By Dr Seyed Salman Safavi and Sayyed Sadr al-Din Safavi
Abstract
This article examines the character of Prophet Yūsuf (peace be upon him) from the perspective of Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī in his work Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam (The Bezels of Wisdom), specifically the chapter titled Faṣṣ ḥikma nūriyya fī kalima Yūsufiyya (The Chapter of Luminous Wisdom in the Word of Yūsuf). Ibn ʿArabī explores two dimensions of Yūsuf: “Yūsuf as an individual” (Yūsuf shakhsiyya) and “Yūsuf as a universal archetype” (Yūsuf naw’iyya).
Among the most prominent ideas Ibn ʿArabī presents in this chapter are:
- Dreams: Yūsuf symbolises the perfect human who perceives and interprets truths in dreams. True dreams represent the expansion of Divine light into the realm of imagination (ʿālam al-khayāl) and are the first stage of revelation. They are not illusions but symbolic forms of higher truths.
- Beauty: Yūsuf embodies Divine beauty. Ibn ʿArabī posits that Yūsuf’s beauty is a mirror reflecting the transcendent beauty of Divine reality.
- Chastity and Manifestation: Yūsuf’s chastity stems from his awareness of his luminous origin and his refusal to be deceived by appearances, highlighting the distinction between form and essence.
- Luminous Insight: The wisdom of light arises from inner vision (basira), and Yūsuf personifies this light, enabling him to interpret the luminous symbols of existence.
- Imagination as a Mediator: Imagination (khayāl) is an intermediary realm between the unseen (ghayb) and the manifest (shahāda). Prophets possess the ability to interpret it.
- Existence as the “Shadow of the Real”: The entire world is a shadow of God (Ẓill al-Ḥaqq), a manifestation of Him, and cannot exist independently of Him.
- The Real and Creation: Creation is a mirror in which Divine truth appears. Every phenomenon in the imaginary world is a manifestation of God’s existence.
- Self-Knowledge and Knowledge of God: One who recognises themselves as a shadow of the Real knows their Lord. The mystic understands that God is the true agent, and all else are mere manifestations.
- Divine Names and the World: The world is shaped by the manifestations of God’s names (Asmāʾ Allāh al-Ḥusnā), and everything perceived reflects one of these names.
Ibn ʿArabī’s “Faṣṣ ḥikma nūriyya fī kalima Yūsufiyya” offers a Sufi meditation on Prophet Yūsuf as the model of the perfect human in whom Divine wisdom is manifest. Yūsuf represents the embodiment of beauty, truthful dreams, inner revelation, and purity, making him a transparent mirror reflecting the light of Divine truth. The luminous wisdom of Yūsuf lies in recognizing the world as an imaginary image in which the Real is revealed, and the perfect human can ascend from form to truth through the light of revelation.
Keywords: Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam, Ibn ʿArabī, Faṣṣ Ḥikma Nūriyya, Illuminated Wisdom (Ḥikma Nūriyya), Joseph (Yūsuf), Dream (Ruʾyā), Imaginal (Khayāl).
Introduction
Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʿArabī (d. 638 AH) presents a profound, symbolic analysis of Prophet Yūsuf (PBUH) in Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam, specifically in the chapter “Faṣṣ ḥikma nūriyya fī kalima Yūsufiyya” (Chapter 9). This Qur’an-inspired reflection is rich with esoteric meanings, embodying the Divine wisdom of prophets from a Sufi perspective. Ibn ʿArabī distinguishes between “Yūsuf as an individual” (the historical prophet) and “Yūsuf as a universal archetype,” with the latter being his primary focus. He opens the chapter with: “This luminous wisdom is the expansion of its light upon the presence of imagination, which is the first stage of Divine revelation for those under God’s care.” (Ibn ʿArabī, Vol. 1, 1356 AH, p. 99).
Key Themes in “Fass Hikmat Nuriyya fi Kalimat Yusufiyya”
- The Title’s Meaning:
Faṣṣ: A gemstone or bezel, symbolizing the essence of wisdom.
Ḥikma Nūriyya (Luminous Wisdom): ‘Luminous Wisdom’ refers to a specific type of wisdom related to light, luminosity and Divine unveiling. Light here is not physical, rather it is a symbol of spiritual unveiling and esoteric luminosity which results in the individual who possesses this light to see the realities beyond the formal and exoteric veils.
kalima Yūsufiyya (The word of Yūsuf): The “word” here renders ‘truth’, representing the truth of Prophet Yūsuf (PBUH) as the symbol of luminous wisdom.
Thus, this chapter deals with the manifestation of the Divine light (Luminous Wisdom) through the reality of Yūsuf (PBUH). Yūsuf was not only outwardly but also in his inner vision and comprehension was the symbol of the light of understanding and Divine knowledge.
1. Yūsuf in Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam:
a) Yūsuf: The Historical or Personal Figure:
- He is the Prophet Yūsuf (upon him be peace), recognised in the Qur’an as a Divine prophet who lived through concrete historical events. Key aspects of his life include insight, tribulation, imprisonment, kingship, and chastity.
- However, Ibn ʿArabī does not limit himself to this historical phenomenon; rather, he sees it as a mirror reflecting the manifestation of Divine light.
b) Yūsuf as a universal archetype(Yūsuf al-nawʿī):
- “Archetypal Yūsuf” refers to a spiritual state or station that Yūsuf embodies: complete outward and inward beauty, true insight, and being chosen by God.
- Here, Yūsuf becomes a symbol of human perfection, reflecting Divine truth.
2. The Most Prominent Themes of Ibn ʿArabī in This Chapter:
a) Dreams:
- Yūsuf symbolises the perfect human (al-insān al-kāmil), who perceives and interprets truths in dreams. Thus, the faṣṣ (chapter) begins with a meditation on dreams.
- This perspective connects dreams and visions to the hierarchies of existence: visions are like luminous images descending upon the heart of a prophet or mystic. Ibn ʿArabī holds that a true dream (such as the one Yūsuf had) represents the expansion of Divine light into the world of imagination (ʿālam al-khayāl), the first stage of revelation.
- Dreams are not illusions but imaginal forms (ṣuwar mithāliyya) of true meanings that God conveys to prophets or mystics.
b) Beauty (Jamāl):
- Yūsuf was a manifestation of Divine beauty, which is why women were astonished by his beauty.
- The veiled one sees beauty and clings to the formal image.
- The mystic sees beauty and ascends through it toward the One manifested within it—God.
- Thus, Yūsuf’s chastity was not merely ethical but also epistemological, for he realised:
◦ “Beauty is not the goal in itself but a path to God.” - Ibn ʿArabī goes further, arguing that Yūsuf’s beauty was not merely human beauty but a mirror reflecting the beauty of the transcendent and sacred Truth (al-Ḥaqq).
c) Chastity (‘Iffa) and Manifestation (Tajallī):
- When Yūsuf rejected the wife of ‘Azīz, he was not rejecting beauty itself, but rather recognising its luminous origin and refusing to be deceived by outward appearances.
- This highlights the discernment of the people of inner truth (ahl al-bāṭin) between form (ṣūra) and reality (ḥaqīqa).
d) Luminous Unveiling (Kashf-i Nūrī):
- “Luminous Wisdom” (Ḥikma Nūriyya) is a form of knowledge arising from the light of inner vision (baṣīrat al-qalb), not from sensory perception—and Yūsuf embodies this light.
- Thus, Yūsuf was known as an interpreter of dreams because he could read the luminous symbols of existence.
e) Imagination (Khayāl) as an Intermediary Between the Unseen (Ghayb) and the Manifest (Shahāda):
- Imagination is an intermediary realm between the sensible (maḥsūsāt) and the intelligible (ma‘qūlāt). The prophets possess the ability of ta’wīl—that is, translating the imaginal into true meaning.
- Example: Yūsuf saw the planets, the sun, and the moon prostrating to him, which symbolised his brothers and parents, but the true meaning lay in the inner dimension of the vision.
f) Existence as “The Shadow of the Real” (Ẓill al-Ḥaqq):
- Ibn ‘Arabī holds that the entire world is the shadow of God—meaning it is His manifestation, not something independent of Him.
- Just as a shadow can only exist through the presence of that which casts it, all existence can also only be realised through God.
g) The Real (al-Ḥaqq) and Creation (al-Khalq): The Relationship of Light to Imagination:
- Everything in the imaginal world (ʿālam al-khayāl) exists within imagination, meaning it has no independent or intrinsic existence but is rather a manifestation of the existence of the Most High (al-Ḥaqq Ta‘ālā).
- Thus, creation is a mirror in which truth appears, and the degrees of this luminous manifestation vary according to the clarity of the mirror (whether it be that of a mystic or a prophet).
h) Knowing the Self and Knowing God:
- Whoever knows themselves as a shadow of the Real knows their Lord.
- The difference between the mystic (‘ārif) and the ignorant (jāhil) is that the mystic recognises the Most High as the true agent in all things, while everything else is merely images and manifestations.
i) The Divine Names and the World:
- The world is formed and diversified through the manifestations of the Divine Names, and everything that is seen is a manifestation of one of these Names.
y) “Luminous Wisdom” (Ḥikma Nūriyya):
- “Ḥikma Nūriyya” (Luminous Wisdom): A distinct form of wisdom whose origin is Divine light—that is, revelation (waḥy), Divine inspiration (ilhām), and inner intuition (dhawq).
- In this context (Yūsufī), this wisdom is manifested through the Prophet Yūsuf (PBUH).
- “The diffusion of its light upon the presence of the imaginal (khayāl)”: According to Ibn ʿArabī, “khayāl” is not mere fantasy (wahmī) but rather a level of existence situated between the senses and the intellect, also referred to as the “world of similitude” (ʿālam al-mithāl).
- The key point is that the light of this Divine wisdom first appears in the presence of the imaginal, that is, in visible forms (such as dreams and visions), where spiritual meanings take shape as tangible images.
- “This is the first principle of Divine revelation to those endowed with Divine favour and vigilance”: That is, the inception of revelation for a prophet (or saint) often occurs through a true vision/dream (ruʾyā) in the imaginal realm, which is the first stage of connection with the unseen world (ʿālam al-ghayb).
- “Those endowed with Divine favour and vigilance” (ahl-i ʿināyat wa murāqaba) are those whom God has chosen and marked for special grace and guidance, such as prophets and mystics. The distinction is that prophets receive revelation (waḥy), whereas mystics receive Divine inspiration (ilhām-i rabbānī).
- This illuminated wisdom (Ḥikma Nūriyya), stemming from Divine light, first manifests in the imaginal realm, where unseen realities appear in sensory forms (such as dreams). This is the initial form of Divine revelation granted to prophets and the elect.
Conclusion
Ibn ʿArabī’s “Faṣṣ Ḥikma Nūriyya fī Kalima Yūsufiyya” (“The Chapter of Luminous Wisdom in the Word of Yūsuf”) is a Sufi meditation on the figure of Yūsuf as the archetype of the Perfect Human (al-insān al-kāmil), in whom Divine wisdom of light (ḥikma nūriyya) is manifest.
Yūsuf embodies the manifestation of beauty, truthful dreams (ruʾyā ṣādiqa), inner unveiling (mukāshafa), and chastity—qualities that render him a transparent mirror reflecting the light of Divine truth. It is for this reason that he is deemed worthy of the title “Luminous Wisdom” (Ḥikma Nūriyya).
The essence of Yūsufian luminous wisdom (ḥikma nūriyya yūsufiyya) lies in the realisation that the world is nothing but an imaginal form (ṣūra khayāliyya) within which Divine reality (al-ḥaqq) is disclosed. The Perfect Human (such as Joseph) traverses from outward form (ṣūra) to inner truth (ḥaqīqa) through the light of revelation (nūr al-waḥy). Light (nūr) signifies inner illumination; the imaginal (khayāl) serves as the mediating realm; all existence apart from Allāh (mā siwā Allāh) is but a shadow of the Divine (ẓill Allāh), incapable of subsisting without Him. Truthful dreams are none other than revelation (waḥy) or Divine inspiration (ilhām) expressed in the language of the imaginal.
*(Cf. Kāshānī, ʿAbd al-Razzāq (1370 SH). Sharḥ Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam. Qom: Intishārāt-i Bīdār. pp. 133–149.)*
References
Ibn ʿArabī, Muḥyī al-Dīn (1356 AH). Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam. Taʿlīqāt Abū al-ʿAlā ʿAfīfī. Cairo: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Kutub al-ʿArabiyya. Nuskhat Maktabahāna-yi Madrasa-yi Fiqāhat.
Kāshānī, ʿAbd al-Razzāq (1370 SH). Sharḥ Fuṣūṣ al-ḥikam. Qom: Intishārāt-i Bīdār.