Journal of Islamic Mysticism

Sa’id al-Din Farghani, as one of the most prominent representatives of Ibn Arabi’s school of thought, assigns significant importance to the Alam al-Mithal (Imaginal Realm) in the human journey along the arc of descent. He situates the Alam al-Dharr (World of the Covenant) within this realm. Farghani outlines specific aspects of the Alam al-Mithal, through which he attempts to provide a systematic and innovative analysis of how humans are present in the Alam al-Mithal during the arc of descent. From Farghani’s perspective, the imaginal creation of Adam’s (peace be upon him) progeny in the Alam al-Dharr occurred after the creation of Adam’s earthy body. This earthy body contained the particles of Adam’s progeny, and these particles, along with the earthy form, became imaginal and were endowed with a soul. The emergence of the individual souls of humans, according to him, precedes their physical birth and the embryonic stage.This study clarifies that the intellectual objections typically raised against the precedence of the soul over the material body do not apply to Farghani’s view. Furthermore, there exist narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) that provide general confirmation of Farghani’s perspective.

Keywords: : Imaginal Realm, Arc of Descent, World of the Covenant, Clay (Tinat), Sa’id al-Din Farghani

     

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