What is Negative Theology? Lessons from the Encounter of Two Sufis
This article introduces the debate of two Andalusian Sufis to address a major theoretical difficulty regarding the concept of “negative theology.” It analyzes the encounter of Ibn ʿArabī with a Muʿtazilite Sufi master, al-Qabrafīqī, at the end of the twelfth century in Seville, and delineates the ri...
| Published in: | Journal of the American Academy of Religion |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2018]
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| In: |
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
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| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Sufism
/ Negative theology
B Ibn-al-ʿArabī 1165-1240 / Ibn-Ǧunaid al-Qabrafīqī, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Ǧabr ca. 12. Jh. |
| RelBib Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism BJ Islam |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This article introduces the debate of two Andalusian Sufis to address a major theoretical difficulty regarding the concept of “negative theology.” It analyzes the encounter of Ibn ʿArabī with a Muʿtazilite Sufi master, al-Qabrafīqī, at the end of the twelfth century in Seville, and delineates the rich intellectual atmosphere of their debate on human ability to emulate divine attributes, which is the very definition of Sufism for Ibn ʿArabī, but impossible and forbidden for al-Qabrafīqī. Careful contextualization not only questions the apparent negative theology of al-Qabrafīqī, but also demonstrates that the trendy term “negative theology” cannot distinguish between the varieties of questions that these scholars asked about the nature of God. Ibn ʿArabī’s encounter with al-Qabrafīqī illuminates the medieval Islamic theological context, and shows that “negative theology,” if a specific theological problem is not well-defined, is a generic concept with limited, if any, explanatory power. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4585 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American Academy of Religion, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfx025 |