Comparing the Roots of the Faculty of Imagination and Analyzing the Concepts of the Divine Names (Asma’ Allah al-Husna) in the Degrees of Human Existence from the Perspective of Ibn Arabi

Abstract

This research examines and analyzes the roots of the faculty of imagination and the concepts of the Divine Names (Asma’ Allah al-Husna) in the degrees of human existence from the perspective of Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi. The transformations of theological and mystical concepts, from the advent of Islam to the medieval periods, especially in the realm of Sufism, have been accompanied by depth and evolution. From the 8th century CE, Islamic mystics in both the eastern and western parts of the Islamic world solidified and developed the theoretical foundations of Sufism. In the 12th century CE, Ibn Arabi, considering the cultural and intellectual context of his time, revisited mystical teachings and, utilizing the concepts of the faculty of imagination and the Divine Names, reinterpreted ideas such as the Perfect Man (Insan Kamil) and the unity of existence in a novel way. This research demonstrates that Ibn Arabi, by blending previous mystical concepts and employing the power of imagination, restructured and expanded the language of Sufism and the meaning of the Perfect Man. He succeeded in deeply analyzing the Divine Names, interpreting the existential ranks of humans, and presenting a new understanding of humanity’s place in the cosmic order. The goal of this article is to provide a comprehensive view of the impact of the faculty of imagination and the analysis of the Divine Names on the structure of mystical anthropology and to explain the key concepts of Sufism from Ibn Arabi’s perspective.