William C. Chittick 
Imaginal Worlds [PDF ebook] 
Ibn al-ʿArabī and the Problem of Religious Diversity

In this book Chittick explains Ibn al-ʿArabī’s concept of human perfection, his World of Imagination, and his teachings on why God’s wisdom demands diversity of religious expression. He then suggests how these teachings can be employed to conceptualize the study of world religions in a contemporary context.



Ibn al-ʿArabī, known as the ‘Greatest Master, ‘is the most influential Muslim thinker of the past 600 years. This book is an introduction to his thought concerning the ultimate destiny of human beings, God and the cosmos, and the reasons for religious diversity. It summarizes many of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s teachings in a simple manner. The ideas discussed are explained in detail.



The book is divided into three parts. In the first part Chittick explains Ibn al-ʿArabī’s concept of human perfection; in the second part he looks at various implications of the World of Imagination; and in the third part he exposes Ibn al-ʿArabī’s teachings on why God’s wisdom demands diversity of religious expression, and he suggests how these teachings can be employed to conceptualize the study of world religions in a contemporary context.

Tabella dei contenuti

Introduction



PART I. HUMAN PERFECTION


1. Oneness of Being



Divine Names and Human Perfection

Incomparability and Similarity



2. Microcosm, Macrocosm, and Perfect Man



The Goal of Creation

The Path to Perfection



3. Ethics and Antinomianism



Noble Character Traits

Blameworthy Character Traits



4. Self-Knowledge and the Original Human Disposition



The Nondelimitation of
Wujud

Imaginal Consciousness

Self-Knowledge

The Unknown Station

Annihilation and Subsistence

Becoming Human




PART II. WORLDS OF IMAGINATION


5. Revelation and Poetic Imagery



The
Tarjuman al-Ashwaq
Imagination

Reason and Self-Disclosure

The Revelation of Similitudes

Witnessing the Loci of Vision



6. Meetings with Imaginal Men



Discerning Imaginal Realities

Varieties of Imaginal Perception

Imaginal Men



7. Death and the Afterlife



Revelation and Reason

The Isthmus after Death

The Unfolding of the Soul

The Next World

Inside/Outside

The Garden and the Fire

The Cooling of the Fire



PART III. RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY


8. A Myth of Origins



The Koranic View of Revelation

The Divine Names and the Origins of Religion

Chapter 66



9. Diversity of Belief



The Roots of Belief

The Two Commands

Paths to God

Equilibrium

The Marks of Belief

Nondelimited Belief

The Circle of Religious Diversity



10. The Divine Roots of Religion



Gods of Belief

Rational Investigation

Names and Knottings

The Divine Form

All and Nothing

Prophecy and Guidance

Providential Limitations

Appreciating Knots



Notes



Bibliography



Index of Sources



Index of Koranic Verses



Index of Hadiths and Sayings



Index of Names and Terms

Circa l’autore

William C. Chittick is Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is the author of
Faith and Practice of Islam; A Shi’ite Anthology; The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn al- Arabi’s Metaphysics of Imagination; and
The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi; all published by SUNY Press.