For centuries Ibn ‘Arabi has been considered the “Greatest Master” of Islamic spiritual teaching, but Western readers have only recently had access to his greatest writings. This introduction to Ibn ‘Arabi’s Meccan Illuminations highlights the mysticism and realization of Sufi spiritual life, providing an intellectually penetrating look without requiring specialized knowledge. The development of several key themes and modes of reflection in Ibn ‘Arabi’s spiritual teachings are explored as are the gradually unfolding meanings that distinguish this important classical text of Sufi practice.

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James Morris is the Sharjah chair of Islamic studies in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter in England. He has taught Islamic and comparative religious studies at Princeton, Temple, Oberlin, and the Institute of Ismaili Studies in Paris and in London.

"James Morris takes us to the spiritual core of the Islamic tradition, as we come to see the heart as the meeting ground between the Divine and that which is most human in all of us. Here the heart reveals itself as a dynamic transformative faculty, where the discovery of one's own true self is wed to the intimate knowing of God. Those who have yearned after a spiritually powerful introduction—indeed initiation—into Islam have to look no further."  —Omid Safi, Colgate University

"No one surpasses James Morris in his ability to make the most sublime and esoteric Subjects intelligible and practicable. Among the many gifts of this book is that it highlights for our own time the urgent need for spiritual discernment." —Kabir Helminski, Threshold Foundation

"James Morris presents the Master's explorations in such a way as to develop the reflective dimensions of our hearts. So rather than offer us a commentary, he gifts us with a presentation of Ibn 'Arabi's unique manner of eliciting our awareness of the reality of our self with the universe it mirrors. . . . We are offered ways of appropriating the scriptures given us in our respective traditions. . . .In short, Morris' presentation teaches us how to become apprentices to a spiritual master—in this case, Ibn 'Arabi', and exhibits for us the fruit we many expect from meditation on our own scriptures." —David B. Burrell, Notre Dame University