Ibn Arabi’s book with the same title starts with the following introduction:
(Pointing) Towards the Three-ness and Two-ness (spiritual states), while (their) administrator/governor (is Hu or Allah) Lord of the Three-ness and Two-ness (states), all the while pointing at Him/Hu from within the Al-Mathāni (Surah Al-Fatiha)…
(Pointing) Towards the Three-ness and Two-ness (spiritual states): Ibn Arabi is pointing at the two discernible states of human spirituality saying that their Lord who administrates and organizes them is no one other than Allah who has been pointed at in the Surah Al-Fatiha of Qur’an. Therefore those who experience the Two-ness spiritual state should not be mislead that they are coming into contact with spirits or demons or other beings or psychological anomalies, rather they are in communication with Allah in a modality that there is the person and no one else.
There are modalities and states to the Divine Presence and experience and feeling the Divine Presence, two of which are:
Three-ness spiritual state: This is when there are three agents involved in the experience of the Divine Presence:
1. Servant invoking Allah
2. Allah
3. All else i.e. the people and the world around us
The total adds up to three entities.
Two-ness spiritual state: This when there are only two agents involved in the experience of the Divine Presence:
1. Servant invoking Allah
2. Allah
And no one else!
The former, i.e. the Three-ness state, is experienced by all of us and it is an ‘Ām (General Public) state enjoyed by all.
The latter, i.e. the Two-ness state, is experience solely by few exclusive servants or Khās (Khawās, pl.); and it is based upon a Hadith (Prophetic Narration):
“For me (Muhammad) there is an instant (or period of time) (so exclusive) that even an angel close to Allah or a sent prophet cannot afford to catch-up/share/fit/afford (that moment)”.
In Risala Qushairi another version is found: For me (Muhammad) there is an instant (or period of time) (so exclusive) that no one other my Lord is in it (during this moment no one but Allah is present).
Two-ness state is coined as Ithnainiyat.
Remark: Awkward creative words like Three-ness and Two-ness are used to avoid intermingling with any other concepts of duality or trinity. Some Juhhal (Intensely Ignorant) Arab accused Sheikh Ibn Arabi of subscribing to the Christian Trinity and therefore accused him of heresy.
المجلد الرابع >> [تتمة باب حرف الراء]
4377- رأيت ربي عز وجل [وزاد في رواية الدارقطني: “في أحسن صورة”]ـ
[“رأيت ربي عز وجل”: بالمشاهدة العينية، التي لم يحتمل الكليم (موسى عليه السلام) أدنى شيء منها، أو القلبية، بمعنى التجلي التام، فقد روي عنه عليه السلام: لي مع الله وقت لا يسعني فيه ملك مقرب ولا نبي مرسل (وقول المناوي “روي” يشير إلى ضعف الحديث). والأرجح أن الله جمع له بين الرؤية البصرية والجنانية، ولا يعارضه قول الله لكليمه “لن تراني”، وإن كان حرف “لن” لتأبيد النفي: إذ لا يلزم من نفيها عن موسى عليه السلام نفيها عن محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، والله سبحانه حي موجود، فلا يمتنع رؤيته عقلا، وحاسية العين غير ركن (أي غير ضروري) للرؤية، ولولا حجب النفس والهوى لرأت العين في الدنيا ما يراه القلب، وعكسه.
{فائدة} قال المؤلف (السيوطي): من خصائصه رؤيته للباري تعالى مرتين، وركوب البراق في أحد القولين.
{تنبيه} هذا الحديث رواه الدارقطني وغيره عن أنس، وزاد فيه: “في أحسن صورة”. قال المؤلف: وهذا، إن حمل على رؤية المنام فلا إشكال، أو اليقظة فقد سئل عنه الكمال بن الهمام فأجاب أن هذا حجاب الصورة. انتهى.]ـ
التخريج (مفصلا): أحمد في مسنده عن ابن عباس [ورواه الدارقطني وغيره عن أنس]ـ
تصحيح السيوطي: صحيح
تصحيح المناوي: قال الهيثمي: رجاله رجال الصحيح. ومن ثمة رمز المصنف (السيوطي) لصحته.
حرف اللام.
2159 – لي مع الله وقت لا يسعني فيه ملك مقرب ولا نبي مرسل.
تذكره الصوفية كثيرا، وهو في رسالة القشيري بلفظ لي وقت لا يسعني فيه غير ربي،
ويقرب منه ما رواه الترمذي في شمائله وابن راهويه في مسنده عن علي في حديث كان صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا أتى منزله جزأ دخوله ثلاثة أجزاء جزءا لله وجزءا لأهله وجزءا لنفسه ثم جزأ جزأه بينه وبين الناس كذا في اللآلئ،
وزاد فيها ورواه الخطيب بسند قال فيه الحافظ الدمياطي أنه على رسم الصحيح،
وقال القاري بعد إيراده الحديث قلت ويؤخذ منه أنه أراد بالملك المقرب جبريل وبالنبي المرسل أخاه الخليل انتهى فليتأمل،
ثم قال القاري وفيه إيماء إلى مقام الاستغراق باللقاء المعبر عنه بالسكر والمحو والفناء انتهى.
This meaning can be felt by investigating the Divine Name/Attribute of Al-Qayyum i.e. every creature only needs Allah to subsist its existence, and therefore can have modality of existence that there is only itself and Allah and no one else.
all the while pointing at Him/Hu from within the Al-Mathāni (Surah Al-Fatiha):
Q: Why Surah Al-Fatiha was mentioned in regards to the Two-ness and Three-ness?
A: The ‘second segment’ of Fatiha in the blow Hadith clearly indicates the short-lived state of Two-ness while reading the 5th verse of Fatiha:
Allah has said: “I have split the Salāt (Daily mandatory Dhikr/worship) into two parts between Myself and My slave”:
(First Segment, Allah’s portion)
When the slave says: “(2) Praise (be) to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds”, Allah replies: My slave has praised me.
(For full discussion see Al-Hamd (Praise to Allah))
When the slave says: “(3) Most Beneficent, Most Merciful”, Allah replies: “I am being extolled by My slave”.
When the slave says: “(4) Master of the Day of Judgment.”, Allah replies:” My slave has glorified Me”.
(Second segment, shared between Allah and the slave)
When the slave says: “(5) YOU we worship, and (from) YOU we seek (aid and help)”, Allah replies: “This is between Myself and My slave and for My slave whatever he asks for”.
(Segment solely for the slave)
When the slave says: “(6) Show us the straight way, (7) The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.”, Allah replies: This is for My slave and for My slave be whatever he asked for.
The said spiritual state of Two-ness is called Al-Ittihad according the Sufi references compiled by Farhang-e Istlihat-e Irfani by Dr. Sajjadi. The latter gives a reference from Misbah Al-‘Uns of Qunawi which talks about a modality of Divine Presence felt by the person which is free of all else other than Allah and even most of the corporeal attributes of the person is not included. Therefore the English translation of Synchronicity is best suited for this circumstance.
Q: What does then the title Al-Ittihad Al-Kauni means?
A: Ibn Arabi is detailing a modality of existence i.e. Al-Ittahid Al-Kauni, which the two realms of Malakut (Spiritual Realm) and Mulk (Corporeal Realm) are synchronized. In other words the person experiences happenings of this world synchronized with spiritual entities of the other world, no longer the person perceives two un-linked independent realms, indeed feels the two discernible and partitioned realms are suddenly are synchronized in spite of any physical linkage. Additionally the person feels very little of this world and his personal attributes during this modality of existence.
Reference to Ibn Arabi’s Fusus
According to the Adam’s Seal i.e. the beginning of Ibn Arabi’s Fusus the universe is a mirror, and using this concept we can render the Three-ness and Two-ness states under a different light:
Three-ness: When there is an object, object’s reflection and a mirror. This is the world we are used to.
Two-ness: When there is an object and an object’s reflection but there is no mirror! This is a little experienced form of existence these days.
In the back of the collection of Ibn Arabi’s Rislalaat (Treatise) the following short guide to the words and their spiritual meaning is found, and one can easily deduce the English translation of Synchronicity from Ibn Arabi’s definitions:
Book of Sufi Terminologies
Ibn Arabi
Al-Ittihad: Tasyir (Transformation, Happenings) of two discernible/independent entities as if one (acting as one entity), and they are (considered to be) two entities only due to (the process of) counting, i.e. that is (being one in) Hala (being in the same temporary state)
كتاب اصطلاح الصوفية
ابن عربي
الإتحاد : تصيير الذاتين واحدة و لا يكون إلا في العدد و هو حال