2.3.5 - His First Guide, Jesus peace be upon him

Therefore, although his opening was a result of attraction without long contemplation, the beginning of Shaykh Muhyiddin Ibn al-Arabi on the Way of Sufism was not an unexpected turn or change in his life as one might imagine based on some stories. This is because his pristine nature and inclinations were directed towards the poor people of God from the beginning of his childhood. He has a natural tendency towards asceticism before ho was fully organized in the Way of mysticism, from the beginning of his youth and perhaps before reaching the age of maturity, where he was enrolled in education under the guidance of the notable shaykhs of his time.

However, the great shaykh often pointed out in the Meccan Revelations how his repentance actually took place at the hands of Prophet Jesus, the son of Mary, peace be upon him and her, whom he first saw in a promising vision together with the other prophets, peace be upon them all, as we will discuss in more detail shortly. This is the meaning of his words when he says in the Futuhat: “The fact is that our return to God was through a vision, which is the most perfect cause in preaching ....” [Futuhat: II.491]. He also said in more detail in chapter 529, when he was talking about knowing the state of one Pole whose station was from the Quranic verse: ((And the good land - its vegetation emerges by permission of its Lord)) [Quran, 7:58], and it clear from this text that he is none other than the Greatest Shaykh himself:

You should know, may Allah support you by the Holy Spirit, that this commemoration was for us (i.e. for me) from God Almighty; when God Almighty called us, and we responded to His call us for a period of time, but then we had a relaxation, which is the period known in the Way of the people of God (as we noted above), and it is inevitable for everyone, and then it is either followed by a return to the first state of worship and diligence, as it is the case for the people of Divine Providence whom God Almighty took care of them, or that one will remain in this period and never return.

Thus, when we were under the control of the period of relaxation, we have seen the Real in a vision reading on us these verses: ((And it is He who sends the winds as good tidings before His mercy until, when they have carried heavy clouds, We drive them to a dead land, and We send down rain therein ... the Verse [7:57])), and then said: ((And the good land - its vegetation emerges by permission of its Lord [7:58])). I knew that I was meant by this verse, and said to myself: He is alerting us in what He read to us, according to the first reconciliation that God guided us by Jesus, Moses and Muhammad peace be upon all of them, because our return to this road was through a promising vision of Jesus, Moses and Muhammad peace be upon them (that we shall some to shortly). Thus His saying: ((before His mercy), is the initial care for us, ((when they have carried heavy clouds)), which is the overwhelming of success, ((We drive them to a dead land)), which is me, ((then We send down rain therein and bring forth thereby of all the fruits)) which are what appeared on us from the lights of acceptance and the good work that we adhered to, and then He said: ((Thus will We bring forth the dead; perhaps you may be reminded.)), referring to a hadith narrated after the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about the Resurrection, I mean resurrecting the bodies when Allah makes the sky rain like the semen of men ... the Hadith [Kanz: 38908]. Then He said: ((38908)), which is nothing but consent, hearing and obedience due to the purity of the place (i.e. the heart), ((but that which is bad)), who is the one who have been overcome by himself and his nature - yet he is being taken care of at the same time, ((nothing emerges thereof except sparsely and with difficulty.)), such as the saying (of the Prophet peace be upon him) that some people are led to Paradise by chains [Kanz: 10667, 34141], and the saying (of Allah the Almighty): ((And to Allah prostrates whoever is within the heavens and the earth, willingly or by compulsion, ...)) [Quran, 13:15], thus we said: willingly, O our God.

[Futuhat: IV.172].

Although he mentions here that he saw in this vision the prophets: Jesus, Moses and Muhammad, prayers and peace be upon them all, but Ibn al-Arabi had specified that his return was due to Jesus, thus his beginning station was “Issawi” like his Shaykh Abu al-Abbas al-Ureybi, although he moved later to the Muhammadan station, as we shall see below.