Mystical Philosophy: Ibn Al-ʿArabī’s Lettrist Cosmogony

Abstract

Ibn al-ʿArabī (1165–1240 CE) was one of the most inventive and prolific writers of the Islamicate medieval world, and arguably one of the most influential figures in Islamic Sufism. This dissertation contributes to the vibrant world of research on Ibn al-ʿArabī’s thought by providing an in-depth study of the philosophical underpinnings of his theory on the origins of the universe. His lettrism—the idea that the letters of the alphabet are intimately tied to the order and nature of the world—provides a fascinating religious interpretation of philosophical concepts, set within a framework of mystical experience. This project takes an integrative, interdisciplinary approach to the medieval Islamicate philosophical-mystical milieu, arguing that Ibn al-ʿArabī’s cosmogony is more fully understood in conversation with medieval philosophical theories about the origins of the universe as well as with medieval lettrist texts from both Muslim and Jewish communities in the Islamicate world.

This dissertation project is grounded in a close reading of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s lettrist writings, in particular, chapter 2 of the Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya. Other writings of Ibn al-ʿArabī, such as chapter 198 of the Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya or sections of his Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam, are also consulted when relevant. Part I provides a preliminary close reading of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s lettrism, rooting this integrative study first and foremost within the world of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s lettrist thought. Part II then builds upon this foundation, expanding the discussion to the broader milieu within which Ibn al-ʿArabī’s lettrist cosmogony emerged. Thus, part II employs a methodology of dynamic comparative reading, using textual analysis of lettrist treatises from Ibn Masarra (d. 931) and Saʿadia Gaon (d. 942), as well as Islamicate philosophical commentaries, in order to better understand Ibn al-ʿArabī’s integrative approach to lettrism and cosmogony. Through a comparative study, this dissertation elucidates three main aspects of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s cosmogonic letters: physical (letters as elements and prime matter), oral (letters as articulation through breath), and barzakh (letters as written symbols and interpretive intermediaries). The illumination of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s lettrism through dynamic comparison allows for a more comprehensive understanding of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s cosmology rooted in the tawḥīd (oneness) of God.