07 Christology of Ibn Al-Arabi

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Jesus in the Thought of Ibn Al-Arabi and His Contemporaries:

A Sufi Christology

J. Luis Dion

!""##$"%&'

()C *#& H&S

Submitted to: Todd La+son

,' April ,&*

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Jesus is a religious figure +hose signifiane lies in the fat that most of the +orld/s

religions a0no+ledge his impat on +orld spirituality in some +ay or another. 1eyond this2

ho+e3er2 there is +ide di3ergene in belief o3er +ho he is. This an be seen in the +ay

Christianity and Islam approah the figure of Jesus2 for e4ample. 1oth religions laim him as a

religious figure of great importane2 yet ha3e different oneptions regarding his person.

The goal of this essay is to e4plore the thought of the &' th entury Sufi thin0er Ibn

Al-5Arabi as it relates to the person of Jesus. 6irst2 standard Christian and )uslim 3ie+s of +ho

Jesus is are e4pounded2 and then omparisons +ill be made +ith the statements and assertions

made by Ibn Al-5Arabi2 in order to see +here he stood in ontinuity +ith pre-e4isting thought2

and +here he di3erged from them and bro0e ne+ ground. 7ther Sufi +riters/ statements on Jesus

+ill be plaed in 8u4taposition +ith Ibn Al-5Arabi/s as +ell2 in order to sho+ ho+ his disiples

and ontemporaries ha3e interpreted and e4panded upon his thought o3er the enturies into the

present day. It +ill be sho+n herein that Ibn Al-5Arabi 9and 3arious Sufi +riters +ho follo+ him

ha3e ta0en a different path in interpreting Jesus than the one +hih their predeessors;be they

Christian or )uslim;ha3e ta0en2 utiliing distintly Sufi onepts suh as the


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the Hebre+ 1ible in terms of the anointed Da3idi 0ing2 of +hom the >salmist says2 I will tell

of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, You are my son; today I have begotten you.!This title

is then pi0ed up in the (e+ Testament2 +here it is onneted +ith other strands of messiani

thought 9suh as that of the )essiah as great high priest to form one oherent piture.

The other important strand of thought about Jesus is the belief that he is the eternally pre-

e4istent seond person of the Trinity. An important (e+ Testament passage that spea0s to this is

the introdution to the @ospel of John2 in +hih Jesus is presented as the ord of @od e4isted

from eternity past2 and as being the agent behind the reation of the uni3erse. 'B3en the Hebre+

prophets are said to ha3e seen him in his pre-inarnate di3ine glory2 aording to (e+ Testament

interpretations of the Hebre+ 1ible.*6urthermore2 the mirales that Jesus perform are seen as

e3idene of his deity. In a study done on the mirale stories found in the @ospels2 biblial

sholars 1o+man and omose+s0i demonstrate that Jesus is therein depited not 8ust as a

petitioner or mediator of miraulous po+ers 9as is the ase +ith the prophets and other holy2 but

is atually a bearer of suh po+ers2 putting him at a le3el abo3e them.%

1>salm :. All 1iblial ?uotations are from the"ew #evised $tandard %ersion9(ash3ille2 T(: Thomas

(elson2 &"",.

2D.A. Carson2&esus the $on of 'od: ( )hristological *itle +ften +verlooed, $ometimes

-isunderstood, and )urrently is/uted9Do+ner/s @ro3e2 IL: InterEarsity >ress2 ,&2 $-$*.

3John &:&-'.

4Cf. )ar0 &:'%-'2 John #:%$-%# and Hebre+s &&:$.

5Fobert ). 1o+man and J. Bd omose+s0i.0utting &esus in His 0lace: *he )ase for the eity of

)hrist9@rand Fapids2 )I: regel >ubliations2 ,, &"#-,&.

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)ainstream Sunni Islam2 as deri3ed from ommon interpretations of the Gur/an2 ta0es a

radially different 3ie+ of Jesus. 7n the one hand2 it affirms suh basis as the 3irgin birth and

the prophethood of Jesus2$ seeing Jesus as part of a long line of prophets ulminating in

)uhammad.The Gur/an attributes many mirales to him2 inluding some that are also found in

the @ospels2 as +ell as some that are not found in it2 suh as the breathing to life of birds from

lay2 and spea0ing from the radle.# There is also the shared belief bet+een Christians and

)uslims that Jesus +ill ome again at the end of time.

7n the other hand2 most )uslims re8et the onept of Jesus as the Son of @od or as

being di3ine2 seeing suh statements as blasphemous. The Gur/an says regarding someone +ho

ma0es suh statements that 'od shall /rohibit him entrance to 0aradise.12 hile )uslims

aept the mirales that are attributed to Jesus2 they re8et the Christian idea that the mirales

pro3e his di3inity2 instead arguing that Jesus +as only able to perform his mirales by the

permission of @od2 a distintion +hih Sufi thin0ers suh as Ibn al-5Arabi +ill later ta0e and

e4plore in their +ritings 9as +ill be disussed belo+.

In addition2 most )uslims also deny that Jesus died on the ross on the basis of the

statement in Surat al-(isa: et theyie. The Je+s did not slay him, neither crucified him,

6Surah *:&&. All Gur/ani ?uotations are from *he 3oran Inter/reted9London: 74ford Kni3ersity

>ress2 &"$*.

7Andre+ Fippin 9ed.2 *he 4lacwell )om/anion to *he 5uran974ford: 1la0+ell >ublishing2 ,,$2

.

8Surah ':*$-*".

9Surahs %::-%2 %:&&$2 ":',2 &":##-"'.

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only a lieness of that was shown to them.1!6 The rationale behind this denial is that the

ruifi4ion represents substitutionary atonement a dotrine +hih is 3ehemently re8eted in

Islam. )ost )uslims interpreting the rele3ant Gur/ani 3erse as teahing that he ne3er +ent on

the ross at all2 but that a loo0-ali0e +as substituted for him.&&Ho+e3er2 as the passage by itself

is ambiguous2 there is no unanimous onsent on this interpretation2 and a more nuaned

understanding of the passage e4ists +hih sho+s that the Gur/an does not atually say enough to

either onfirm or deny the e3ent2 merely that it denies that the Je+s sueeded in their laimed

attempt to 0ill Jesus.&All of this sho+s that there are some entral differenes bet+een itself and

Christianity.

Sufi Perspectives

Contrasted +ith the standard Christian and )uslim 3ie+s2 ho+e3er2 the Sufi mystial

tradition pro3ides a third +ay of understanding +ho Jesus is and +hat his signifiane is for

humanity. hereas muh of mainstream Islami thought +as formulated in opposition to

Christian belief2 Sufism presented a more synreti approah in finding similarities +ith

Christian beliefs. This +as done primarily as a form of da/+ah2 in order to demonstrate that

Islam 9ie. Sufism2 possessed the true interpretation of Jesus. &'As )ilad )ilani points out2 ubliations2 ,,"2 &-&'.

12La+son2 *he )rucifi8ion and the 5uran, &-.

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medie3al sufi +as more li0ely interested in on3ersion than mutual disourse. &*(onetheless2

suh attempts at produing a synthesis has pro3en to be helpful in pro3iding grounds for

disussing the similarities and differenes in ho+ the t+o faiths approah Jesus.

To begin +ith2 in any disussion of Sufi dotrines2 it should be remembered that Sufism

is firmly grounded +ithin Islam. Seyyed Hossain (asr ma0es this point in his introdution to

$ufi 7ssays2 +here he emphasies that Sufi thought an neither be pratied nor understood apart

from the onte4t of Gur/ani re3elation.&%(e3ertheless2 Sufi thought goes abo3e and beyond the

literal interpretation 99ahir of the te4t2 and del3es into esoteri meanings 9batin that are hidden

deep +ithin it. This an be seen2 for e4ample2 in ho+ they interpret the Gur/ani desription of

Jesus as the $/irit of 'od.1!Aording to Sufi e4egesis2 this means that Jesus/ breath has the

po+er to bring life to those it omes into ontat +ith2 as sho+n in se3eral sayings regarding

Jesus in the Sufi tradition. In that onte4t2 his breath ta0es on a metaphorial meaning as a life-

gi3ing soure.&

Another e4ample of this an be seen in ho+ Sufi thin0ers al-Gushayri 9d. &, and al-

Gashani 9d.&'" handle the passages in the Gur/an and ahadith that spea0 about Jesus. In their

tafasir on the aforementioned passages2 they ta0e the literal truth of the stories for granted.

13)ilad )ilani2


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Ho+e3er2 they go further than that2 reating esoteri interpretations of suh stories as Jesus/

3irginal oneption2 the mirale stories2 the ruifi4ion and his return at the end of time 9al-

Gashani more so than al-Gushayri2 +ho is ontent in some plaes merely to gi3e the Gur/ani

story as is.This is rele3ant in studying the impat of Ibn al-5Arabi/s thought2 as al-Gashani

relies hea3ily upon the former/s theosophial system in formulating his ommentaries upon

Jesus2 espeially +ith the idea that it +as neessary for )ary/s desire to be aroused in order for

her to onei3e him.&"

In addition to this emphasis on the esoteri2 early Sufism/s emphasis on asetiism made

Jesus a popular figure among them. Sufism/s other+orldly emphasis aused its adherents to ta0e

a 3ery aseti approah to life2 not unli0e the @nostis of old. Jesus is seen in this light as the

ultimate e4ample of someone +ho has ompletely denied the +orld and li3ed their life in total

abandonment to @od2 dra+ing from suh statements by Jesus as the one in the @ospels +here he

says2 ubliations2 ,&. ".

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loa02 similar to the ones +orn by 3arious Sufi saints.Another e4ample an be found in one tale

that is reounted in 3arious forms by al-@haali2 6arid al-Din Attar and Abu Al-)a8d )a8dud

SanaMi2 Jesus one too0 a loose ro0 and lay his head on it as a pillo+. hen Satan passes by2 he

says to Jesus2


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Ibn al-Arabis Perspective

7f the Sufi thin0ers disussed2 Ibn al-5Arabi is perhaps the most note+orthy in presenting

a portrait of Jesus that differs from traditional perspeti3es. This differene manifests itself in

many different +ays2 in 0eeping +ith the larger tradition of Sufism. This an be seen most

learly in the hapter rophey in the ord of Jesus= in the


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In addition to these2 some Christian-influened ideas an be diserned in his thought2

+hih he brings together +ith the lassial Islami ideas in a uni?ue synthesis. This is in line

+ith his belief in the irbhai2 erspeti3es on Jesus2= *-*'.

31illiam Chitti02Ibn (rabi: Heir to the 0ro/hets97ne+orld >ubliations2 ,,%2 &.

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that one reality2 though this does not mean that he is part of that Feality any more than the rest of

humanity.

here Jesus does differ from the mass of humanity is the degree in +hih he manifests

that Feality in his life. This is in 0eeping +ith ho+ Jesus is presented by Ibn al-5Arabi as one of

the prime e4amples of theInsan al?3amil,alluded to pre3iously. Although this onept e4isted

long before Ibn al-5Arabi2 and is present as early as is fre?uently spo0en of by Ibn al-5Arabi in

3arious hapters of theerfet )an the

erfet )an ties in +ith

3arious strands of Christian thought2 espeially those that de3eloped in Ale4andria during the

first millennium C.B.2 +hih2 aording to him2 )

used in relation to Jesus and )uhammad of Islami )ystiism.= '6urthermore2 aording to

F..J. Austin2 this ma0es Jesus an arhetype of humanity;a model li0e +hih e3ery human

32Ibn Al/Arabi2 *he 4e9els of @isdom2 %'.

33Ibid.2 %&-%.

34Ibid.2 #*2 ##.

35Ibid.2 &*".

36Ibid.2 #&.

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being should aspire to beome. In his introdution to the hapter2 he omments that Jesus is


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Ibn al-5Arabi2 +ho onsidered himself to be the inheritor of that seal in his day. *&This is not to

say that Ibn al-5Arabi pri3ileges Jesus o3er or at the same le3el as )uhammad. 7n the ontrary2

as a good )uslim2 he is onstrained by mainstream Islami thought to enhane the position of

)uhammad abo3e that of Jesus.*Despite this2 ho+e3er2 it is lear from +hat he has +ritten that

Ibn al-5Arabi does raise Jesus to a muh higher position than most other Islami thin0ers2 Sufi or

other+ise.

Significance

In his $ufi 7ssays2 (asr spea0s about the Sufi mystial tradition/s emphasis on inner meanings

behind out+ard forms as basis for understanding the relationship bet+een different religious

traditions. He goes so far as to state that it is


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surfae suh unity.**In addition2 Singh points to the alternate interpretation of Jesus 3is--3is the

onept of the erfet )an= as a +ay of getting past the polemial nature of standard Christian-

)uslim Christologial disussions2 and de3eloping a greater onsensus on his signifiane as a

person.*%

It is hoped that e4ploring these different aspet of Ibn Al-5Arabi/s thought +ould shed

light upon a topi +hih has been a soure of many di3ergent understandings upon different

religious traditions2 pro3iding an enlightening synthesis of ideas on +ho Jesus is and +hat his

signifiane is to humanity.

44Ibid.2 &*-&*#.

45 Singh2


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1ibliography

Arberry2 Arthur J.*he 3oran Inter/reted. London: 74ford Kni3ersity >ress2 &"$*.

Ayoub2 )ahmud )ustafa. -uslim 7ncounters 9Haddad2 adi O.2 and

3onne . Haddad2 eds.. @aines3ille2 6L: Kni3ersity >ress of 6lorida2 &""%. $%-#&.

1o+man2 Fobert ).2 and J. Bd omose+s0i.0utting &esus in His 0lace: *he )ase for the

eity of )hrist. @rand Fapids2 )I: regel >ubliations2 ,,.

)eshal2 Feem A. and ). Fea >irbhai. erspeti3es on Jesus.= In *he 4lacwell

)om/anion to &esus 91ur0ett2 Delbert2 ed.. )alden2 )A: iley-1la0+ell2 ,&&.

Carson2 D.A. &esus the $on of 'od: ( )hristological *itle +ften +verlooed, $ometimes

-isunderstood, and )urrently is/uted. Do+ner/s @ro3e2 IL: InterEarsity >ress2 ,&.

Chitti02 illiam.Ibn (rabi: Heir to the 0ro/hets. 7ne+orld >ubliations2 ,,%.

Blmore2 @erald.


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)@regor2 Fihard. ubliations2 ,,,.

Fippin2 Andre+ 9ed.. *he 4lacwell )om/anion to *he 5uran. 74ford: 1la0+ell >ublishing2

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Fobinson2 (eal. )hrist in Islam and )hristianity: #e/resentation of &esus in the 5urBan and the

)lassical -uslim )ommentaries. State Kni3ersity of (e+ or0 >ress2 &""&.

Shah-aemi2 Fea.erspeti3e= *he -uhyiddin Ibn B(rabi

$ociety.Aessed )arh ,&*.http:PP+++.ibnarabisoiety.orgPartilesPreashah.html

Singh2 Da3id Bmmanuel.

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07 Christology of Ibn Al-Arabi