Ibn Arabi and Explanation of General Prophethood النبوّة العامة

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعدى

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Prayers of blessings and peace upon the one after whom there is no prophet

Many of the detractors of Shaikh Ibn Arabi accuse him of having introduced a concept of non-legislative and acquired Nubuwwah within the Ummah and therefore having opened the door for the Antichrist and False Prophet Mirza of Qadian. Therefore, I shall cite the relevant passage from Shaikh Ibn Arabi and thereafter analyze it’s contents to determine whether the allegation of the detractors is true. Shaikh Ibn Arabi wrote:

اعلم أيدنا الله وإياك بروح منه أن هذا الباب يتضمن أصناف الرجال الذين يحصرهم العدد والذين لا توقيت لهم ويتضمن المسائل التي لا يعلمها إلا الأكابر من عباد الله الذين هم في زمانهم بمنزلة الأنبياء في زمان النبوة وهي النبوة العامة فإن النبوة التي انقطعت بوجود رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إنما هي نبوة التشريع لا مقامها فلا شرع يكون ناسخا لشرعه صلى الله عليه وسلم ولا يزيد في حكمه شرعا آخر وهذا معنى قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم إن الرسالة والنبوة قد انقطعت فلا رسول بعدي ولا نبي أي لا نبي بعدي يكون على شرع يخالف شرعي بل إذا كان يكون تحت حكم شريعتي ولا رسول أي لا رسول بعدي إلى أحد من خلق الله بشرع يدعوهم إليه فهذا هو الذي انقطع وسد بابه لا مقام النبوة فإنه لا خلاف إن عيسى عليه السلام نبي ورسول وأنه لا خلاف أنه ينزل في آخر الزمان حكما مقسطا عدلا بشرعنا لا بشرع آخر ولا بشرعه الذي تعبد الله به بني إسرائيل من حيث ما نزل هو به بل ما ظهر من ذلك هو ما قرره شرع محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم ونبوة عيسى عليه السلام ثابتة له محققة فهذا نبي ورسول قد ظهر بعده صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو الصادق في قوله إنه لا نبي بعده فعلمنا قطعا أنه يريد التشريع خاصة وهو المعبر عنه عند أهل النظر بالاختصاص وهو المراد بقولهم إن النبوة غير مكتسبة وأما القائلون باكتساب النبوة فإنهم يريدون بذلك حصول المنزلة عند الله المختصة من غير تشريع لا في حق أنفسهم ولا في حق غيرهم فمن لم يعقل النبوة سوى عين الشرع ونصب الأحكام قال بالاختصاص ومنع الكسب فإذا وقفتم على كلام أحد من أهل الله أصحاب الكشف يشير بكلامه إلى الاكتساب كأبي حامد الغزالي وغيره فليس مرادهم سوى ما ذكرناه وقد بينا هذا في فصل الصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في آخر باب الصلاة من هذا الكتاب وهؤلاء هم المقربون الذين قال الله فيهم عينا يشرب بها المقربون وبه وصف الله نبيه عيسى عليه السلام فقال وجيها في الدنيا والآخرة ومن المقربين وبه وصف الملائكة فقال ولا الملائكة المقربون ومعلوم قطعا أن جبريل كان ينزل بالوحي على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ولم يطلق عليه في الشرع اسم نبي مع أنه بهذه المثابة فالنبوة مقام عند الله يناله البشر وهو مختص بالأكابر من البشر يعطي للنبي المشرع ويعطي للتابع لهذا النبي المشرع الجاري على سنته قال تعالى ووهبنا له أخاه هارون نبيا فإذا نظر إلى هذا المقام بالنسبة إلى التابع وأنه باتباعه حصل له هذا المقام سمي مكتسبا والتعمل بهذا الاتباع اكتسابا ولم يأته شرع من ربه يختص به ولا شرع يوصله إلى غيره وكذلك كان هارون فسددنا باب إطلاق لفظ النبوة على هذا المقام مع تحققه لئلا يتخيل متخيل أن المطلق لهذا اللفظ يريد نبوة التشريع فيغلط كما اعتقده بعض الناس في الإمام أبي حامد فقال عنه إنه يقول باكتساب النبوة في كيمياء السعادة وغيره معاذ الله أن يريد أبو حامد غير ما ذكرناه وسأذكر إن شاء الله ما يختص به صاحب هذا المقام من الأسرار الخاصة به التي لا يعلمها إلا من حصله فإذا سمعتني أقول في هذا الباب ومما يختص بهذا المقام كذا فاعلم أن ذلك الذي أذكره هو من علوم أهل هذا المقام فلنذكر أولا شرح ما بوبنا عليه من المقابلة والانحراف

Know, may Allah support us and you with a spirit from Him, that this chapter includes the types of men who are limited in number and who have no time limit, and it includes the issues that are only known to the greatest of Allah’s servants who are in their time in the position of the prophets in the time of prophethood, which is the general prophethood. For the prophethood that was cut off with the presence of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is only the prophethood of legislation, not its position. So there is no law that abrogates his law, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, nor does another law add to his ruling. This is the meaning of his saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that the message and prophethood have been cut off, so there is no messenger after me and no prophet, meaning there is no prophet after me who will be on a law that contradicts my law. Rather, if he is under the rule of my law and no messenger, meaning there is no messenger after me to any of Allah’s creation with a law to which he calls them, then this is what was cut off and its door was closed, not the position of prophethood. For there is no disagreement that Jesus, peace be upon him, is a prophet and messenger, and there is no disagreement that he will descend at the end of time as a just and fair judge according to our law, not according to another law or according to his law with which the Children of Israel worshipped Allah, from the point of view that he descended. Rather, what appeared from that is what the law of Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, has decided it, and the prophethood of Jesus, peace be upon him, is established and confirmed for him. This is a prophet and messenger who appeared after him, may God bless him and grant him peace, and he is the truthful one in his saying that there is no prophet after him. So we know with certainty that he means legislation specifically, which is what the people of insight express as exclusivity, and this is what is meant by their saying that prophethood is not acquired. As for those who say that prophethood is acquired, they mean by that the attainment of a special status with God without legislation, neither for themselves nor for others. So whoever does not understand prophethood except as the essence of the law and the establishment of rulings, says exclusivity and the prevention of acquisition. So if you come across the words of one of the people of God, the people of revelation, who refers in his words to acquisition, such as Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and others, then their intention is nothing but what we have mentioned. We have explained this in the chapter on prayers upon the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, at the end of the chapter on prayer in this book. These are the ones brought near, of whom God said, “A spring from which the ones brought near drink.” And with this God described His Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, saying, “He is distinguished in this world and the Hereafter, and among the ones brought near.” And with this He described the angels, saying, “Nor are the angels brought near.” And it is known with certainty that Gabriel used to come down with revelation to… The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was not called a prophet in the Sharia, although he is of this status. Prophethood is a status with Allah that humans attain, and it is specific to the greatest of humans. It is given to the prophet who legislates and is given to the follower of this prophet who legislates and follows his Sunnah. Allah the Almighty said: “And We gave him his brother Aaron, a prophet.” So if we look at this status in relation to the follower and that by following him he attained this status, it is called acquired. And acting upon this following is acquired, and no law came to him from his Lord that is specific to him or a law that leads him to others. And so was Aaron. So we closed the door to applying the term prophethood to this status, even though it has been realized, so that no one would imagine that the one who issued this term means prophethood of legislation, and he would be mistaken, as some people believed about Imam Abu Hamid, who said about him that he says that prophethood is acquired in the Alchemy of Happiness and other things. Allah forbid that Abu Hamid would mean anything other than what we mentioned (al-Futuhat ul-Makkiyyah; v.3, pp.6-7)

Comments: It should be noted that Ibn Arabi has cited the example of the Messiah Jesus عليه السلام descending in the End Times but that his prophethood will not be legislative, rather he will judge according to and follow the Shari’ah of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم In this Ibn Arabi has not stated anything controversial or innovative, rather he has concurred with the consensus of the scholastic authorities in mainstream Sunni Islam. Furthermore, Ibn Arabi is totally correct when he says:

ونبوة عيسى عليه السلام ثابتة له محققة فهذا نبي ورسول قد ظهر بعده صلى الله عليه وسلم

“The Prophethood of Jesus عليه السلام is established and confirmed for him. So this is a Prophet and an Apostle (Jesus) who appears after him (Muhammad) صلى الله عليه وسلم"

This statement by Ibn Arabi is true that despite there being no Prophet after Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم Jesus is an exception to this rule, but even then it is only because his Prophethood will not be legislative but rather in total accordance to the Law of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم

Ibn Arabi also says:

فسددنا باب إطلاق لفظ النبوة على هذا المقام مع تحققه لئلا يتخيل متخيل أن المطلق لهذا اللفظ يريد نبوة التشريع فيغلط

“We have closed the door to the use of the term “prophethood” in this position, even though it is true, so that no one would imagine that the one who uses this term means the prophecy of legislation, and thus make a mistake.”

This statement of Ibn Arabi that the term Prophethood or the name Prophet is not allowed to be used for someone of this Ummah who has reached the status and rank of Prophethood is a strong repudiation of the Qadiani and other antichrists who may use the concept of النبوّة العامة "General Prophethood” as explained by Ibn Arabi as justification for them to claim the term Prophethood and word Prophet for their persons.

Now while any Muslim is free to disagree with Ibn Arabi’s concept of “General Prophethood” it becomes clear that this concept as explained by him is not heretical. I myself disagree with Ibn Arabi when he says:

فالنبوة مقام عند الله يناله البشر وهو مختص بالأكابر من البشر يعطي للنبي المشرع ويعطي للتابع لهذا النبي المشرع الجاري على سنته قال تعالى ووهبنا له أخاه هارون نبيا

“Prophethood is a position with God that humans attain, and it is reserved for the greatest of humans. It is given to the prophet who legislates and to the follower of this prophet who legislates and follows his Sunnah. God Almighty said: And We gave him his brother Aaron, a prophet.”

I do not agree that the Prophet Aaron عليه السلام merited the office of Prophethood through his following of and obedience to Moses عليه السلام. Like Moses, Aaron was also a Prophet in his own right, only that he had an additional function to serve as Moses’s minister and to obey him. Otherwise, the Prophethood of Aaron was also theoretically legislative as all Prophethood is, the only exception being the Prophethood of Jesus during his Second Advent.