Ibn ʿArabī’s Use of Quranic Verses to Explain "Allāh is the Only Existent Being"

(Wahdat al-Wujūd – Unity of Being)Ibn ʿArabī (d. 1240 CE), the great Sufi mystic and philosopher, taught that only Allāh truly exists (wujūd mutlaq), while creation has no independent existence — it is a manifestation (tajallī) of the Divine Names and Attributes. Everything other than Allāh is "non-existent in itself" (maʿdūm fī nafsihi), but exists through Him.He frequently cited specific Quranic verses in works like al-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya and Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam to substantiate this. Below are the key verses he used, with Arabic, translation (Sahih International), and Ibn ʿArabī’s interpretation:

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1. Quran 57:3 – "He is the First and the Last..."(The verse of absolute existence)Arabic:

هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ ۖ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٣﴾

Translation:

"He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing."

Ibn ʿArabī’s Explanation:

• "First" (al-Awwal) → Before all things, only Allāh existed.
• "Last" (al-Ākhir) → After all things cease, only Allāh remains.
• "Ascendant" (al-Ẓāhir) → All existence is His outward manifestation.
• "Intimate" (al-Bāṭin) → All is hidden in His essence.
• Conclusion: Nothing exists except through Him — the universe is His self-disclosure (tajallī).
  Source: Futūḥāt, Vol. 2, Ch. 73; Fuṣūṣ (Adam chapter)

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2. Quran 28:88 – "Everything will perish except His Face"(The verse of annihilation in divinity)Arabic:

كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ ۚ لَهُ الْحُكْمُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ ﴿٨٨﴾

Translation:

"Everything will be destroyed except His Face. To Him belongs the judgment, and to Him you will be returned."

Ibn ʿArabī’s Explanation:

• "Everything" = all contingent beings (mumkināt).
• "Will perish" (hālik) = they have no inherent existence — only borrowed (mustaʿār).
• "Except His Face" = only the Divine Essence (wujūd al-Ḥaqq) is real.
• Conclusion: Creation is "non-existent in itself" (maʿdūm bi-l-dhāt), existing only as a locus of Divine manifestation.
  Source: Futūḥāt, Vol. 1, Ch. 1; Fuṣūṣ (Moses chapter)

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3. Quran 55:26–27 – "All on earth will perish..."(The verse of transience)Arabic:

كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ ﴿٢٦﴾ وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ ﴿٢٧﴾

Translation:

"Everyone upon the earth will perish, and there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor."

Ibn ʿArabī’s Explanation:

• "Everyone upon it" = all created beings.
• "Will perish" (fānin) = their existence is ephemeral and illusory.
• "Face of your Lord" = the eternal reality (al-wujūd al-muṭlaq).
• Conclusion: The world is like a shadow — it appears to exist, but has no being of its own.
  Source: Futūḥāt, Vol. 3, Ch. 295

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4. Quran 20:8 – "There is no deity except Him..."(The verse of exclusive divinity)Arabic:

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ ﴿٨﴾

Translation:

"Allāh — there is no deity except Him. To Him belong the best names."

Ibn ʿArabī’s Explanation:

• "No deity except Him" = no true existence except His.
• The Beautiful Names (al-asmāʾ al-ḥusnā) are the archetypes through which creation appears.
• The world is not separate from Allāh — it is His Names in manifestation.
  Source: Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam (Introduction)

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5. Quran 2:115 – "To Allāh belong the east and the west..."(The verse of omnipresence)Arabic:

وَلِلَّهِ الْمَشْرِقُ وَالْمَغْرِبُ ۚ فَأَيْنَمَا تُوَلُّوا فَثَمَّ وَجْهُ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴿١١٥﴾

Translation:

"And to Allāh belongs the east and the west. So wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh is all-Encompassing and Knowing."

Ibn ʿArabī’s Explanation:

• "Wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allāh" → All existence is His presence.
• There is no "other" to turn to — everything is Him.
• This is the core of wahdat al-wujūd: the seeker finds only Allāh in all directions.
  Source: Futūḥāt, Vol. 2, Ch. 118

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Summary Table: Key Verses & Ibn ʿArabī’s Interpretation

Verse	Text (Summary)	Ibn ʿArabī’s Core Idea
57:3	He is First, Last, Manifest, Hidden	Only Allāh exists in all dimensions of being
28:88	Everything perishes except His Face	Creation has no independent existence
55:26–27	All on earth perish, His Face remains	The world is transient, Allāh is eternal
20:8	No god but Him, His are the Names	Creation = manifestation of Divine Names
2:115	Wherever you turn, there is His Face	All is Allāh — no separation

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Key Quotes from Ibn ʿArabī

"The universe is the shadow of the Absolute... It has no existence save in the Divine Presence."
— Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya

"He is the Real (al-Ḥaqq), and all else is perishing (fānī)."
— Fuṣūṣ al-Ḥikam

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Further Reading

• Online: Ibn ʿArabī Society – Articles on wahdat al-wujūd
• Books:
  • The Meccan Revelations (Futūḥāt) – Ch. 558 (on existence)
  • Bezels of Wisdom (Fuṣūṣ) – Chapter of Adam
  • William Chittick: The Sufi Path of Knowledge (best modern explanation)

If you'd like Arabic excerpts from Ibn ʿArabī’s texts or Shia/Sunni critiques of this view, let me know!