Overview

The science of letters represents one of the central elements of Ibn 'Arabi’s teachings. Until today, it also tends to be perceived as one of the most abstruse. In order to fill this gap, the present study explores 1) the basic notions of Ibn 'Arabi’s science of letters and 2) the elaborate use of visual arts and calligraphy in Ibn 'Arabi’s works in order to make them readily accessible to the academic community and a broader public with a general interest in the art history and Sufism.This is the first and so far the only introduction to the science of letters in its fullest form, as expounded by Ibn 'Arabi, who is regarded as the most profound mystical teacher in the Islamic world. It also provides a large number of Ibn 'Arabi's drawings and figures in his own hand from the original manuscripts.

Reviews

"The Written World of God is the first and only detailed introduction to Ibn 'Arabi's 'science of letters'. Through meticulous and thorough research, Dr. Rasic has shone important light on this essential and vast region of the authentic teaching of the greatest master of Sufism. In the process, she demonstrates how this sacramental science is used by Ibn 'Arabi to mine and display the incalculable power of the holy language of Arabic and elaborate a 'literal metaphor' for the creation and functioning of the cosmos and everything in it. This book corrects errors in previous scholarship and opens a very welcome door to the further study of what has been a too-long-neglected - sometimes unfairly disparaged - feature of the writings of Ibn 'Arabi in particular and Sufism in general." —Todd Lawson, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto

Author Biography

Dunja Rašic (Ph.D) is a lecturer at the University of Belgrade. Her academic interests include the Islamic philosophy of language, the science of the letters and the philosophical and theological thought in the early Islamic Middle Ages.