Muḥyiddin ibn Arabi (1165–1240 AD, 560–638 AH), also known as al-Shaykh al-Akbar (the Great Shaykh), was a Muslim mystic and philosopher of Andalusian origin. He was born in Murcia but his family later moved to Seville. Ibn Arabi’s life was divided almost equally between West and East. After traveling extensively in North Africa, he embarked on a spiritual journey from his native Spain. He arrived in Mecca in 1202, where he spent three years. He then spent years traveling in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, and Turkey. He died in Damascus. His major work on Sufism, Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya (The Meccan revelations) is an extensive encyclopedia comprising 560 chapters. The main subjects covered include metaphysics, cosmology, spiritual anthropology, the relationship of science and religion, psychology, the spiritual interpretation of Islamic rituals, and jurisprudence.
