The Twenty-Nine Pages

Author: Muhyi Din Ibn ‘Arabi/ A. E. Affifi
Publisher: Beshara Publications
Pages: 80
Printed: Great Britain
ISBN: 0-904975-207
Binding: Soft Cover
Book Condition: New
Weight: 150gr.
Description from the Publisher: Extracts from The Mystical Philosophy of Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi by A.E. Affifi.

Affifi’s work had four main sections. The first was devoted to what Ibn ‘Arabi said about Being and Reality, the second collated what he wrote about insani kamil (the Logos, the perfect human being). The third dealt with knowledge and varieties of mystical knowledge, and the fourth considered aspects of the path of return. The result was a rather formal overview, but one rich in quotations from Ibn ‘Arabi’s writings, and reflecting the breadth of his exposition.

The extracts presented here, as a continuous text, were first put together many years ago by Bulent Rauf, consultant to the Beshara Trust until his death in 1987. His intention was to provide a complete introductory guide to the language and thought of Ibn ‘Arabi, particularly those aspects of his doctrine which refer to the unity of being and the perfectability of man.

Long known simply as the ‘Twenty-Nine Pages’ from the format of its original printing, this text has been a foundation for study at the Chisholme Institute, where it has been read prior to Ibn ‘Arabi’s own more demanding works such as the Fusus al-Hikam. The rich content, incisiveness and extraordinary scope of the passages from Ibn ‘Arabi make it an invaluable reference for all students of mysticism and the spiritual life, whatever their background.