Dissolution or Survival of the Essence in the Mystical Experience of Ibn Arabi

Investigating the issue of “unity of being” from Ibn Arabi’s angle of look has a particular significance because he was a mystic who tried to bring rational dimension into his mystical experience. The theory of unity of being is faced with several problems and ambiguities amongst which is the dissolution or non-dissolution of the essence of the mystic. Some evidences in the writings of Ibn Arabi submit proof on his adoption of plurality and non-dissolution of essence while some other prove the reverse, i.e. absolute unity and dissolution of the essence. Though it seems that Ibn Arabi believes that a level of annihilations is the annihilation of the essence, a more profound analysis of his view reveals that he is not intending an absolute annihilation or extinction of the mystic’s essence. In addition to that, justification and understanding the evidence on the dissolution of existence is possible on the basis of the foundations of theoretical mysticism. Accordingly, four different justifications are available: consider all the interpretations proving absolute unity and dissolution of human essence or any other type of plurality as proofs on unity of intuition; or as proofs on annihilation of the attribute of the mystic; or explain these evidences through analyzing the meaning of existence and nothingness in thoughts of Ibn Arabi; or conclude that when the Sheikh (Ibn Arabi) rejects plurality in an absolute terms, he has been in a state of annihilation or revelation and the mystic say in the state of annihilation denotes a different meaning from the say in the state of annihilation.