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FUTMAK · Primary-text excerpts

New knowledge in every breath

All annotated passages · Arabic source record · Open in the parallel reader

al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya · Cairo / Maymaniyya · volume 1, page 166 · chapter 19
Site passage ID: fm-p0005

Arabic source excerpt

اعلم أيدك الله أن كل حيوان وكل موصوف بإدراك فإنه في كل نفس في علم جديد من حيث ذلك الإدراك لكن الشخص المدرك قد لا يكون ممن يجعل باله أن ذلك علم فهذا هو في نفس الأمر علم

English translation draft

Know—may God support you—that every living creature and everything described as possessing perception is, in every breath, in new knowledge by virtue of that perception. Yet the perceiving person may not be someone who notices that this is knowledge. Nevertheless, in the matter itself, it is knowledge.

Terminology and context

  1. Nafas is “breath”; it is distinct from nafs, “self”. The supplied Arabic is unvocalised at this point, so the reading is made explicit.
  2. The qualification “by virtue of that perception” specifies the kind of new knowledge discussed.
  3. The passage separates undergoing perception from noticing it as knowledge. It does not supply a numerical physical update rate.

Cite this draft

Ibn al-Arabi, al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya, Cairo / Maymaniyya, 1:166, chapter 19. Futmak, “New knowledge in every breath”, editorial translation draft (AI-assisted), 2026-10-25, fm-p0005.

https://www.futmak.com/english/passages/?id=fm-p0005

The source reference belongs to the printed edition; the passage ID belongs to this website.