Ibn Arabi · Chapter 9 of 10

The 27 Wisdoms

فُصُوصُ الْحِكَمِ

Twenty-seven gems, each holding one wisdom.

The one idea

فصوص الحكم Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam, The Bezels (or Ringstones) of Wisdom, is short: twenty-seven chapters. Each is a setting, like the bezel of a ring, holding one wisdom in the “word” of one prophet, from Ādam to Muḥammad.

He says it was handed to him whole in a dream, to pass on with nothing added and nothing taken away. It is his most read book, and his most argued over.

Chapter 9 of 10The 27 wisdoms

9

The gem ring, opening

Each of the 27 gems is one chapter of The Bezels of Wisdom, and tapping one opens that prophet’s special wisdom.

A ring of jewels around a gilded oval with the Arabic word for wisdom, one bezel opening like a flower and sending a beam to the centre

Tap a gem to open its wisdom.

A ring of jewels lights up gem by gem; one golden setting opens like a flower and sends a beam of light that fills the empty oval at the centre with a warm glow, then fades to black.

Why it’s interesting

Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and others each show a different side of the one truth.

The hard part

Some chapters say surprising things that people still argue about.

Common misconception

That he ranks the prophets. He shows each as a different color of the same light.

Why it matters

It’s the clearest place to see all his big ideas working together.

From the Scholar’s notes4 passages · Arabic, with where to find it

Given whole in a dream, nothing added or removed

كما حده لي رسول الله … من غير زيادة ولا نقصان

Fus. 47His own words

Prophecy ends; sainthood never ends

فإن الرسالة والنبوة … تنقطعان، والولاية لا تنقطع أبدا

Fus. 62 (Seth)His own words

Heart wider than mercy

فإنه وسع الحق جل جلاله ورحمته لا تسعه

Fus. 119 (Shuʿayb)His own words

The knot of belief loosens when the veil lifts

فإن بعض العباد يجزم في اعتقاده أن الله كذا وكذا، فإذا انكشف الغطاء رأى صورة معتقده وهي حق فاعتقدها. وانحلت العقدة

Fus. 124 (Shuʿayb)His own words

Each line is a short gloss of the passage, not a translation. “His own words” means the Arabic is from Ibn Arabi’s own text at that place.

The roots of the words

Arabic builds words from three-letter roots. Tap a root to turn it.

ف ص صf-ṣ-ṣtap to turn
bezelf-ṣ-ṣ
ح ك مḥ-k-mtap to turn
wisdom, judgmentḥ-k-m
ك ل مk-l-mtap to turn
word (each prophet as a "word")k-l-m
ن ف ثn-f-thtap to turn
to breathe out (Seth)n-f-th
س ب حs-b-ḥtap to turn
glorify (Noah)s-b-ḥ
ف ت حf-t-ḥtap to turn
open (Ṣāliḥ)f-t-ḥ

Every wisdom ends where it began: in love.

Next · Chapter 10: The heart that takes every form →‹ Chapter 8: The Perfect Human · Course home

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