Evolution in Approaches to Spiritual Interpretation of Ibn Arabi

Interpreting the verses of the Quran, which had already begun while the Prophet was still living, received attention in the time of the Companions and further developed and expanded at the time of Tabein (i.e. close followers)? With the inflow of new intellectual views to the developing Islamic culture, different perspectives and approaches to the interpretation of the Quran were developed. Among these was the mystic approach. The mystic approach enjoys a distinguished position since the interpretations of verses within this approach not only closely correspond with the Quran and Sunnat (i.e. the Prophet’s way), but also contain a variety of subtle and clever observations.
A descriptive-analytical approach was adopted in this study to review the mystic approaches after Ibn Arabi and how they have evolved, and also to explore the extent and type of influence caused by Ibn Arabi on mystical interpretations of the Quran. The findings of the study suggest that mystical approaches to the interpretation of the Quran were largely based on piety and Shariat (i.e. strict religious conventions) up until the seventh century (in Hijra lunar calendar), after which more interpretive approaches have received attention under the influence of Ibn Arabi’s views and his work.