The written world of God : the cosmic script and the art of Ibn ʿArabi

The science of letters represents one of the central elements of Ibn 'Arabi’s teachings. Until today, it also tends to be perceived as one of the most abstruse. In order to fill this gap, the present study explores 1) the basic notions of Ibn 'Arabi’s science of letters and 2) the elaborate use of visual arts and calligraphy in Ibn 'Arabi’s works in order to make them readily accessible to the academic community and a broader public with a general interest in the art history and Sufism. This is the first and so far the only introduction to the science of letters in its fullest form, as expounded by Ibn 'Arabi, who is regarded as the most profound mystical teacher in the Islamic world. It also provides a large number of Ibn 'Arabi's drawings and figures in his own hand from the original manuscripts. The Written World of God is the first systematic overview of the science of letters (?ilm al-huruf) according to the great Andalusian spiritual master, scholar, poet and philosopher Ibn 'Arabi (d. 1240). Ibn 'Arabi defined the science of letters as familiarity with the building-blocks of the Quranic revelation and everything in the world of Nature. Letters are understood as visual and aural signs pointing to the mysteries of existence. The present study examines how the universe came to be, for what purpose it was created and the hierarchical structure it is endowed with. It is an old story told anew through the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet, their orthographic forms and the meanings attributed to them, utilising Ibn ?Arabis own diagrams. Part One focuses on the Arabic letters as Cosmic Script, and Part Two describes the Act of Genesis by means of the letters. Although the story could be told through geometrical figures or numbers, letters were chosen on the basis of Ibn ?Arabis doctrine that the meanings carried by the letters fully encompasses the whole of God and the universe, and the function of the Perfect Human Being. It also analyses and discusses over 60 illustrations, most drawn from the original manuscripts of Ibn 'Arabi. The first part of the book focuses on the Cosmic Script and how letters were viewed as imbued with the power to reveal divine mysteries to those worthy of them. The second part, entitled The Act of Genesis, examines the properties and symbolism of each of the twenty-eight Arabic letters. "The Written World of God is the first systematic overview of the science of letters (ilm al-huruf) according to the great Andalusian spiritual master, scholar, poet and philosopher Ibn Arabi (d. 1240). Ibn Arabi defined the science of letters as familiarity with the building-blocks of the Quranic revelation and everything in the world of Nature. Letters are understood as visual and aural signs of pointing to the mysteries of existence. The present study examines how the universe came to be, for what purpose it was created and the hierarchical structure it is endowed with. It is an old story told anew through the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet, their orthographic forms and the meanings attributed to them, utilising Ibn Arabi's own diagrams. Although the story could be told through geometrical figures or numbers, letters were chosen on the basis of Ibn Arabi's doctrine that the meanings carried by the letters fully encompasses the whole of existence: God and the universe." -- Back cover