This article presents a comparative reading of two 10th-century Islamicate lettrist works: Kitāb Khawāṣṣ al-ḥurūf by Ibn Masarra and a commentary on the Sefer Yetsirah by Saʿadia Gaon. Close analysis of both treatises emphasizes that philosophy coexists with other ways of knowing in lettrist theories. While some lettrist authors overtly employ a philosophical structure, this paper argues that...
Abstract The following article aims at highlighting the mythic elements inherent in Muḥyī l-Dīn Ibn al-ʿArabī’s teachings on the Divine names. The article begins with a very general introduction to the subject of Divine names in Islamic mysticism and then proceeds to clarify the meaning of the term “mythic” as it is used in this study. The core of the article is devoted to an examination of...