For when you know yourself, your sense of a limited identity vanishes, and you know that you and God are one and the same.
Ibn ‘Arabi
One and the Same
Topic: Immanence & Transcendence
When the mystery of the oneness of the soul and the Divine is revealed to you, you will understand that you are no other than God. … Then you will see all your actions to be His [Her] actions and all your attributes to be His [Her] attributes and your essence to be His [Her] essence.
… Thus, instead of [your own] essence, there is the essence of God and in place of [your own] attributes, there are the attributes of God. He [She] who knows himself [herself] sees his [her] whole existence to be the Divine existence, but does not experience that any change has taken place in his [her] own nature or qualities. For when you know yourself, your sense of a limited identity vanishes, and you know that you and God are one and the same.
Ibn ‘Arabi, known as Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi and often referred to as the Shaykh al-Akbar (the Greatest Master), was born in 1165 in Murcia, Andalusia, a region in present-day Spain. This period was marked by a remarkable cultural and intellectual exchange among Islamic, Jewish, and Christian traditions. Ibn ‘Arabi’s early life was shaped by this rich environment, which fostered his spiritual and intellectual development. His mystical inclinations and profound visionary experiences became evident from a young age, earning him recognition as a leading spiritual figure.
Over his lifetime, Ibn ‘Arabi traveled extensively across the Islamic world, seeking knowledge and engaging with scholars and spiritual teachers. His journeys took him from Andalusia to North Africa, Mecca, and eventually to Damascus, where he settled and spent his final years. He passed away in Damascus in 1240. Throughout his travels, Ibn ‘Arabi composed an extraordinary body of work, including more than 350 writings. Among his most significant contributions are the Fusûs al-Hikam (The Bezels of Wisdom), which explores the inner wisdom of the prophets, and the Futûhât al-Makkiyya (The Meccan Revelations), an expansive encyclopedia of mystical knowledge.
Ibn ‘Arabi’s teachings emphasize the Unity of Being (Wahdat al-Wujud), a concept that articulates the interconnectedness of all existence within the singular reality of the Divine. His works delve into the relationship between human beings and God, highlighting self-knowledge as a path to understanding the Divine. Rooted in the Quran, his writings remain universal, presenting each person’s journey as unique while ultimately united in truth. Firmly rooted in the Quran, his work is universal, accepting that each person has a unique path to the truth, which unites all paths in itself. He has influenced the development of Islam since his time, as well as significant aspects of the philosophy and literature of the West. His wisdom has much to offer us in the modern world in terms of understanding what it means to be human.
Landau, Rom. (1959). The Philosophy of Ibn 'Arabi. New York, The MacMillan Company. pp. 83-8
Ibn ‘Arabi
Theme: Everyday Divinity
About This Ibn ‘Arabi Quotation [Commentary]
Ibn ‘Arabi teaches that “when you know yourself, your sense of a limited identity vanishes, and you know that you and God are one and the same.” This knowledge is not about personal traits but about recognizing what has always been true. He explains, “no change has taken place in his [her] own nature or qualities.” What shifts is awareness: the person sees that the core of their being was never separate. This is not an imaginative idea, but a discovery that dissolves the illusion of separation.
“When the mystery of the oneness of the soul and the Divine is revealed to you, you will understand that you are no other than God.” In that moment, one sees “all your actions to be His [Her] actions and all your attributes to be His [Her] attributes and your essence to be His [Her] essence.” The self is not replaced but re-understood. The qualities once thought to be one’s own are recognized as expressions of Divine reality. Ibn ‘Arabi shows that this realization does not erase individuality but roots it in something deeper.
“He [she] who knows himself [herself] sees his [her] whole existence to be the Divine existence.” This is the essence of everyday divinity. Awareness of this unity invites a different way of living—not by withdrawing from the world, but by seeing clearly within it. Ibn ‘Arabi’s teaching calls for a direct seeing, where identity is no longer held as separate, and where what we call the self is revealed as a form of Divine presence.
Ibn ‘Arabi (1165-1240)
According to the website of the The Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society:
“Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi (1165-1240) [was] a medieval mystic from Andalusia, known as the Sheikh al Akbar (the greatest teacher) in the East, and as Doctor Maximus in the West.
Mystic, philosopher, poet, sage, … Ibn ‘Arabi is one of the world’s great spiritual teachers. Known as Muhyiddin (the Revivifier of Religion) and the Shaykh al-Akbar (the Greatest Master), he was born in 1165 AD into the Moorish culture of Andalusian Spain, the center of an extraordinary flourishing and cross-fertilization of Jewish, Christian and Islamic thought, through which the major scientific and philosophical works of antiquity were transmitted to Northern Europe. Ibn ‘Arabi’s spiritual attainments were evident from an early age, and he was renowned for his great visionary capacity as well as being a superlative teacher. He traveled extensively in the Islamic world and died in Damascus in 1240 AD.
He wrote over 350 works including the Fusûs al-Hikam, an exposition of the inner meaning of the wisdom of the prophets in the Judaic/ Christian/ Islamic line, and the Futûhât al-Makkiyya, a vast encyclopedia of spiritual knowledge which unites and distinguishes the three strands of tradition, reason and mystical insight. In his Diwân and Tarjumân al-Ashwâq he also wrote some of the finest poetry in the Arabic language. These extensive writings provide a beautiful exposition of the Unity of Being, the single and indivisible reality which simultaneously transcends and is manifested in all the images of the world. Ibn ‘Arabi shows how Man, in perfection, is the complete image of this reality and how those who truly know their essential self, know God.
Firmly rooted in the Quran, his work is universal, accepting that each person has a unique path to the truth, which unites all paths in itself. He has profoundly influenced the development of Islam since his time, as well as significant aspects of the philosophy and literature of the West. His wisdom has much to offer us in the modern world in terms of understanding what it means to be human.”
—Accessed at http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/ibnarabi.html
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