Some Questions about Ibn Arabi's Epistemology

I have been reading some work about Ibn Arabi's mysticism, including those from Chittick. His "Fusus" (well, the translation of it) is on my Kindle, but I am not ready to read it as yet as I expect it to be quite heavy material.

Upon reading the reflections - made by some other people - on his work, I have arrived at an impression that some of his thesis (I don't know if this is the correct term) are drawn by way of logic. He makes inferrences through postulates and this logical reasoning then forms his theory.

My question: would logical reasoning such as that constitute a valid knowledge in esoteric teachings? Should not the 'knowledge' have been derived from Ultimate Truth instead of a mere logical deduction? What differentiate the gnostic from the philosophers if both derives conclusion by utilizing the same method?

Having said the above, the question above is probably due to my lack of understanding of his very complicated 'theories'. I learned that Whitehead once said: "The work of the philosopher is to rationalize the mystic". Hence, when Ibn Arabi dwells with postulates and logical deductions, he (this is my uneducated conjecture) was probably in the 'philosopher mode'. Had he been writing poems, he would've been a Rumi.


#in a train on my way back to dundee to meet my loved one#

Ladybank, Scotland.


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