The Elixir

A Posthumanist Approach to Alchemy in Akbarian Sufism and Islam

Dunja Rašić (Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society and Tampere University)

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Hardback

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English

Cambridge University Press
08 January 2026

Conjuring & magic; Islamic & Arabic philosophy; Magic, spells & alchemy

Series: Elements in Magic

Summary
Details

Step outside laboratory, and into the world of nature. The books on cannon law can be left behind as well, for Ibn ʿArabī (d. 1240) believed there is one Sharia for humans and another for minerals. This Element rethinks what it means to be an alchemist and Muslim, by shifting its focus to the religious practices of sentient minerals, as described in Ibn ʿArabī's oeuvre and the Qur'an. Common stones and metals undergo their spiritual feats with the single goal in mind: to gain proximity to the Divine by turning themselves into gold. Alchemists sought to facilitate this process through elixirs and sorcery. Setting allegories and metaphors aside, this Element examines ontological principles governing the struggles of iron to become gold, and the human strivings to better the world of nature.

By: Dunja Rašić (Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society and Tampere University)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Weight: 281g
ISBN: 9781009777407
ISBN 10: 1009777408
Series: Elements in Magic
Pages: 80
Publication Date: 08 January 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active