Ibn Arabi - part 4

This is part 4 on the Ibn Arabi series. You may read the other parts here #1, #2 and #3

Recently, while reading the book [1], I came across the following paragraphs (I am reproducing the passage in its entirety)

At this point, we bring forth the following simple example and leave the detailed examples and illustrations for another time.
There are a series of verses (19-22) in Surah al-Rahman (55) which read:

“He has made the two seas to flow freely (so that) they meet together. Between them is a barrier that they cannot pass. Which then of the bounties of your Lord will you deny? There comes forth from them pearls, and coral.”

In the next few paragraphs, the author of the book discussed the meaning of the above Quranic verse. Then the author quoted a passage from Ibn Arabi's work. He started by saying

However, when Muhyad Din al- ̃Arab| (d. 1240 AD), who was absorbed in the teachings of mysticism (Irfan) and philosophy, went forth to comment on these verses, he did so with a mind so engrossed in philosophy and mysticism that he wrote:

“The meaning of the ‘bitter body of water’ are the corporeal and physical issues (related to the human being) whereas the meaning of the ‘sweet and pleasant body of water’ is the human spirit; both of these meet in the existence of the human being, and the barrier and separator between them is the ‘animal soul’, which although does not reach to the level of the human spirit in terms of purity and refinement, is higher and better than the physical body in terms of darkness and murkiness. At the same time neither of the two dimensions transcend their boundary: neither does the spirit bestow immateriality to the body, nor does the body make the spirit descend and place it among the material entities.” [text in the footnote: Tafsir of Ibne ̃Arabi, vol. 2 pg. 280. This is just one example of exegesis of the Qur`an according to one’s own personal opinion and the book of Tafsir of Ibne ̃Arabi, just as his work Fususul Hikm is full of such examples of Tafsir of the Qur`an according to his own personal whims and opinions which is both – from the viewpoint of the intellect and also the Islamic jurisprudence – not permissible.]

This is the final part of my reading on Ibn Arabi. Here is another interesting source for further reading.


Reference
[1] Subhani, A. Jafar (2006). Introduction to the Science of Tafseer of the Qur'an. United Kingdom: World Federation of KSIMC. ISBN 978-1-8984-4977-5.