Islam and Gender Questions: Ibn Arabi's Approaches to Divinity and Sexuality

By Grace Mubashir, New Age Islam 8 December 2023 By Adopting Sexuality As A Metaphor, Ibn Arabi Challenges Hierarchical Views Of Gender And Sexuality. Ibn Arabi Challenges Gender Hierarchies By Equating The Ultimate Reality Of Marriage, Called Fana' In The Technical Language Of Tasawwuf, With Sexual Intercourse. Ibn Arabi Questions Religious And Secular Understandings Of Gender. Main Points: 1. The teachings of Islamic Sufism need to be revived to advance inclusive and modern Islam. 2. Ibn Arabi articulates the gender: 'The relationship between man and woman is like the relationship between God and nature. 3. Duality does not exist in Ibn Arabi's masculine-feminine relationship. ----- Here I intend to present the views of Ibn Arabi on issues of gender and sexuality. It seems that we can start with the words of Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH). He said: 'Three things are dear to me in this world. They are women, perfumes and salutations.' Ibn Arabi ----- Humans live in a world of connection and separation. I take women and sex as an example. Sexual intercourse is commonly understood as an intense expression of love between a man and a woman. But for Ibn Arabi, the act of seeing and experiencing God is what a believer enables through sexual intercourse. Because there is an act of union challenging the fixation of duality. It is a desire that drives us to do it. It is through the instrumentality of desire that the search for union with the One arises in us. Ibn Arabi talks about desire by telling the story of Prophet Ilyas. He says: 'Prophet Ilyas (Idris) had a vision in a dream. In it, he saw Mount Lebanon. Prophet Ilyas, who climbed the hill, lost all his wishes. Thus Prophet Ilyas became a mere intellect without desires. Thus in him, God became merely transcendent. Because a self which is mere intellect could only see the transcendent God. Immanent God can never be experienced by such a self. Whereas for Ibn 'Arabi everything is God's revelation (Tajalliyat) and He is simultaneously transcendent and immanent. Only when these two realities of God can be understood can one experience Him. Ibn Arabi narrates the story of Prophet Ilyas to indicate the mystical realities inherent in human desires. When one abandons his desires, he becomes unable to experience the blessings of God. He can get only the transcendent God. Or, the intellect blocks the possibility of attaining God's presence through desires. Then the intellect exists as a veil between God and man. That veil is removed only when you travel in search of desire. Because it is through desire that one can attain the object of his quest by eliminating the ego self in him. Ibn Arabi also cites the story of Hazrat Maryam which refers to desire. He says: Maryam mistook the Angel Gabriel who came to her in human form to be someone who came to sleep with her. So they sought salvation from God. Through it, they were able to attain complete intimacy with God. Later, when Jibreel informed Maryam that he was only a messenger of God, they achieved inner peace. It was at that time that the angel Gabriel blew Isa to Maryam.' The story narrated by Ibn Arabi overturns Christian-Islamic formal understandings. It will become clear when Ibn Arabi is explained further. Ibn Arabi uses the word 'Shahwa' (carnal desire) when describing the story of Maryam and Ilyas in Ibn Arabi's Fusus al-Hikam. Shahva can be translated as desire or lust. Here, Ibn Arabi speaks by connecting lust with Prophet Ilyas and desire with Maryam. Through it, Ibn Arabi reads intercourse and sexual interests as manifestations of divine intimacy. 'Let's go back to Mary. When they first saw the angel Jibreel (in human form), they sought refuge in Allah (from what was forbidden). Through it, they rejected human emotions and sought complete merging with Allah. Or, Maryam's desire was with Allah. That is what happened to Prophet Ilyas. All that remained before him was the Wajh of Allah (Face of Allah). When the angel Gabriel announced to Maryam that he was the messenger of Allah, she came down from the transcendent state and felt desire. But even there (immanence) Maryam sought the presence of Allah. Because there is nothing in this world that is not His glory.' Here, Ibn Arabi presents the human emotions of desire and lust as the release of divine quality. That is why Ibn Arabi says that Maryam and Idris could see Allah in all physical and non-physical desires. Now let's talk about the ontology of femininity and masculinity. For Ibn Arabi, femininity is not just a biological condition. but also ontological. See how Ibn Arabi articulates it: 'The relationship between man and woman is like the relationship between God and nature (Ibn Arabi compares woman to nature.) Nature accepts divine commands. Nature cannot exist without divine orders. Or, nature means God's self-manifestation (Tajalliyat). Ibn Arabi here imagines divine commands as male and nature as female. Both elements converge ontologically at the point of love. On the other hand, activity is the self of a man, while a woman has the activity of receptivity. The activity of masculinity can be likened to the divine activity of 'Kun, Fayakun'. That is why Adam was created in the first place. But here the hierarchy involved in male-female relationships is only temporary. It means that there is no ontological or cosmological power relationship between man and woman. Or, man and woman do not exist as a power duality. Duality does not exist in Ibn Arabi's masculine-feminine relationship. Rather, the fusion between the two bodies takes place. Therefore the power does not exist there. Therefore, masculine and feminine activities are possible for both males and females. Because for Ibn Arabi, gender is performative. Hence masculine and feminine cannot be strictly defined. Or, gender does not exist because of biological differences. Man and woman overcome the male/female duality through sexual union. Love brings the two together. Ibn Arabi says: 'So Allah took out of man an image of Himself. That's the girl. It came from the desire of both of them to meet. That is why women became a favourite of the Prophet (PBUH). Because it is in Adam that Eve, created in Adam's image, is to be sought. Adam, on the other hand, had to seek Eve within himself. This can be read in conjunction with the Qur'anic saying that whoever knows himself knows God. For Ibn Arabi, men and women do not exist in the form of hierarchical authority. Rather, it is through longing. The physical form of this quest is physical union. It is the greatest possible combination of love in this world. It is said that bathing after sexual intercourse is due to the desire to meet and cover the body of the male and female. Because He does not want from creation any look other than Allah. Bathing after sexual intercourse is obligatory because one turns away from the face of Allah even for a moment during sexual intercourse (which means that one should seek Allah during sexual intercourse as well). With purification, he/she turns back to Allah. Ibn Arabi says that if a person sees the face of Allah in sexual intercourse, then he/she does not need to be pure. By adopting sexuality as a metaphor, Ibn Arabi challenges hierarchical views of gender and sexuality. Ibn Arabi challenges gender hierarchies by equating the ultimate reality of marriage, called 'Fana' in the technical language of Tasawwuf, with sexual intercourse. Ibn Arabi questions religious and secular understandings of gender. ----- A regular columnist for NewAgeIslam.com, Mubashir V.P is a PhD scholar in Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia and freelance journalist. 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