Sufism Is Christianized Islam: A Study through the Works of Ibn Arabi of Murcia

The Sufi mystic Muhammad Ibn 'Arabi (1165-1240 CE) is known to this day as "The Greatest Sheikh" throughout the Islamic world. He was given the title Muhyiddin (Reviver of the Faith), and was also known as Doctor Maximus (the greatest teacher) in the West. This book, by Catholic priest and Arabic Scholar Miguel As n Palacios, provides a biography of this fascinating mystic, followed by extracts from a number of Ibn 'Arabi's books. With this translation, most of these extracts are now available in English for the first time. The book also includes As n Palacios' contention that Sufism emerged from the influence of Eastern Christian monasticism on Islam. The author's previously translated books Islam and the Divine Comedy and Saint John of the Cross and Islam have traced the reverse influence, of Sufism on Christianity. Here we see that the influence flowed in both directions. In a time when understanding Islam is of vital importance in the West, realizing the close relationship between Christianity and Islam can serve as a counterbalance to stereotyping and hopefully open deeper avenues of conversation between followers of these two major world religions. And for all those with an interest in Sufism or mysticism in general, these newly accessible writings of Ibn 'Arabi will be a rich treasure.