The Ottomans showed great interest in Ibn 'Arabi's (638/1240) thoughts and books. The Ottoman sultans also valued the narrations attributing the foundation of their state to Ibn 'Arabi and supported his ideas. It is noteworthy that the heads of the madrasahs established in the Ottoman Empire, the first period sheikhulislams and kadis made efforts to spread Ibn 'Arabi's ideas. This situation caused Ibn 'Arabi to become the symbol of the theoretical school of Sufism in Ottoman society. The society of Damascus, on the other hand, generally showed little interest in Ibn 'Arabi and his works before the Ottomans. After Damascus came under Ottoman rule, however, interest in Ibn 'Arabi increased in the region. This became even more prominent when Ottoman governors and qadi's made it a tradition to visit Ibn 'Arabi's grave. Ibn 'Arabi was also held in high esteem among the people, who believed in Ibn 'Arabi's wilayat. These developments are important in terms of the spread of Ibn 'Arabi's ideas in Damascus. During the Ottoman period, especially in the 16th century, interest in Ibn 'Arabi increased with the support of Ibn Kemal Pasha. In the 17th century, this interest continued. Abdulghani al-Nablusi became the leading figure of Ibn 'Arabi's school in the 18th century. In the 19th century, with the efforts of Emir 'Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza'iri, the number of Sufis and scholars belonging to Ibn 'Arabi's school increased. In this period, Ibn 'Arabi's evrad and commentaries also gained importance. Many of the scholars of Damascus, especially Baha al-Din b. 'Abd al-Ghani al-Baytar and Muhammad Amin b. Muhammad Suwayd, regularly read Ibn al-'Arabi's works and had them read to their students. The interest in and respect for Ibn 'Arabi in Damascus showed a tendency towards theoretical Sufism, although the general Sufi line tended to emphasise practical Sufism. Ibn 'Arabi's personality has gained a special position in Damascus society throughout history. The widespread use of epithets such as Shaykh al-Akbar was an indication of this. Scholars and Sufis highly valued Ibn 'Arabi's teachings, and important commentaries were written especially on his master work Fusus. There were also criticisms and debates against Ibn 'Arabi. Especially his views in his book Fusus al-Hikam were criticised and even takfirised by some scholars. However, the official attitude of the Ottoman Empire was to support Ibn 'Arabi and to oppose his criticisms. In time, Ibn 'Arabi's works were defended and criticisms were answered. Ottoman governors investigated and punished those who attacked Ibn 'Arabi's views in Damascus. However, this attitude led to the emergence of criticism and opposing views among Ottoman jurists. Ibn 'Arabi's tomb was constantly visited during the Ottoman period, and these visits increased especially on Friday nights. Ottoman statesmen, sheikhs and scholars visited Ibn 'Arabi's tomb first when they entered Damascus. In time, this interest in visiting the tomb turned into a desire to bury important personalities, and many Ottoman greats preferred to be buried near Ibn 'Arabi's tomb. The efforts of Ottoman statesmen and sheikhs to be buried around Ibn 'Arabi show the influence of this region during the Ottoman period. Ibn 'Arabi's teachings received considerable attention in Damascus during the Ottoman period and were embraced by statesmen, scholars and Sufis. The Ottomans took various measures to protect and promote Ibn 'Arabi's legacy. However, this interest generally remained among certain groups and did not reach the masses. Orders generally showed interest in Ibn 'Arabi's understanding of wahdat al-wujud. In Damascus, Ibn 'Arabi's ideas were occasionally criticised and defended.
