Was Ibn Arabi a Sufi?
Dear brothers, there have been many people who were believed to be Sufis but they were not Sufis in reality.
As I have said many times about Ibn Arabi.
The one who is known by the title Shaikh e Akbar (Greatest Shaikh).
His views were that of a disbeliever and an apostate.
Number one
What does Ibn Arabi say? You can read his book Fatuhat al Makkiyya (Meccan Revelations).
So what did Shaikh e Akbar, Ibn Arabi say?
He says that God did not ask Abraham to sacrifice Ismail.
God asked him to sacrifice Isaac.
What he has said is an attempt to weaken the foundations of Islam.
And this is from the Shaikh e Akbar.
But the Shaikh e Akbar said something even more dangerous. Ask me what.
An even more dangerous statement from Ibn Arabi
was that the rank of Prophet Mohammad as the Final Prophet - Finality of Prophethood -
is not affected even if another prophet comes after Prophet Mohammad.
What do you say about that?
Therefore, according to me - try to understand what I am saying
I advise you sometimes not to give your own statements about Sufism
and there are many reasons behind this.
I have always maintained that I do not consider Ibn Arabi a Sufi.
Why?
If we say that he is a Sufi or a great saint of God then a Qadiani will come and present his statements about the Finality of Prophethood
and ask us what we have to say about him now, that he is misguided?
You believed him to be a Sufi for 20 years.
So do not make statements by yourself.
If you have seen the movie that we often mention here, Yunus Emre,
they depict a story about Yunus Emre and his Spiritual Guide, Tapduk.
In the very last stage of his life, Shaikh e Akbar Ibn Arabi is visited by his disciple
and this angers the Spiritual Guide of Yunus Emre, Tapduk.
And he says, 'What does he know about Sufism? Lock them up in a room!'
And they lock him up in a room.
He says, 'They don't know anything about Sufism. They are ignorant people'.
Do you understand?
Now, there is one more thing.
Who is the greatest follower of Ibn Arabi in Pakistan? Sheikh ul Islam Tahir ul Qadri -
someone who is lost in the lexiconic meanings [rather than the spiritual aspects].
These two points solidify the fact that [Ibn Arabi] had absolutely no connection to esoteric knowledge,
no connection to God or Prophet Mohammad. Otherwise, how can a Sufi say something so ridiculous?
For instance, he said that Abraham sacrificed Isaac, not Ismail.
If it was Isaac who was sacrificed then Islam as we know it would be false.
We have been performing the pilgrimage of Hajj for 1400 years.
What principal custom of Abraham have we been following for 1400 years?
That Abraham sacrificed his son, Ismail.
And Ibn Arabi is saying that it was Isaac who was sacrificed.
What I am telling you is written in his book, Fatuhat e Makkiyya.
He also wrote in Fatuhat e Makkiyya that Finality of Prophethood does not mean there will be no prophet after Prophet Mohammad,
a prophet can come after Prophet Mohammad but he will follow the Sharia of Prophet Mohammad.
What could that possibly mean?
If a new prophet is going to follow the already existing Sharia then what is the need for a new prophet?
What is the use of a new prophet when he is going to come and follow the existing Sharia?
What [knowledge] is he going to bring?
This is the result of a disturbed mentality.
This is not Sufism.
These are the people who did not obtain a spiritual connection.
They appoint ranks to themselves by reading books. They are, simply put, bookworms.
The reason why I give such in-depth explanations of these matters is to make you aware.
Just look at the Sunni scholars. Has a Sunni scholar ever told you what I am telling you in this regard?
[If you believe Ibn Arabi is a Sufi] then what will you say when a Qadiani says that Ibn Arabi supported their beliefs?