The Divine Names: A Mystical Theology of the Names of God in the Qur?an

The Divine Names is a philosophical interpretation of the names of God by the North African scholar and Sufi poet ʿAfīf al-Dīn al-Tilimsānī, who synthesizes and compares the views of three influential earlier authors to demonstrate how the names overlap at every level of cosmic existence.

Format: Hardback
Length: 300 pages
Publication date: 03 October 2023
Publisher: New York University Press

The Divine Names, penned by the renowned North African scholar and Sufi poet ʿAfīf al-Dīn al-Tilimsānī during the seventh/thirteenth century, is a profound and philosophically intricate exploration of the names of God found in the Qurʾan. This work delves into the one hundred and forty-six divine names mentioned in the Qurʾan, including The All-Merciful, The Powerful, The First, and The Last. Al-Tilimsānī, in his treatment of each divine name, skillfully synthesizes and compares the perspectives of three influential earlier authors: al-Bayhaqī, al-Ghazālī, and Ibn Barrajān.

Al-Tilimsānī is known for his unique characterization of his two teachers, Ibn al-ʿArabī, as a "philosophizing mystic" and Ibn al-Qūnawī as a "mysticizing philosopher." He carries on their legacy by seamlessly merging mysticism and philosophy, seamlessly integrating the principles of Akbari Sufism with the technical language of Aristotelian, Neoplatonic, and Avicennan philosophy. Unlike Ibn al-ʿArabī, Al-Tilimsānī's primary objective is not to explore the names as correspondences between God and creation but rather to showcase how the names interweave and overlap at every level of cosmic existence.

Through The Divine Names, Al-Tilimsānī demonstrates the remarkable capacity of a broad spectrum of competing theological and philosophical interpretations to contain fragments of truth. This work serves as a testament to the multifaceted nature of religious discourse and the potential for unity and understanding across different belief systems. The Divine Names remains a cornerstone of Islamic philosophy and spirituality, offering a profound and thought-provoking exploration of the names of God and their profound implications for our understanding of the divine.

Weight: 1179g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479826124