The Continuing Impact of Ibn ʿArabī
Ibn ʿArabī exercised a profound and enduring influence upon the generations that followed him. During his lifetime, he was warmly received in the Seljuk Sultanate, particularly in Konya, where his teachings later became an important source of inspiration for scholars and spiritual masters. His intellectual legacy was subsequently preserved and developed throughout the Ottoman Empire, where he was honoured as one of the distinguished scholars and saints of Islam. His writings were copied, translated, taught, and circulated across the Muslim world, while his ideas remained part of scholarly and madrasa traditions for centuries.
Ottoman Reception of Ibn Arabi
Ibn ʿArabī’s influence did not develop through a single school or uniform interpretation. A number of distinguished Muslim scholars carried his message forward, each expressing it according to the intellectual and spiritual needs of a particular time and place. Some systematized his metaphysical teachings; others explained them through poetry, Qur’ānic commentary, philosophy, or spiritual instruction. Through such figures, his thought travelled from Anatolia and Persia to Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, North Africa, and the wider Ottoman world. Some of the most important representatives of this continuing tradition are introduced in the following pages.
Muslim Intellectual Legacy
In the modern period, Ibn ʿArabī’s legacy has also attracted growing international interest. His profound reverence for all the prophets—especially ʿĪsā (Jesus), Mūsā (Moses), Ibrāhīm (Abraham), and the other prophets shared by the Abrahamic traditions—has made his writings a significant meeting place for interreligious reflection. Although his thought remains deeply rooted in the Qur’ān and the Islamic spiritual tradition, its treatment of divine mercy, wisdom, love, revelation, and the unity of existence has engaged readers and scholars far beyond the Muslim world. This universal appeal has encouraged the recovery of manuscripts, the translation of previously inaccessible works, and new interpretations of his teachings.
Modern Scholarship
An important step in this modern revival was the establishment of the Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society in 1977, with Bülent Rauf serving as its first president. The Society was founded to promote careful study of Ibn ʿArabī’s writings and to make his works more widely available through research, translation, publication, and scholarly exchange. Its Journal of the Muhyiddin Ibn ʿArabi Society, first published in 1982, has provided an important forum for international scholarship. Through its symposia, lectures, archival work,
