Ibn ‘Arabi’s Cognitive Theory

Abstract

The text entitled as above analyses essential distinctions of Ibn ‘Arabi’s epis- temology with a particular emphasis on its mystic consideration. The essence of his epistemology was put forvvard in accordance with the rules of meta- physical preference for the sources of cognition and cognitive process that a spiritual traveller has to go through on his way towards the Truth. Ibn ‘Arabi bases his theory of cognition first of ali on those sources of cognition that elude the epistemological field at a historical level, but he does not neglect the latest sources of cognition either, from whose perspective derived is that ascending-cognitive evolution of human genius that tries to observe the vvhole Truth in the perspective of the historical level too. This means that Ibn ‘Arabi,

when perceiving the Truth, exposes himself equally to metacosmic Grace and cosraohistorical Wisdom.

After defıning the essential sources of Ibn ‘ Arabi’s epistemology, the aut- hor classifıed the basic patterns of cognition that the spiritual traveller (Sâlik) reaches in an ascending-cognitive order, starting from the knowledge taken from the world (al-Ilm), via theosophical wisdom which is specificaüy Sop- hia divina or Sophia perennis (al-Hikma al-Lâdmiyya), ftnding peace in the pure vvisdom of the Divine Špirit, which is (the wisdom) fundamental glory, living gnossis of the Divine Essence (al-Ma'rifa). With each new spiritual phase, the spiritual traveller (Sâlik) acquires a new profile of his spiritual feature that is identical to the internal nature of the acquired cognitive form.

Then follows a presentation of the spiritual pattern which reflects the internal physiognomy of that patlı, the ascending-spiral cognitive path that Sâlik is to walk in the existential špan of his own špirit from Sâlik to ‘Arif. In the institution of the Messenger’s Mi‘râğ - the night of ascent of the Messenger of Islam (a.s.) up the verticai of the Divine Špirit, to which a philosopher of Andalusia adds one eminently philosophic dimension, ‘Arabi recognized a spiritual traveller or companion in the figure of a philosopher. Ibn ‘Arabi’s Epistemologia spiritualis, as both a sapiential and an existential act in one, appeases its epistemological and existential power in the transparent light of eternal principles of the Divine Super-Being, which is the eternal peace of Sâlik’s soul and the eternal celestial home of its heart.