The theory of conceptual mixing and Ibn'Araby's mystical Reading of the story of Moses' staff

This essay contributes to the explanation of how the Qur’anic image ofatheism emerges in IbnʿArabi’s symbolic interpretation. In The Bezels ofWisdom (Fusus al-hikam), the transformation of Moses’ staff into theserpent is viewed as the transformation of the atheism and rebellion(ma’siya), into theism and obedience (ā’at). IbnʿArabī’s reading of thediscussed Qur’anic narrative, this essay suggests, achieves a particularimagination and creativity through Conceptual Blending, a theory proposedby Fauconnier and Turner. This essay follows a cognitive linguisticapproach, which would help understand how IbnʿArabi’s interpretationconnects the factual and religious elements in the blending as the only wayin which the complicated religious messagesand moral values emerge fromthe patterns related to accessible human experiences in the natural world.

The theory of conceptual mixing and Ibn'Araby's mystical Reading of the story of Moses' staff Keywords:

conceptual blending theory , cognitive semantics , Qurʾanic narrative , moral values , ibnʿArabī