Title: "The equivalence" (Al-Taswiya) of Muhibb Allah Ilahabadi
Description: "The equivalence between giving and receiving (Al-Taswiya bayna al-Ifada wa-l-Qabul)" is an unpublished Arabic treatise written by Muhibb Allah Ilahabadi (d .1648), known in India as "the second Ibn Arabi." Although this text is one of the most controversial interpretations of Ibn Arabi's metaphysics written in India, it and its author are rarely mentioned in contemporary scholarship on Sufism. The author argues that The Equivalence evinces a deeply Avicennan neoplatonic idiom that is distinct from Ibn Arabis synthesis, which serves as its wider framework. The text thereby demonstrates an innovative integration of philosophical traditions within the larger context of Ibn Arabis school in seventeenth century India, showing that Muhibb Allah's unique philosophical synthesis is in conversation with his diverse intellectual milieu. The Equivalence reveals a dynamic philosophical discourse among intellectual communities of seventeenth century South Asia.
Subjects: Muslims, Islamic philosophy, Sufism
Places: South Asia