Tafsir Ibn Arabi lil-Quran Haqiqatuhu wa Khataruhu
- Author died
- 1398 AH
- Editions
- الجامعة الإسلامية
Tafsir Ibn Arabi lil-Quran Haqiqatuhu wa Khataruhu (Ibn Arabi's Exegesis of the Quran: Its Reality and Danger) is a treatise by the Egyptian scholar Muhammad Husayn al-Dhahabi (d. 1398 AH / 1977 CE), written as a critical study examining the nature, authorship, and theological hazards of the Sufi Quranic commentary commonly ascribed to Ibn Arabi.
Background and Purpose
Al-Dhahabi wrote the booklet after publishing houses in Egypt and Beirut began reprinting and distributing parts of the Tafsir attributed to Ibn Arabi, roughly a century after its earlier printing had gone out of circulation. In response to the publication, Al-Azhar's Islamic Research Academy (Majma' al-Buhuth al-Islamiyyah) moved to confiscate the printed portions and halt further distribution. Al-Dhahabi undertook the work to clarify the reality of the text, refute its claims, and caution readers against its potential to mislead public understanding of the Quran.
Authorship and Attribution
A central argument of the treatise is that the published Tafsir attributed to Ibn Arabi was not authored by him, but rather by the Sufi figure Abd al-Razzaq al-Qashani. Al-Dhahabi endorses the earlier conclusion of Muhammad Abduh—as recorded by Muhammad Rashid Rida in the introduction to Tafsir al-Manar—that the work was composed by al-Qashani and ascribed to Ibn Arabi to promote it through his fame. To substantiate this, al-Dhahabi highlights that manuscript copies explicitly ascribe the commentary to al-Qashani. He also notes internal chronological evidence, such as the text quoting Nur al-Din Abd al-Samad al-Natanzi (d. late 7th century AH) as the author's direct teacher, which fits al-Qashani (d. 730 AH) but is historically impossible for Ibn Arabi (d. 638 AH).
Structure and Methodological Critique
The book outlines the historical development of Sufism, delineating two primary hermeneutical approaches among Sufis: theoretical philosophical exegesis (al-tafsir al-sufi al-nazari) and allusive or intuitive exegesis (al-tafsir al-ishari or al-faydi).
Al-Dhahabi critiques both dimensions within the text and across Ibn Arabi's authentic works, such as Fusus al-Hikam (The Bezels of Wisdom) and Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya (The Meccan Illuminations):
- Theoretical exegesis: Al-Dhahabi argues that theoretical Sufi commentary forces Quranic verses to align with preconceived philosophical concepts and the doctrine of the unity of existence (wahdat al-wujud), thereby diverting the text from its intended meanings.
- Exclusion of exoteric meaning: The commentary explicitly confines itself to esoteric interpretations (al-butun) and omits the literal, exoteric meanings (al-zawahir) established by Arabic linguistic usage, presenting obscure allegories as the divine intent of the verses.
- Claim of exclusive authority: Al-Dhahabi criticizes Ibn Arabi's assertion in the Futuhat that allusive interpretations are the true meanings revealed directly to Sufis through divine inspiration, dismissing mainstream scholars of external rulings ('ulama' al-rusum).
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