more than just a conduit. He was capable ofexplaining clearly ideas and arguments which are very unclear, and one of the notablefeatures of his works is his ability to present the Sufi message in a way which makesit appear rational and accessible to anyone. Nasafi manages to avoid many of thecontroversies to which Sufism was subject by taking a moderate line. He rejects theantinomian tendency in Sufism, stressing the significance of following a normal Islamicway of life, and not emphasizing asceticism in too radical a manner. However, for somethe ascetic life and a highly original approach to God might be appropriate. For Nasafi,the significance of humility lies in the fact that we cannot rule out alternative forms ofcoming close to God.This inclusive aspect of his account of Sufism is quite compelling, and excludesneither the mutakallimin nor even the falasifa as thinkers who have useful and validpoints of view. The fact that we cannot pin-point Nasafi as a Shi'i or otherwise is alsointeresting. It is hardly surprising that he became so influential, since his accessibility isobviously something which he worked hard to refine. It is a shame that we tend toconcentrate on thinkers who pride themselves on their obscurity, yet without commenta-tors like Nasafi their views would remain obscure and little known. This is not to suggest

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