The Meccan Revelations is one of the major works of Islamic spirituality. Ibn Arabi began composing it in Mecca in 598/1202 and completed its first recension in Damascus in Ṣafar 629, towards the end of 1231. He then revised the work between 632/1235 and Rabīʿ I 636, towards the end of 1238. This second authorial recension includes additions, omissions, and revisions. The distinction between these two recensions is essential when discussing the surviving manuscripts and later printed editions.32
Ibn Arabi dedicated the work to his Tunisian friend ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz al-Mahdawī and to his companion ʿAbd Allāh Badr al-Ḥabashī. Its origins in Mecca, its account of spiritual opening, and its long history of revision all belong to the introduction to the work.
Mohamed Haj Yousef. “Chapter Two: The Meccan Revelations.” In The Meccan Revelations: Analytical Introduction. Revised draft. Web version, 29 October 2026. Futmak. https://www.futmak.com/english/introduction/chapter-02/index.php
