Inscriptions of Wisdom: The Sufism of Ibn al-'Arabī in the Mirror of Jāmī

Two important texts in the Sufi tradition made available together in English for the first time. Inscriptions of Wisdom brings together, for the first time in English, two pivotal Sufi texts that illuminate Ibn al-'Arabī's (d. 1240) celebrated work Fusūs al-hikam. The first, Naqsh al-Fusūs (the Inscription of the Fusūs), is Ibn al-'Arabī's own distillation of Fusūs al-hikam, presenting a concise yet profound articulation of its core teachings. The second, Naqd al-nusūs fi sharh Naqsh al-Fusūs (texts commenting on Naqsh al-Fusūs), by 'Abd al-Rahman Jami, is an anthology of carefully selected passages from the earliest and most authoritative interpreters of Fusūs al-hikam, enriched with Jami's own insights. Together, these works explore the quintessential knowledge and divine principles embodied by each of the twenty-seven major prophetic figures of the Islamic tradition, from Adam to Muhammad. If Fusūs al-hikam represents the culmination of Ibn al-'Arabī's thought, then Naqsh al-Fusūs distills its very essence and inner mystery. Mukhtar H. Ali's meticulous presentation of the Fusūs al-hikam commentarial tradition-featuring the first complete English translation of Jami's Naqd al-nusūs, chapter-by-chapter analysis, and extensive notes on key Sufi terms and concepts-establishes this volume as a landmark study in Islamic metaphysics and Sufi thought.