2.4.3.8 - More Qualities of Shaykh al-Ureybi

Ibn al-Arabi adds that although this shaykh was an illiterate countryman, unable to write or use figures, one had only to hear his expositions on the doctrine of Unity to appreciate his spiritual standing. By means of his power of Concentration (or Intention) he was able to control men’s thoughts, and by his words he could overcome the obstacles of existence.

He was always to be found in a state of ritual purity, always facing the Kaaba and continuously invoking God’s Names.

The Shaykh was much given to meditation and in his spiritual states generally experienced great joy and hope.

Then in al-Durrah al-Fakhirah, Shaykh Muhyiddin explains that Al-Ureybi was well known for his being engaged in Invocation whether he was awake or asleep: I myself would often watch his tongue moving in Invocation while he was sleeping.

In this same treatise, Ibn al-Arabi adds: One day when I was with him he asked for something to drink. One of his female disciples got up and brought him a jug in a copper stand with a lid of copper. When he saw it he said: I have no wish to drink what lies between two unlucky things. I then brought him another jug. God made of everything his senses conveyed to him a means of teaching him some wisdom.