Degrees of Human Perfection and Sainthood: Between Ibn al-‘Arabī and Ibn Taymiyya

What is it about?

In premodern Islamdom, recipes for achieving perfection (kamāl) and sanctity (walāya) varied from one Muslim theologian to the other. They reflected different understandings of not just these concepts proper but also of the responsibility and destiny of human beings in this world and the hereafter. Whereas some Muslim theologians emphasized humility, high moral standards and exemplary worship of God as a means to this end, others gave precedence to revelatory knowledge (gnosis; ma‘rifa) and mystical illumination (kashf) that they attributed the friends of God or “saints” (awliyā’ allāh; sing. walī llāh). These latter theologians further argued takīm al-Tirmidghat due to the unique qualities of their character and their superior understanding of God and his creation the awliyā’ were natural successors/heirs (waratha; khulafā’) to the prophets. They also argued that God entrusted the awliyā’ to guide his elect community on the straight path, to cultivate their own successors (murīdūn) and to provide spiritual comfort and moral advice to ordinary believers. Furthermore, these theologians would occasionally present the awliyā’ as perfect human beings who could navigate the material and spiritual realms, because they combined in themselves the properties of both.

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Why is it important?

Ibn 'Arabi (d. 1240) and Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328) are major representatives of two interpretations of Islam (Sufism and Salafism) that are usually considered incompatible and mutually opposed. This chapter examines the accuracy of this common perception.

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