"The Equivalence" (Al-Taswiya) of Muhibb Allah Ilahabadi: Avicennan Neoplatonism and the School of Ibn 'Arabi in South Asia

The so-called Sufi "fight" of 17th century India between Ahmad Sirhindi and Ibn 'Arabi has been repeatedly portrayed in modern South Asian historiography as an epic clash of metaphysicians. Orientalists and reformers alike have cast Sirhindi as a revolutionary of"pure" Islam who tirelessly combated the heretical ideas of the Shaykh al-Akbar. Yet, the continuing preoccupation with Sirhindi as an opponent of Ibn 'Arabi has overshadowed other important Indian Sufis of the same period, particularly the Chishti Shaykh Muhibb Allah Ilahabadi, known in India as "the second Ibn 'Arabi." Despite being recognized as the most prolific Chishti author, Muhibb Allah's writings are virtually unknown to contemporary scholarship, and remain mostly in manuscript form. This monograph focuses on Muhibb Allah's most controversial and important treatise, "The Equivalence" (Al-Taswiya), which demonstrates an innovative integration of philosophical traditions within the larger context of Ibn 'Arabi's school in 17th century India post-Sirhindi. This historical and intellectual analysis will be useful to those interested in South Asian Islam, the metaphysical tradition of Ibn 'Arabi, and Sufism in general. The book includes a full translation as well as an edited version of the original Arabic.