The Evaluation of the Distinction of Manifest (Ẓāhir) and Hidden (Bāṭin) in the Context of Moral Relativity in the Thought of Ibn Al-‘Arabī

Ibn al-‘Arabī is one of the most prolific and most discussed authors in the history of Islamic thought. The view of waÍdat al-wujûd, that is, unity of existence, which expresses his system of thought, has a philosophical background that dates back much further than him. This concept, which means the unity of existence, has been subjected to many criticisms from different angles. One of the focal points of these criticisms is morality. It has been argued that the idea of waÍdat al-wujûd will eliminate good and evil in moral terms, so there can be no question of responsibility in this thought. Moral relativism is a philosophical view that is based on the idea that man is the measure of all things in Ancient Greek thought, and that the moral characterization of events as good or bad can vary according to individuals, societies and conditions. In this study, where we try to determine the moral view of Ibn al-‘Arabī in general, we will examine how the concepts of manifest and hidden, which are important concepts of his system, can be interpreted in the context of moral relativism. Ibn al-‘Arabī divides the known into two as manifest and hidden. Manifest refers to the external appearance of the known, while hidden refers to the inside. It is seen that the evaluation of the events in terms of manifest and hidden aspects in terms of moral value judgments is suitable for different interpretations in some cases in the thought of Ibn al-‘Arabī. In his system of thought, it is a problem that in certain situations, good and bad value judgments change morally in terms of manifest and hidden aspects. This provides us with a richness in addition to providing different perspectives in our evaluations.