Quest for the Red Sulphur: The Life of Ibn 'Arabi (Islamic Texts Society)

I find the content and quality excelletn.

One of my favorite books. Tends to be expensive, but well worth it.

Wonderful Book.Will be re-reading several times over. There is some much info to correlate with Ibn Arabi's previous works.

The author almost lost me in the preface by spending so many pages complaining about other biographers or authors and pointing out every...single...detail they did not agree with or like. It was tedious and unnecessary.Really a struggle to get through the text when the author used English words that needed to be defined by the author. If you have to define the language you're using, maybe tone it down a bit and simplify. Nothing would have been lost, it might have been helpful with all of the Arabic words readers may not know and have to rely on your translations of instead of both Arabic AND English.It was definitely an interesting read but as someone who doesn't know much about the religion or Sufism, had to do some research to gain a rudimentary understanding of the various pillars, stations and aspects to better appreciate the journey he went through. Not sure many average joes would go looking for a book about him but I'm glad I found this one and will go back and read it again now that I have a better understanding. Loved trying to pronounce the names, places and follow his journey by map while listening to classic Sufi and Mavlevi music. A moving, pragmatic man with an amazing life.

This is the most comprehensive biography in the English language. The detail of this book is realy remarkable. Not only does the author cover the life and teachings of ibn Arabi but also places him in his historical context.The book details the social and political climate of the time that ibn Arabi lived from where he grew up, his ancestors, his teachers, what he studied and who he studied with, the subjects taught at the time, the places he travelled and the Sheikhs that he met with.There is a comprehensive study of the teachings of ibn Arabi such as wahdat al-wajud and to some extent his influence on the later Islamic tradition.Well worth buying, probably the best you can find.

A clearly written and somewhat academic study of the Life of Ib'n Arabi well researched and accessible

I bought this book in high hopes of learning more about sufism and about Ibn 'Arabi. The cover art is fabulous, and the title quite provocative, with its alchemical implications (which would be highly relevant to this time period). Yet what the red sulphur means in this instance is not chemical at all, but a person of rare worth, which is what 'Arabi spent his life seeking, and also what he apparently became, at least to many students. Author Addas adds a few pages here and there of general historical background, mostly about Andalusia and Islamic Spain which had reached its pinnacle right around the lifetime of 'Arabi. But by far most of the book is the painful recounting of who 'Arabi met, who he might have met, or possibly not met, where he went, what month it may have been, what other scholars got wrong about the year or location of one of these speculations or facts, and other endless tedious detail. For scholars, this may be rich and fertile material; for the general reader it is not. And most unfortunately, in marked contrast to the nitpicking historiography, there is neither a properly critical attitude towards the endless grandiloquent claims 'Arabi made about talking with Jesus, to God, being the second coming of Muhammad, being one of the four pillars of Islam, taking night journeys to heaven and so forth and so on, nor does this book present a truly inspired rendition of 'Arabi's philosophy, as one might find in "The Garden of Truth: The Vision and Promise of Sufism, Islam's Mystical Tradition", by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, at least in its first few chapters. The Garden of Truth: The Vision and Promise of Sufism, Islam's Mystical Tradition

The book provides detailed information on Sheikh Muhyiddin 'Arabi but having read the book twice, I felt that the author overstates the Sheikh. In chapter 6 "Fez" Ascention Page 159 she clearly enlarges beyond bounds and states that "The Muhammadan Seal is not a prophet. From a certain point of view he is more than that, because in his own person he represents or embodies the totality of the sainthood of all the prophets."This sentence is certainly a big error in the simplest term where you may no doubt call it a heresy.She also criticizes Saint Imam Sha'rani with serious subjectivity.I would definitely prefer to read Sheikh's own books instead.

This is the most comprehensive biography in the English language. The detail of this book is realy remarkable. Not only does the author cover the life and teachings of ibn Arabi but also places him in his historical context.The book details the social and political climate of the time that ibn Arabi lived from where he grew up, his ancestors, his teachers, what he studied and who he studied with, the subjects taught at the time, the places he travelled and the Sheikhs that he met with.There is a comprehensive study of the teachings of ibn Arabi such as wahdat al-wajud and to some extent his influence on the later Islamic tradition.Well worth buying, probably the best you can find.

Gives a great insight into his life. Would highly recommend it

If you are a fool seeking treasure in a ruin then this is not the book for you. However, if you seek to understand ibn Arabi's ideas in the rigorous analysis of historical events and painstaking detail then this book will exceed your expectations.

It contains detailed account of historical, cultural background and explanation to understand the time of Ibn Araki. It is a good reading and and informative guide book for research about Ibn Arabi and the Sufism at this time. However I could not feel or find beauty I tend to find in books in Sufism and books written by Ibn Arabi. It's only my personal liking, but I would love Sufi books to be more poetic and to connect at the soul level, making me feel such nostalgia of returning to my root of identity.