AN IMPORTANT EARLY AKBARI UNPUBLISHED TREATISE RELATED TO THE SCHOOL...
AN IMPORTANT EARLY AKBARI UNPUBLISHED TREATISE RELATED TO THE SCHOOL OF MUHI-AL-DIN IBN 'ARABI
MIFTAH FUSUS AL-HIKAM WA KHUSUS AL-KALIM
Iraq or Syria, possibly 14th century
Arabic manuscript on paper, 7 leaves, 1 fly leaf, composed of 14 lines, written in naskh script in black ink with a rubricated red title reading: 'Miftah Fusus Al-Hikam wa Khusus Al-Kalim' (The Key to the Bezels of Wisdom and the Specificity of the Divine Words), the text is closely associated with the intellectual and metaphysical tradition of the celebrated Andalusian mystic and philosopher Muhyi Al-Din Ibn ʿArabi (d. 638 AH / 1240 AD), author of the seminal work Fusus Al-Hikam, one of the most influential texts in the history of Islamic mysticism, rather than constituting a copy of Ibn ʿArabī’s original Fusus Al-Hikam, the manuscript appears to be an independent pedagogical treatise or concise guide intended to introduce and clarify the fundamental concepts of the Akbarian tradition; throughout the text, the author discusses themes central to Ibn ʿArabī’s metaphysical system, including: the relationship between the Divine and creation; the distinction between the outward and inward realities; the intellect, heart, spirit, and inner secret; degrees of knowledge and unveiling (kashf); The Perfect Human (Al-Insan Al-Kamil); Divine Names and Attributes; the balance between transcendence (tanzih) and similitude (tashbih); the treatise is written in a concise instructional style characteristic of early Akbarian manuals and appears intended as a key for understanding the terminology and symbolic language of Fusus Al-Hikam; no explicit author's name has been identified within the surviving text, nor does the manuscript preserve a dated colophon - although paleographical examination suggests that the manuscript may reasonably be attributed to the 8th century AH (14th century AD), or a period not far removed from it, the script, layout, and overall presentation are consistent with early manuscript traditions associated with the transmission of Akbarian literature.
18cm x 12.2cm
Of particular importance is the apparent absence of any known modern printed edition corresponding exactly to this title and text, preliminary research has not revealed a published version of the treatise, raising the possibility that it survives only in manuscript form, as a witness to the early reception and dissemination of Ibn ʿArabi’s thought, this manuscript represents a significant document in the history of Islamic intellectual and mystical traditions, its compact format, specialized content, and apparent rarity make it of considerable interest to collectors of Islamic manuscripts, institutions specializing in Sufism, and scholars of the Akbarian heritage.
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AN IMPORTANT EARLY AKBARI UNPUBLISHED TREATISE RELATED TO THE SCHOOL OF MUHI-AL-DIN IBN 'ARABI
MIFTAH FUSUS AL-HIKAM WA KHUSUS AL-KALIM
Iraq or Syria, possibly 14th century
Arabic manuscript on paper, 7 leaves, 1 fly leaf, composed of 14 lines, written in naskh script in black ink with a rubricated red title reading: 'Miftah Fusus Al-Hikam wa Khusus Al-Kalim' (The Key to the Bezels of Wisdom and the Specificity of the Divine Words), the text is closely associated with the intellectual and metaphysical tradition of the celebrated Andalusian mystic and philosopher Muhyi Al-Din Ibn ʿArabi (d. 638 AH / 1240 AD), author of the seminal work Fusus Al-Hikam, one of the most influential texts in the history of Islamic mysticism, rather than constituting a copy of Ibn ʿArabī’s original Fusus Al-Hikam, the manuscript appears to be an independent pedagogical treatise or concise guide intended to introduce and clarify the fundamental concepts of the Akbarian tradition; throughout the text, the author discusses themes central to Ibn ʿArabī’s metaphysical system, including: the relationship between the Divine and creation; the distinction between the outward and inward realities; the intellect, heart, spirit, and inner secret; degrees of knowledge and unveiling (kashf); The Perfect Human (Al-Insan Al-Kamil); Divine Names and Attributes; the balance between transcendence (tanzih) and similitude (tashbih); the treatise is written in a concise instructional style characteristic of early Akbarian manuals and appears intended as a key for understanding the terminology and symbolic language of Fusus Al-Hikam; no explicit author's name has been identified within the surviving text, nor does the manuscript preserve a dated colophon - although paleographical examination suggests that the manuscript may reasonably be attributed to the 8th century AH (14th century AD), or a period not far removed from it, the script, layout, and overall presentation are consistent with early manuscript traditions associated with the transmission of Akbarian literature.
18cm x 12.2cm
Of particular importance is the apparent absence of any known modern printed edition corresponding exactly to this title and text, preliminary research has not revealed a published version of the treatise, raising the possibility that it survives only in manuscript form, as a witness to the early reception and dissemination of Ibn ʿArabi’s thought, this manuscript represents a significant document in the history of Islamic intellectual and mystical traditions, its compact format, specialized content, and apparent rarity make it of considerable interest to collectors of Islamic manuscripts, institutions specializing in Sufism, and scholars of the Akbarian heritage.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
