Human dignity and divine chivalry: Rights, respect, and toleration according to Ibn 'Arabi

Abstract

Muslims have always viewed themselves as subscribing to a fundamentally tolerant religion, one in which all human beings are regarded as equal and "there is no compulsion in religion" as the Quran explicitly states. This is founded on a view of the inherent dignity of the human being as the khalifa of God, which has been most comprehensively expressed by the great Andalusian master Ibn 'Arabi (d. 1240). This chapter explores the way in which Ibn 'Arabi depicts the true place of the human being as created in the image of God, and the consequences this has for our understanding of rights and toleration: in particular, the meaning of chivalry toward all others, including the natural world, which is ultimately based on divine chivalrous generosity.