Ibn Arabi e Rumi

These are two of the greatest thinkers of Islamic history, both associated with the Sufi tradition. Ibn 'Arabiwas enormously influential throughout the Islamic world, from Africa to Indonesia and China. ROmi had a similar radiance throughout the Persianate world (from the Balkans to India). ROmiwas Ibn 'Arabi's youngercontemporary and may have met him in his youth but, contrary to the opinion of some scholars, there is no evidence that he fell under the spell of his teachings. How then can we understand the relationship between these two great masters? One way is to grasp the implications of their differing approach to Islamic teachings, approaches that can be called ''the path of realization" in Ibn 'Arabi's caseand "the path oflove" in ROmi'scase.