2.4.3.19 - Inheriting the Prophets

Therefore, before proceeding to mention the other shaykhs with whom Shaykh Muhyiddin Ibn al-Arabi interacted, it may be feasible to clarify some of the above concepts, such as the inheritance of the prophets and the hierarchy of the saints, such as the Iole, the Imams, the Pillars, the Substitutes, etc.

The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says that the knowledgeable are the heirs of the prophets [Kanz: 28765]. Accordingly, Shaykh Muhyiddin explains that some of them inherit Muhammad, some inherit Jesus, and some inherit Moses or other prophets. However, since Islamic Law brought by Muhammad, peace be upon him, superseded the religious laws that had preceded him, and it included all of them, yet it was also distinguished with other specific aspects, then if some knowing saint inherited some of the special aspects characteristic of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, this means that he is a Mohammedan heir; whereas if he inherits something in common with any previous law, he is the heir of the prophet who is specific to this particular law. Nevertheless, Shaykh Muhyiddin Ibn al-Arabi explains that all inheritance is in fact from the Mohammedan knowledge, saying:

Then you should know, O honorable guardian, that if you inherited the knowledge of Moses or Jesus or anyone of the other men between them, then you have actually inherited the Mohammedan knowledge by which you have matched that Prophet, because the message of Muhammad, who was honored with the highest state, and to him are due all the consequences of praise, because he is the possessor of the Collective Words described by those names. Adam obtained the names, while Muhammad obtained the names and the named, and undoubtedly the one possessing both has the supreme state and the highest veil of pride.

[Futuhat: IV.398].

Then in chapter 36 of the Meccan Revelations, speaking on the knowledge of Issawi’s (those belonging to Jesus, peace be upon him) and their poles and their origins, he says:

When the law of Muhammad peace be upon him included all the preceding laws, and thus their rules were superseded by what had been decided in the Muhammadan Law, under which we are worshiping, by virtue of the fact that Muhammad peace be upon him decided them, and not that the other prophet in his time had decided. This is why the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was given the Collective Words. Therefore, if some committed Muhammadan works - and all committed creations in the world today, whether of mankind or jinn, are Muhammadan, because there is no divine law in the world today other than this Mohammedan law - then the results of this work of this person of this (Muhammadan) nation (in this general sense), those results that will open in his heart, or that he achieve in his way, may either coincide with the way of some Prophet of the preceding prophets, whose laws are now included in this (comprehensive Muhammadan) law and was decided by it, then if it was opened for him in that thus he belongs to the holder of that law. Then it is said that he is: Issawi, Mousawi or Ibrahimi, in order to recognize what distinguishes him from the kinds of knowledge and what appeared to him from among what is under the shadow of the law of Muhammad peace be upon him. Thus he is characterized by this aspect, or this reference, for others to know that what he has inherited from Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is what those prophets, such as Moses or others, would have if they were alive, and he followed them, then he would have inherited that from them.

Because their laws had preceded before this law, we described this knowing as inheritor, since inheritance proceeds from the first to the latter, otherwise if that law had not been decided by the respective prophet before, and that it had also later been decided by Muhammad, peace be upon him, then we would equate between all the prophets and messengers, since we have now been gathered in the time of the law of Muhammad, peace be upon him, just as they equate us today, for example: Elias, al-Khader and even Jesus when he shall descend (before the Day of Resurrection), because they are ruled by the time being and there is no prophecy of legislation after Muhammad peace be upon him.

[Futuhat: I.222].

Then in chapter 45 he explains the mechanism of this inheritance, where he says that when the men connects with the realities of the prophets and their subtleties, when they reach to that, a door will open to them from the of the subtleties of the prophets, according to their works at the time of opening, so some of them will be manifested to them through the reality of Moses, peace be upon him, thus he will have a Mousawi scene, and to some will manifest the subtlety of Jesus, so he will be Issawi, and so on for all the other prophets, thus they will be ascribed to the Prophet according to this heredity, but all in terms of the law of Muhammad peace be upon him, decided from the law of that Prophet who manifested to them [Futuhat: I.253].

Also, Shaykh Muhyiddin says that the saints may move from inheriting one prophet to another, until they reach the full Muhammadan inheritance. He says in Chapter 622 that the Muhammadan poles are the ones who inherited Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in the laws and states specific to him, which were not present in the preceding laws nor had been achieved by any preceding prophet [Futuhat: II.133].