Journal of Islamic Studies and Culture

Looking at Ibn ‘Arabi’s Notion of Wahdat al-Wujud as a Basis for Plural Path to God
Ali Akbar


Abstract
Sufism, or Islamic mysticism, often presented an inclusive version of faith that extended beyond the strict worldview of medieval jurists. In this sense, the acceptance of diversity of paths to God is a crucial feature of many Sufi doctrines. This paper attempts to look at Ibn ‘Arabi’s approach towards the diversity of religious traditions and practices. The paper argues that Ibn ‘Arabi’s notion of “Oneness of Being” or “Unity of Being” (wahdat al-wujud) provides the foundation of his emphasis on the multiple paths that one is able to take for approaching God. In fact, the paper argues that by reading Ibn ‘Arabi’s idea of “Oneness of Being”, the path towards God becomes inherently multiple. These multiple paths do not only include the existence of various religious traditions or beliefs, but also consist of various interpretations that every Sacred Scripture, including the Quran, is able to carry within itself. This emphasis on multiplicity of the path towards God and interpretation of His Words show that the discourse resources of Sufism are rich in the potential for promoting religious pluralism in the present context.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jisc.v4n1a6