Tanbih al-Ghabi bi-Tabri'at Ibn 'Arabi explained

Tanbih al-Ghabi bi-Tabri'at Ibn 'Arabi (Arabic: تنبيه الغبي بتبرئة ابن عربي|lit='''Warning to the Dolt/Fool Concerning Ibn 'Arabi's Vindication''') is a booklet written by the Shafi'i-Ash'ari scholar Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (d. 911/1505) as a response to the book (Arabic: تنبيه الغبي إلى تكفير ابن عربي|lit=Warning to the Dolt/Fool Concerning Ibn Arabi's Heresy/Apostasy) by (d. 885/1480) in which al-Suyuti defended Ibn 'Arabi (d. 637/1240) against his critics in general, and against accusations of heresy and unbelief by al-Biqa'i in particular.^{[1] [2] [3]} Al-Suyuti said:^[4]

Summary

In this book, al-Suyuti refuted the criticisms and accusations against Ibn 'Arabi, which, according to him, were caused due to misunderstandings and misinterpretations, or due to the distortion and alteration of Ibn 'Arabi's books and statements by the heretics and blasphemers. Al-Suyuti tried to demonstrate the veracity of the sainthood of Ibn 'Arabi and stated that, though Ibn 'Arabi was a great saint, but the reading of his writings should be forbidden to incompetent people and disciples ignorant of .^[3]

Al-Suyuti cites from Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani's list in (Tidings of the Abundance in the News of the Ages), the scholars who praised Ibn 'Arabi and/or considered him one of the righteous saints of God, such as the following:^[5]

• Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Sakandari (d. 709/1309).
• (d. 768/1367), a Shafi'i-Ash'ari scholar and Sufi from Yemen affiliated with the Qadiri order who wrote several works dedicated to bolstering and defending Sufism.
• 'Izz al-Din ibn 'Abd al-Salam (d. 660/1262), after his meeting with Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili (d. 656/1258), he understood the real meaning of Ibn 'Arabi's symbolic utterances, and asked God's pardon for his former opinion about Ibn 'Arabi and acknowledged him an Imam of Islam.
• (d. 773/1371), a Hanafi-Maturidi scholar, who is perhaps best known for his commentary on both al-'Aqida al-Tahawiyya and al-Hidaya.
• Najm al-Din al-Bahi (d. 802/1400), a Hanbali scholar who was highly praised and respected by Ibn Hajji and Siraj al-Din al-Bulqini, as al-Sakhawi mentioned in his (The Shining Light).^[6]
• Isma'il ibn Ibrahim al-Jabarti (d. 806/1403), a Sufi scholar of the Qadiri order from Yemen, who was the teacher of 'Abd al-Karim al-Jili (d. 826/1422).
• Majd al-Din al-Fayruzabadi (d. 817/1414-15), the author of who in his commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari often quotes Ibn 'Arabi's explanations.
• (d. 842/1439), a Maliki chief judge of Egypt, who had some arguments and disputes with the Hanafi-Maturidi scholar 'Ala' al-Din al-Bukhari regarding Ibn 'Arabi.
• Shams al-Din ibn Najm (d. 801/1399); and several other scholars.

Critical response

The Hanafi scholar Ibrahim al-Halabi (d. 956/1549) wrote a critical reply to al-Suyuti, entitled Tasfih al-Ghabi fi Tanzih Ibn 'Arabi (Arabic: تسفيه الغبي في تنزيه ابن عربي) against the latter's defense of Ibn 'Arabi.^[7]

See also

• Tanbih al-'Uqul 'ala Tanzih al-Sufiyya
• List of Sunni books
• Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society
• Sufi literature
• Sufi studies
• History of Sufism

External links

• Download PDF
• A Rare Manuscript of al-Suyuti's Tanbih al-Ghabi by the Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo (Japan)

Notes and References

1. Book: Roger Allen. D. S. Richards. Arabic Literature in the Post-Classical Period. Cambridge University Press. 2006. 9780521771603. 128.
2. Book: Azyumardi Azra. The Origins of Islamic Reformism in Southeast Asia. Brill. 2004. 9789004488199. 201.
3. Book: Antonella Ghersetti. Al-Suyuti, a Polymath of the Mamluk Period. Islamic History and Civilization. 138. Brill. 2016. 9789004334526. 11.
4. Book: Ibn Khafif. Gibril Fouad Haddad. Correct Islamic Doctrine/Islamic Doctrine. Islamic Supreme Council of America. 1999. 9781930409019. 6–7.
5. Web site: Imam Al-Suyuti: A Biography. Imam Ghazali Institute. imamghazali.org. https://archive.today/20230921003411/https://www.imamghazali.org/resources/suyuti-biography. 21 Sep 2023.
6. Book: الضوء اللامع لأهل القرن التاسع. The Bright Light Cast on the People of the Ninth/Fifteenth Century. Shams al-Din al-Sakhawi. Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah. Google Books. Arabic. 9. 2003. 197–198. 9782745137135. وقال ابن حجي: كان أفضل الحنابلة بالديار المصرية، وأحقهم بولاية القضاء. قلت: وقد قرأ على البلقيني تصنيفه محاسن الاصطلاح وغيره ممن كتبه النجم بخطه، ووصفه البلقيني بالشيخ العالم المُحقق، مُفتي المسلمين، جمال المدرّسين..
7. Book: Philip K. Hitti. Descriptive Catalogue of the Garrett Collection: (Persian, Turkish, Indic). Princeton Legacy Library. 2139. Princeton University Press. 2015. 9781400877157. 598.