Necessary Existence and Necessary Mercy: Ibn ‘Arabī’s Reformulation of Ibn Sīnā’s Ontological Proof

The most influential philosopher in Islamic intellectual history, Ibn Sīnā, argued that only one being can be necessarily existent, and that all divine attributes in the Qur’an derive from this necessity. The mystic Ibn ‘Arabī reformulated this proof, proposing that God’s primary attribute is not existence but mercy—a necessary mercy that brings everything into existence, not mercy as forgiveness or favor. For Ibn ‘Arabī, all other divine attributes flow from this necessary mercy, mirroring how Ibn Sīnā derived attributes from necessary existence.

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Abstract

Abū ‘Alī ibn Sīnā (d. 428/1027) is regarded as the most influential philosopher in Islamic intellectual history. Of his numerous contributions, none has garnered more attention than his ontological proof for the existence of God, known as ‘the Demonstration of the Truthful’ (Burhān al-ṣiddiqīn). In this proof, Ibn Sīnā argues that only one being can be ‘necessarily existent’ (wājib al-wujūd). He goes on to say that all the attributes of God mentioned in the Qur’an are derived from this primary attribute of necessity. The influential mystic, Muḥyī al-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240), is clearly influenced by this proof, but he reformulates it to suggest that the primary attribute of God is mercy rather than existence. However, this is not the type of mercy that entails forgiveness or the bestowal of favors; rather, it is a necessary mercy that brings everything into existence. All of God’s other attributes flow from this primary one of necessary mercy in the same way as all of God’s attributes flow from His necessary existence for Ibn Sīnā.