Know Yourself

This short text on the unity of existence directly addresses the relationship a human being may encounter — whether in solitude, in the extent of the natural world, or in the social framework — between their known self and their eternal origin. It explains that to realize your essential oneness with reality it is not necessary to eliminate your ‘separate’ self or ego because that illusory self never existed. Rather, it is necessary to know your true self to realize your oneness with all being. Nothing essentially changes. When you know yourself ‘ignorance disappears’ and ‘When the secret of an atom is discovered, the secret of all created things is made clear’. The person for whom this relationship becomes alive is indeed fortunate. This edition of Know Yourself is intended to be as accessible as possible to people with no knowledge of Arabic and who may not have knowledge of the cultural context of the book.

The text uses the vocabulary of Sufism, but the issues confronted are common to people everywhere. An earlier translation (by T.H. Weir in 1901) was instrumental in making Ibn ‘Arabi ( 1165–1240) and his work known in the West over the last century, even though the author of the book is now considered by many scholars to be Awhad al-din Balyani (died 1287), a near contemporary, who may well have been influenced by his thought. It was a translation of the first complete work attributed to Ibn ‘Arabi to appear in a western language.

This is a new translation by Cecilia Twinch, Senior Research Fellow of the Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society in Oxford, UK. This translation was first published in 2011. Cecilia Twinch’s other published works include an English translation of one of Ibn ‘Arabi’s earliest works, Contemplation of the Holy Mysteries. The translator has also provided useful background information, references, translator’s notes on the text and bibliography.