Functions of reason from the perspective of Ibn al-Arabi

Reason as a power of human powers has various functions that are perception and understanding, abstraction, generalization, analysis, decomposition, composition, definition, measurement and comparison, judgment and reasoning or inference. The mention of these functions is inductive and other things can be found and added to these. Ibn 'Arabi in al-Futuhat spoke spontaneously about the  functions of reason, and has specific explanations in this regard. The reason has the ability to perceive immaterial meanings, and perceives and accepts the intuitive learning because of the property of acceptance in him. The condition for the acquisition of reason to immaterial meanings is abstraction and freshening of meaning from matter and its accidents and this is done by imagination and with the help of reason. Also, the degradation of immaterial meanings from the world of intellect to world of imagination and sense requires the duplication and formulation of meanings in imagination. The sensory and imagination perception provides the necessary talent for the perception of meanings by reason. The meanings can not be created and invented. They are merely thought out and their main position is in the presence of meanings and the Divine knowledge. The truth of things is made up of meanings, and the emergence and degradation of them in every stage requires the adoption of the rules and effects of that stage. The sense perception of things is perception of meanings on sensible material forms, the imaginary apprehension is apprehension of meaning on imaginal forms, and intellectual apprehension is apprehension of meaning on intellectual forms. Most people do not have the power to abstract the meaning of their material and maximum use of meanings in the form of fantasy and imaginal forms is obscure.