Inspired Knowledge and Divine Governance: The Mahdi's "Helpers
The primary focus of Chapter 366 of the Futuhat is the distinctive set of spiritual qualities
and capacities marking this particular spiritual stage (manzil)--characteristics which Ibn 'Arabi
finds symbolized in the various hadith concerning the eschatological role of the Mahdi and his
"Helpers" or "Ministers,"1 but which he insists are already realized by those saints (awliya') who
have attained this degree of spiritual realization, who have already reached the "end of time." In
a broader metaphysical perspective, as he indicates allusively in the poem introducing this
chapter, all those characteristics are in fact essential aspects of the ongoing divine governance of
this world in its microcosmic, individual human dimensions, especially in the spiritual judgment
or authority (walaya) of the saints as it is realized inwardly or, more rarely, manifested outwardly
and officially in the functions of religious judges or in the case of the Prophet (who preeminently
combined the roles of the Mahdi and his Helpers).
The two principal, complementary aspects of Ibn 'Arabi's treatment of this stage and its
associated functions are clearly relevant to the spiritual life of every individual. The first is the
question of divine "communication" (in all its manifestations, but with special attention to the
central role of the Koran and the "heritage" of the Prophet Muhammad) and the decisive role of
each person's unique and radically varying receptivity or sensitivity to that deeper dimension of
reality. The second is the "application" of that communication--which, for Ibn 'Arabi, obviously
includes, but is by no means limited to, the familiar external forms of Islamic law and
tradition--in guiding our spiritual and communal life. Especially striking, in regard to this latter
point, are the Shaykh's recurrent, sometimes pointed allusions to the distance separating the
historical, limited conception of the Sharia2 shared by many of the 'ulama' in the popular sense of
that term (i.e., the Islamic jurists and theologians) and the deeper, more challenging perennial
reality of its demands and presuppositions as understood by the awliya', whom Ibn 'Arabi
consistently regards as the true "knowers" and "authorities" (wulat) of the Community.
The treatment of these questions in this chapter is often subtle and highly allusive, no
doubt partly because of the potentially controversial nature of Ibn 'Arabi's broader
understanding--largely only implicit in this chapter--of the relations between the inspiration and
spiritual authority underlying the "judgments" of the Prophet, saints, and the mass of jurists and
theologians "learned in the external forms" ('ulama' al-rusum). As a result, it provides a
remarkable illustration of his typical methods of esoteric writing, in which each reader's
perceptions of the apparent content, aims and unifying structure of the work will necessarily
differ radically according to his own particular intentions and sensitivities. At the same time, it
constitutes an excellent introduction to the principles underlying Ibn 'Arabi's complex
understanding of the practical interrelations between spiritual realization and the historical forms
of Islamic tradiition--a perspective which clearly transcends the usual stereotyped (and often
polemic or apologetic) conceptions of those questions.3
There should be no need to stress the wider significance of each of these issues
throughout Ibn 'Arabi's writings. But what lends this chapter its special impact and dramatic
interest are its primary focus on the experiential sources of Ibn 'Arabi's key insights, his frequent
autobiographical remarks (including a number of references to his own self-conception of his
role as the unique "Seal of Muhammadan Sainthood") and colorful anecdotes based on his
encounters with other Sufis--illustrative materials that provide an essential phenomenological
complement to the better-known metaphysical and doctrinal aspects of his teaching, while at the
same time pointing to some of its indispensable practical presuppositions.
The primary focus of Chapter 366 of the Futuhat is the distinctive set of spiritual qualities
and capacities marking this particular spiritual stage (manzil)--characteristics which Ibn 'Arabi
finds symbolized in the various hadith concerning the eschatological role of the Mahdi and his
"Helpers" or "Ministers,"1 but which he insists are already realized by those saints (awliya') who
have attained this degree of spiritual realization, who have already reached the "end of time." In
a broader metaphysical perspective, as he indicates allusively in the poem introducing this
chapter, all those characteristics are in fact essential aspects of the ongoing divine governance of
this world in its microcosmic, individual human dimensions, especially in the spiritual judgment
or authority (walaya) of the saints as it is realized inwardly or, more rarely, manifested outwardly
and officially in the functions of religious judges or in the case of the Prophet (who preeminently
combined the roles of the Mahdi and his Helpers).
The two principal, complementary aspects of Ibn 'Arabi's treatment of this stage and its
associated functions are clearly relevant to the spiritual life of every individual. The first is the
question of divine "communication" (in all its manifestations, but with special attention to the
central role of the Koran and the "heritage" of the Prophet Muhammad) and the decisive role of
each person's unique and radically varying receptivity or sensitivity to that deeper dimension of
reality. The second is the "application" of that communication--which, for Ibn 'Arabi, obviously
includes, but is by no means limited to, the familiar external forms of Islamic law and
tradition--in guiding our spiritual and communal life. Especially striking, in regard to this latter
point, are the Shaykh's recurrent, sometimes pointed allusions to the distance separating the
historical, limited conception of the Sharia2 shared by many of the 'ulama' in the popular sense of
that term (i.e., the Islamic jurists and theologians) and the deeper, more challenging perennial
reality of its demands and presuppositions as understood by the awliya', whom Ibn 'Arabi
consistently regards as the true "knowers" and "authorities" (wulat) of the Community.
The treatment of these questions in this chapter is often subtle and highly allusive, no
doubt partly because of the potentially controversial nature of Ibn 'Arabi's broader
understanding--largely only implicit in this chapter--of the relations between the inspiration and
spiritual authority underlying the "judgments" of the Prophet, saints, and the mass of jurists and
theologians "learned in the external forms" ('ulama' al-rusum). As a result, it provides a
remarkable illustration of his typical methods of esoteric writing, in which each reader's
perceptions of the apparent content, aims and unifying structure of the work will necessarily
differ radically according to his own particular intentions and sensitivities. At the same time, it
constitutes an excellent introduction to the principles underlying Ibn 'Arabi's complex
understanding of the practical interrelations between spiritual realization and the historical forms
of Islamic tradiition--a perspective which clearly transcends the usual stereotyped (and often
polemic or apologetic) conceptions of those questions.3
There should be no need to stress the wider significance of each of these issues
throughout Ibn 'Arabi's writings. But what lends this chapter its special impact and dramatic
interest are its primary focus on the experiential sources of Ibn 'Arabi's key insights, his frequent
autobiographical remarks (including a number of references to his own self-conception of his
role as the unique "Seal of Muhammadan Sainthood") and colorful anecdotes based on his
encounters with other Sufis--illustrative materials that provide an essential phenomenological
complement to the better-known metaphysical and doctrinal aspects of his teaching, while at the
same time pointing to some of its indispensable practical presuppositions.
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