Revelation Contrast

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Norsanina.blogspot.com
Excellent — let’s look at how Al-Ghazali and Ibn Arabi read these Qur’anic ideas differently, but both within Islam. I’ll connect each verse with their perspective:

🌙 1. Allah is al-Ḥaqq (The Truth) — Qur’an 22:62
“That is because Allah is the Truth (al-Ḥaqq)…”
Al-Ghazali:
Allah alone is the Necessary Being; everything else is contingent

Creation is real, but it borrows its existence every moment from Allah

Like a lamp — the bulb glows, but only because electricity sustains it


Ibn Arabi:
Allah is the only Real existence

Creation has no independent essence at all; it is Allah’s tajallī (self-disclosure)

Like shadows — they appear real, but they have no substance apart from the object casting them




🌙 2. Allah sustains all — Qur’an 35:41
“Allah holds the heavens and the earth so they do not cease…”
Al-Ghazali:
This shows Allah’s constant will keeps the universe in place

If Allah withdraws His sustaining power, the world ends instantly

For him, this is proof of dependence (faqir) of creation


Ibn Arabi:
The “holding” is not separate from Allah’s being — the very existence of creation is Allah’s continuous presence

He might say: the world is like breath — it only exists as long as it is being exhaled




🌙 3. Creation as signs — Qur’an 3:190
“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth… are signs (āyāt).”
Al-Ghazali:
Signs are meant to guide you to Allah, but they are not Allah Himself

You look at a star and say: “This proves the wisdom of the Creator.”
It is a path of evidence, pointing beyond itself


Ibn Arabi:
Signs are faces of Allah’s Names

The star doesn’t only point to Allah’s wisdom — it is Allah’s wisdom made visible in creation

You are looking at a “mirror” of the Divine Attribute



🌙 4. Allah as the only cause — Qur’an 8:17
“When you threw, it was not you who threw, but Allah threw.”
Al-Ghazali:
This proves that creatures are not real causes

Humans act, but Allah creates the effect. (This is his doctrine of occasionalism)

Example: Fire doesn’t burn cotton by itself — Allah creates the burning whenever fire touches cotton


Ibn Arabi:
Same verse, but with mystical coloring

He sees human action as Allah acting through the servant

Your hand is Allah’s tool — when you act, it is ultimately Allah manifesting His will through you






✅ So the difference in essence:
Al-Ghazali → Distinction preserved: Allah is the Creator, creation is dependent, signs point beyond themselves

Ibn Arabi → Unity emphasized: creation is a mirror of Allah’s essence, signs are His manifestations, nothing exists but Him

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