Journal of Islamic Mysticism

The question of resurrection (maʿād) in the thought of Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabi constitutes one of the most challenging issues in theoretical mysticism, primarily due to its close connection with the doctrine of the Unity of Being (waḥdat al-wujūd). This connection raises fundamental questions concerning the relationship between unity and multiplicity, the nature of bodily resurrection, human free will, and the interpretation of Qurʾanic verses. Adopting an analytical–critical approach and relying on Ibn ʿArabi’s primary works, this study argues that the concept of “becoming” (ṣayrūrat) functions as the central axis and key to a coherent understanding of resurrection within his intellectual system.

The findings demonstrate that becoming, in Ibn ʿArabi’s ontology, operates as a foundational principle through which the mechanisms of manifestation (tajallī) and determination (taʿayyun), the relationship between the human soul and the levels of existence, the process of intuitive knowledge, and ultimately the realization of resurrection are explained. Within this framework, resurrection is not conceived as a reality detached from creation, but rather as the continuation, perfection, and completion of the existential becoming of both the human being and the cosmos.

An examination of the theory of immutable entities (aʿyān thābita) and the degrees of manifestation reveals that Ibn ʿArabi, while maintaining the immutability of the Divine Essence, interprets the dynamism of the world and the multiplicity of manifestations within a circular and non-linear structure. Moreover, his emphasis on the imaginal world (ʿālam al-khayāl) enables a distinctive interpretation of bodily resurrection, according to which the resurrected body appears as an imaginal body proportionate to the existential rank of the soul. This interpretation remains faithful to Qurʾanic texts while reconciling bodily resurrection with the logic of the Unity of Being. Finally, becoming in Ibn ʿArabi’s experiential epistemology indicates that awareness of resurrection depends upon the existential transformation of the human being and is understood as a truth unveiled through mystical wayfaring.