Inscriptions of Wisdom: The Sufism of Ibn Al-Arabi in the Mirror of Jami

Mukhtar H. Ali
Paperback, 465 pages
9798855803648

Naqsh al-Fuṣuṣ of bn al-Arabi
Naqd al-nuṣuṣ fi sharḥ Naqsh al-Fuṣuṣ by Abd al-Raḥman Jami

Two important texts in the Sufi tradition made available together in English for the first time.

Inscriptions of Wisdom brings together, for the first time in English, two pivotal Sufi texts that illuminate Ibn al-Arabi's (d. 1240) celebrated work Fuṣuṣ al-ḥikam. The first, Naqsh al-Fuṣuṣ (the Inscription of the Fuṣuṣ), is Ibn al-Arabi's own distillation of Fuṣuṣ al-ḥikam, presenting a concise yet profound articulation of its core teachings. The second, Naqd al-nuṣuṣ fi sharḥ Naqsh al-Fuṣuṣ (texts commenting on Naqsh al-Fuṣuṣ), by Abd al-Raḥman Jami, is an anthology of carefully selected passages from the earliest and most authoritative interpreters of Fuṣuṣ al-ḥikam, enriched with Jami's own insights. Together, these works explore the quintessential knowledge and divine principles embodied by each of the twenty-seven major prophetic figures of the Islamic tradition, from Adam to Muhammad. If Fuṣuṣ al-ḥikam represents the culmination of Ibn al-Arabi's thought, then Naqsh al-Fuṣuṣ distills its very essence and inner mystery. Mukhtar H. Ali's meticulous presentation of the Fuṣuṣ al-ḥikam commentarial tradition-featuring the first complete English translation of Jami's Naqd al-nuṣuṣ, chapter-by-chapter analysis, and extensive notes on key Sufi terms and concepts-establishes this volume as a landmark study in Islamic metaphysics and Sufi thought.