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Allah manifests Himself in a special way in every…

“Allah manifests Himself in a special way in every creature. He is the Outwardly Manifest in every graspable sense, and He is the Inwardly Hidden from every understanding except the understanding of the one who says that the universe is His form (4) and His He-ness (huwiyya), and it is the name…” quote by Ibn Arabi
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““Allah manifests Himself in a special way in every creature. He is the Outwardly Manifest in every graspable sense, and He is the Inwardly Hidden from every understanding except the understanding of the one who says that the universe is His form (4) and His He-ness (huwiyya), and it is the name, the Outwardly Manifest. Since He is, by meaning, the spirit of whatever is outwardly manifest, He is also the Inwardly Hidden. His relation to whatever is manifested of the forms of the world is the relation of the governing spirit to the form. The definition of man, for example, includes both his inward and outward; and it is the same with every definable thing. Allah is defined in every definition, yet the forms of the universe are not held back and He is not contained by them. One only knows the limits of each of their forms according to what is attained by each knower of his form. For that reason, one cannot know the definition of Allah, for one would only know His definition by knowing the definition of every form. This is impossible to attain, so the definition of Allah is impossible. Similarly, whoever connects without disconnection has given limits to Allah and does not know Him. Whoever combines connection and disconnection in his gnosis, and describes Allah with both aspects in general - because it is impossible to conceive in detail because we lack the ability to encompass all the forms which the universe contains - has known Him in general and not in particular, as he knows himself generally and not in particular. For that reason, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, linked knowledge (ma'rifa) of Allah to knowledge of oneself and said, "Whoever knows himself knows his Lord." Allah says, "We will show them Our signs on the horizons (what is outside of you) and in themselves (what is your source) until it is clear to them (the contemplators) that it is the Truth," (41:53) inasmuch as you are His form and He is your spirit. You are to Him as your body-form is to you, and He is to you as the spirit which governs the body.””

Ibn Arabi

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote describes the dual nature of divine presence as both outwardly manifest in all creation and inwardly hidden beyond human comprehension, emphasizing that true knowledge of God comes through self‑knowledge.

In simple terms: God is both seen in the world and hidden beyond understanding, known through knowing oneself.

Key Takeaway

Seek self‑knowledge to glimpse the divine.

Themes

theity knowledge self‑realization

Mood

contemplative reverent

Type

spiritual philosophical

When to use this quote

  • personal meditation
  • spiritual study
  • contemplative prayer
  • philosophical discourse

Key Concepts

Mysticism theology philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does knowing yourself reveal aspects of the divine?
  • Can we ever truly understand a reality beyond all forms?
A Different Perspective

Human intellect cannot fully grasp the infinite nature of the divine.

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