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.
The Sufi theorist Ibn ‘Arabī’s concept of metaphysical perplexity (ḥayra) aligns with the entropic brain hypothesis from neuroscience. The ego, linked to the default mode network (DMN), corresponds to Ibn ‘Arabī’s notion of I-ness (anāniyya). In a secondary state of self-organized criticality (SOC), the ego imposes a reality-filter that creates a metaphysical veil (ḥijāb), blocking perception of the divine reality pervading existence. This veil lifts only in a primary state of criticality, where spiritual unveiling (kashf) reveals divine reality.
The most influential Sufi thinker in Islam, Ibn ʻArabī, views mystical experience and revelatory knowledge, called 'spiritual unveiling' (kashf), as a form of continuing divine revelation given to saints. As the self-proclaimed 'Seal of Saints', he derives legal rulings from mystical experience, not just from textual sources. He emphasizes the inner aspect of worship and extracts legal rulings from visions, such as determining that hands should be raised during formal prayer because the Prophet Muḥammad commanded him in a mystical vision. This reveals the epistemic status of mystical experience and its interplay with textual evidence in his thought.