Ibn al-'ArabÄ (d. 1240) was one of the towering figures of Islamic intellectual history and among Sufis still bears the title of al-shaykh al-akbar or the greatest master. Ibn al-'ArabÄ and Islamic Intellectual Culture traces the history of the concept of oneness of being (wahdat al-wujÅd) in the school of Ibn al- 'ArabÄ in order to explore the relationship between mysticism and philosophy in Islamic intellectual life. It examines how the conceptual language used by early mystical writers became increasingly engaged over time with the broader Islamic intellectual culture eventually becoming integrated with the latterâs common philosophical and theological vocabulary. It focuses on four successive generations of thinkers (Sadr al-DÄn al-QÅnawÄ Mu'ayyad al-DÄn al-JandÄ 'Abd al-RazzÄq al-KÄshÄnÄ and DÄwÅd al-QaysarÄ) and examines how these philosopher-mystics refined and developed the ideas of Ibn al-'ArabÄ. Through a close analysis of texts the book clearly traces the crystallization of an influential school of thought in Islamic history and its place in the broader intellectual culture. Offering an exploration of the development of Sufi expression and thought this book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of Islamic thought philosophy and mysticism. . Language: English