The Seal of Divine Wisdom in the Word of Adam – Selections from “The Seals of Wisdom” by Ibn Arabi (vegetarian), Part 1 of 2

Renowned as “Sheikh ul Akbar,” meaning “the Greatest Master,” in the Muslim world, Hazrat Sheikh Mohye-ed-din Ibn ul-Arabi (vegetarian) was an influential Andalusian Sufi mystic, philosopher, poet, and spiritual teacher.

Around the age of 16, Ibn Arabi (vegetarian) had his first vision of God and entered into a retreat, during which he had several visions of Lord Jesus Christ (vegetarian), Prophet Muhammad (vegetarian), (Peace Be Upon Him), and Moses (vegetarian). He referred to this experience as “his first guide to the path of God.” Ibn Arabi (vegetarian) went on to write over 350 works on spirituality, as well as some fine poetry in the Arabic language. Today we will present to you excerpts from Chapter 1, “The Seal of Divine Wisdom in the Word of Adam,” from this inspiring book, “The Seals of Wisdom.”

“Allah brought the entire universe into existence through the existence of a form fashioned without a spirit, like an unpolished mirror. Part of the Divine decree is that He does not fashion a locus without it receiving a Divine spirit, which is described as being ‘blown’ into it. This is nothing other than the result of the predisposition of that fashioned form to receive the overflowing perpetual manifestation which has never ceased and which will never cease.

Then we must speak of the container. The container comes from nothing other than His most sacredly pure Overflowing. So the whole affair has its beginning from Him, and its end is to Him, and ‘the whole affair will be returned to Him’ as it began from Him. Thus the command decreed the polishing of the mirror of the universe. Adam was the very polishing of that mirror and the spirit of that form.

Allah admonishes you through others. Look at where that originates and where it ends up. The angels did not realize what was implied by the organism of the khalif, nor did they realize what the presence of the Truth demanded as worship. Each one only knows from Allah what his essence accords him. The angels do not possess the universality of Adam, and they did not understand the Divine Names with which he has been favored, and by which he praises Allah and proclaims His purity.”