Sophia Perennis

Sophia Perennis

Comparative Morphology of Divine Manifestation: Structural Analysis of Ibn Arabi's "Tree of the Universe" and the Qabalistic "Tree of Life"

Document Type : Original Article

Author
استادیار گروه ادیان و عرفان، دانشکده الهیات و ادیان، دانشگاه شهید بهشتی
10.22034/iw.2026.556311.1857
Abstract
The issue of ontology and explanation of the structure of manifestation in the two mystical traditions of Islam and Kabbalah is one of the most fundamental axes of mystical thought; however, the “tree” as a symbolic model of the perception of existence has not yet found its systematic place in comparative readings, and its relations between Ibn Arabi’s Shajar al-Kun and the Sefirot of the Zohar have not been properly analyzed.

The present study, with a structural comparative hermeneutics approach, analyzes for the first time the conceptual network of “Sprouter”, “Muhammadian Truth” and “Ainsuf” in order to reconstruct the logic of the flow of existence and the relationship between the part and the whole in the two mystical trees. The research method is based on a comparative reading of the structure of manifestation as a model of the birth of existence from unity.

The findings show that although both systems consider existence as a living and unified whole, the difference in the organization of the Faizan, the position of man, and the orientation of manifestation creates two distinct logics of “existential monotheism.” Accordingly, Ibn Arabi’s tree and the Zohar tree are two complementary forms of “the birth of existence from unity” and two different languages ​​for expressing a single relation: one on the horizon of the descent of truth, the other on the horizon of the ascension of man.

The main achievement of the research is the presentation of a new model for understanding the tree of existence as the common language of Abrahamic mysticism; a model that can be a new theoretical basis for interreligious dialogue and a philosophical reinterpretation of the concept of manifestation in monotheistic traditions.

The issue of ontology and explanation of the structure of manifestation in the two mystical traditions of Islam and Kabbalah is one of the most fundamental axes of mystical thought; however, the “tree” as a symbolic model of the perception of existence has not yet found its systematic place in comparative readings, and its relations between Ibn Arabi’s Shajar al-Kun and the Sefirot of the Zohar have not been properly analyzed.

The present study, with a structural comparative hermeneutics approach, analyzes for the first time the conceptual network of “Sprouter”, “Muhammadian Truth” and “Ainsuf” in order to reconstruct the logic of the flow of existence and the relationship between the part and the whole in the two mystical trees. The research method is based on a comparative reading of the structure of manifestation as a model of the birth of existence from unity.

The findings show that although both systems consider existence as a living and unified whole, the difference in the organization of the Faizan, the position of man, and the orientation of manifestation creates two distinct logics of “existential monotheism.” Accordingly, Ibn Arabi’s tree and the Zohar tree are two complementary forms of “the birth of existence from unity” and two different languages ​​for expressing a single relation: one on the horizon of the descent of truth, the other on the horizon of the ascension of man.

The main achievement of the research is the presentation of a new model for understanding the tree of existence as the common language of Abrahamic mysticism; a model that can be a new theoretical basis for interreligious dialogue and a philosophical reinterpretation of the concept of manifestation in monotheistic traditions.

The issue of ontology and explanation of the structure of manifestation in the two mystical traditions of Islam and Kabbalah is one of the most fundamental axes of mystical thought; however, the “tree” as a symbolic model of the perception of existence has not yet found its systematic place in comparative readings, and its relations between Ibn Arabi’s Shajar al-Kun and the Sefirot of the Zohar have not been properly analyzed.

The present study, with a structural comparative hermeneutics approach, analyzes for the first time the conceptual network of “Sprouter”, “Muhammadian Truth” and “Ainsuf” in order to reconstruct the logic of the flow of existence and the relationship between the part and the whole in the two mystical trees. The research method is based on a comparative reading of the structure of manifestation as a model of the birth of existence from unity.

The findings show that although both systems consider existence as a living and unified whole, the difference in the organization of the Faizan, the position of man, and the orientation of manifestation creates two distinct logics of “existential monotheism.” Accordingly, Ibn Arabi’s tree and the Zohar tree are two complementary forms of “the birth of existence from unity” and two different languages ​​for expressing a single relation: one on the horizon of the descent of truth,
Keywords
Subjects

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