the unfolding of beauty: the concepts mercy, cover, and adornment in ibn ‘arabī thought

Beauty carries meanings that unify the conceptual network necessary to understand ibn ‘arabī thought. there are two dimensions of beauty: one pertaining to the haqq (the real) and the other to the servant. the meaning of beauty varies depending on these dimensions. the relationship between the haqq and the servant diversifies based on beauty and mercy and takes different shapes and forms. these changes are covered by veils, but at the same time, they reveal themselves clearly to the eyes that see and the ears that hear. it prompted the author to ask, “how is the nexus between beauty and mercy in ibn ‘arabi thought revealed in the realm of human experience?”. the intention is to illustrate that beauty in its aspect of haqq is closely tied to mercy and elucidate how this mercy and beauty are revealed in the realm of human experience.in the paper, firstly, we will point out that the fact that the divine names are relations (al-nisab) and dependencies (al-idafat) enables the grading of beauty. the reason for approaching the subject from two angles, that of the haqq and the servant, lies at this point. secondly, we will seek to establish the relationship between beauty and mercy. at this point, our guide will be ibn ‘arabī’s comments on the verse “my mercy encompasses everything” (7:156). through this, we will aim to depict the relationship between beauty, divine names, and the act of creation. finally, we will discuss how mercy and beauty in terms of the aspect of haqq are revealed in the experience of the human being through adornment being a cover (setr). adornment, which is an element of beauty, has a concealing aspect, as much as it is about revealing when we think about it in the context of the name al-gaffar.