Sayings of Ibn Arabi on Love
Among the profound and beautiful expressions of Ibn Arabi regarding love are the following:
- “Praise be to God who has made passion a sacred domain to which the hearts of poets pilgrimage, and a Kaaba around which the secrets of brilliant minds revolve.”
- “Love is a divine station, through which the Truth (Glory be to Him) describes Himself.”
- “Know that the vision of the beloved is the ultimate goal, the most precious possession, and the hardest thing to attain. There are etiquettes to observe in this vision, marked by qualities such as steadfastness, lack of distraction, humility, acceptance, submission, and trepidation. How sweet is the fragrance of the beloved, and how joyous is the one who is graced by fate with their presence.”
- “The lover never turns away from the direction of their beloved, be it in practice, manners, or passion.”
- “The lover experiences support, faith, and grace, seeking the beloved’s approval and desiring their affection.”
- “The beloved is troubled, while the lover is deprived; the heart is set ablaze and the fire consumes from within.”
- “Love represents the purity of passion in the heart, free from the murk of distractions.”
- “Longing arises from yearning, and moaning from restlessness, while the reunion with loved ones and their separation is intertwined with prior knowledge and the arrival of time.”
- “Indeed, subjugation results from love, and it is interlinked with the beloved’s affection. While the lover may have high aspirations, the dominion of love brings them down from the pride they might bear in truth.”
- “Excessive infatuation leads to the emergence of sighs.”
- “The yearning for love is a constant and essential trait that accompanies it.”
- “Whether the beloved is near or far, the effect of love upon the lover is inevitable.”
- “The yearning in divine love reflects the inclination toward the divine presence, concealing what the heart harbors in terms of delicate longing.”
- “Passion is an excess of love, igniting the flames of longing and desire that reside within the heart.”
- “When the beloved leans toward the lover with mercy and kindness, the lover’s heart becomes entwined with the beloved; thus, love becomes an enduring inclination.”
- “Jealousy naturally arises from love, as it is one of its attributes.”
- “Agony signifies the torment of desire.”
- “The lover’s heart wanders, perplexed by the existence in which their heart wishes to revel.”
- “When passion becomes excessive, it leads to ruin, even unto death.”
- “The state of confusion results from an obsession with the beloved, leading to a state described as ‘bewildered’.”
- “Constant union persists only when the gaze remains fixed.”
- “The deep yearning represents the exploration within the domains of love, as it is essentially derived from the environment around.”
- “Confession occurs when patience fades, revealing what the heart conceals; thus, when the lover loses sight of their manifestations of beauty, tears flow as they lament the anguish of longing they endure, unable to suppress or be patient about it.”
- “Sorrow is the most arduous aspect of love; it stems from a deep sadness, which affects the lover as their patience wanes and departs from them.”
- “Do not inquire about the intensity of suffering after the beloved’s departure; it comes from the absence of their being and the persistence of their image. The soul recalls nights of connection and joy, enveloped in sorrow, distinctly intertwined with madness and fantasy. The lover wanders through valleys and mountain peaks, yearning for that beauty, lost in that enchanting devotion, pondering how many lights your glimmer has dimmed, how many gardens your allure has withered, how much blood your glances have shed.”
- “The lover’s longing for the moments of divine appearance is drawn from the nature of revelation itself, not merely from their physical being.”
- “The lover attains a state of silence because their condition speaks for them.”
Most Known Sayings of Ibn Arabi
- “The Truth manifests to each individual being according to the aptness of the secret of divine manifestations.”
- “Every being receives its due from what it encounters, according to what it was created for.”
- “When you exhaust what is added to you, you remain with what is added to Him.”
- “Every bounty that aligns with your desires is a trial, and every trial that opposes your desires is a bounty.”
- “When you turn all matters back to Him, you will be relieved of numerous disputes.”
- “The gifts of God are virtuous; whatever aligns with your desires you consider good, and whatever contradicts them, you perceive as evil; say: all is from God.”
- “Take from everything that possesses a vessel, even if it is an act of obedience, and do not fear what you are subdued by, even if it is a disobedience.”
- “Creation harmonizes regarding the subtleties of spirits while differing in the density of bodies.”
- “As you treat creation, the Truth treats you; and as you treat the Truth, creation treats you accordingly.”
- “Aren’t the ascetic the one who refrains from anything besides the Almighty?”
- “No one can attain the ultimate pleasure who harbors nothing else in their heart.”
- “He who has progressed by his own means toward his goal is the truly desired one, even if they are forced along the way.”
- “You cannot hope to reach your goal without following the Messenger (peace be upon him) and his companions and those who love him.”
- “He who has not adorned himself with spiritual traits cannot rise above animalistic ranks.”
- “He who does not experience death in his heart cannot truly know himself.”
- “No one understands what we say unless they follow the example of the Messenger (peace be upon him) and his companions and those who love him.”
- “Do not acquire knowledge except from those who practice it.”
- “He who does not die to his desires will never be able to behold the Truth.”
- “As long as you seek the Truth, do not stop at mere mortals.”
- “The seeker of God is severed by his vision.”
- “Whoever is satisfied with absolute majesty is likely to attain perfection.”
- “Whoever sincerely dedicates their intention to God will be supported by Him and His angels.”
- “You are concealed from Him, yet if you were to perish through Him, you would then see Him with you.”
- “Unless you die to your humanity, you will not ascend in the ranks of the divine realm.”
- “You cannot know the Truth and His attributes unless you witness His secret within you and His signs.”
- “The one who does not journey with the guides is merely shifting from one place to another.”
- “He who does not grasp the realities of names and letters is turned away from uncovering the mysteries of things.”
Poem: Winter Approaches After Autumn
Winter approaches after autumn,
Spring follows close behind,
The course of time rotates with its offspring,
In its cycle, there is the season of bread.
It flows through the bodies with its decrees,
Both the subtle and the dense are nourished by it.
I marvel at them, for they failed to recognize their worth,
As the strong and weak both strive towards it.
And he became like water in its vessel for them,
In which there is a subtle secret.
Poem: I Loved Someone All the People Know
I loved someone whom everyone knows,
Whether in their nomadic life or in the city.
When I see him, life flows through him,
In his cheek, the heart melts from his bashfulness.
When I searched for him, I saw nothing but,
What exists in the self is surely from his influence.
So the heart that wanders in love will not remain,
Except in the imagination; nothing else from his sight.
For through imagination, the joy of all is found,
As well as the pain that arises in accordance with it.
If you understand this, you will enjoy what
Their separation complains about when they vanish from sight.