The Mystic View on the Possibility of Discussing the Divine Essence and the Criticism of its Opposing Theory (of ‘Allāmah Ṭabātabā’ī)

The main subject of this study is to examine the possibility of discussing the divine essence in Ibn ‘Arabī‘s school of mysticism. The author of this article intends to investigate the possibility of the relative discussion of the divine essence. However, opposing theories such as ‘Allāmah Ṭabātabā’ī’s stance in Al-Rasā’il al-tawḥīdiyya favor the absolute impossibility of talking about the divine essence. In this paper, we examine and criticize the opposing views discussed in Al-Rasā’il al-tawḥīdiyya. The method used in this article is quotation and analysis of the mystics’ opinions about his issue in line with a critical approach to the opposing views (as viewed by this author’s stance to the issue). The relative expressibility of the divine essence from the viewpoint of mysticism and the criticisms of the opponents’ thoughts are among the main findings of this study.

Keywords:

Essence , Non-conditional being as the source of division , Name , Expressibility