A vastly prolific writer, Ibn Arabi is generally known as the prime exponent of the idea that would later be termed ''[[Wahdat-ul-Wujood|wahdat al-wujud]]'' (وحدة الوجود, "unity of being"), though he has never used this term in any of his writings. His emphasis, as with any mystic, lay rather on the true potential of the human being and the path to realising that potential, which reaches its completion in the Perfect or Complete Man ([[al-insan al-kamil]]). Ibn Arabi wrote at least 300 works, ranging from minor treatises to the huge 37-volume Meccan Revelations ([[al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya]]) and the quintessence of his teachings, The Seals of Wisdom ([[Fusus al-hikam]]). Approximately 110 works are known to have survived in verifiable manuscripts, some 18 in Ibn Arabi’s own hand. He exerted an unparalleled influence, not only upon his immediate circle of friends and disciples, many of whom were considered spiritual masters in their own right, but also on succeeding generations, affecting the whole course of subsequent spiritual thought and practice in the Arabic, Turkish and Persian-speaking worlds. In recent years his writings have also become increasingly the subject of interest and study in the West, leading to the establishment of an international academic Society in his name.
Ibn Arabi’s life can be divided into three discrete phases: born in Medinat Mursiya the present day [[Murcia]] in south-eastern Spain in 560AH/[[1165]]AD, he spent the first thirty-five years of his life in the [[Maghreb]], the western lands of [[Islam]] which stretched from [[al-Andalus]] to [[Tunis]]; then he embarked on [[pilgrimage]] and spent the next three years in or around [[Mecca]], where a series of dramatic experiences initiated the writing of several works including his magnum opus, the Meccan Illuminations ; the final phase of his life was spent in the [[Levant]] and [[Anatolia]], where he raised a family, and in addition to an unceasing literary output and instruction given to numerous disciples, he became adviser to kings and rulers. He settled in [[Damascus]], where he lived for 17 years. His writings are firmly based upon the Quran and the Sunna of the Prophet, although some recent scholars have claimed that he converted to Shiism in Damascus but concealed his faith.<ref>al-Qawl al-Matin fi Tashayyu' Shaykh Muhyi al-Din ibn Arabi by Tahrani</ref> He died in 638AH/[[1240]]AD and his tomb is still an important place of pilgrimage.
