112 Spirituality Studies 4.2.3 Ibn Arabī In Ibn ʿArabī’s thought, repetition appears less as disciplinary practice and more as an ontological feature of reality. Divine self-disclosure is described as an ongoing process (Ibn ʿArabī 2002, 87): «التجلي دائم» – Theophany is continuous. Here repetition reflects the constant renewal of existence itself. Code: 1–2. 4.2.4 Rūmī In the Mathnawī, repetition functions primarily at the poetic and experiential level. The rhythmic recurrence of motifs and invocations reflects the central role of remembrance in spiritual life (Rūmī 1926, II:345): «ذکر حق چون آفتاب آمد عیان» – The remembrance of Truth appears manifest like the sun. Although not always presented as a formal discipline, repetition emerges as a recurring rhythm of spiritual awareness. Code: 1. 4.2.5 Summary of RQ2 The coded passages indicate that repetition serves several interconnected functions: sustaining maqām; stabilizing ḥāl; correcting intention; enabling continual renewal. Taken together, these patterns suggest that repetition functions not merely as a supportive practice but as a structural mechanism sustaining spiritual transformation. When the results of RQ1 and RQ2 are considered together, a coherent structural pattern emerges. Recursive temporality is sustained through repeated practice. In other words, spiritual transformation unfolds through a dynamic cycle: recursive temporality – repeated practice – stabilization – renewed transformation. Rather than culminating in a final state, the spiritual process is maintained through continuous renewal. The analyzed texts therefore support a model of recursive dynamic stabilization, in which spiritual life unfolds through an ongoing interplay of experience, discipline, and renewal. 4.3 Discussion: Recursive Temporality in the Context of Existing Interpretations The results presented above allow the recursive structure of spiritual transformation to be situated within the broader field of Sufi studies. While earlier scholarship has extensively analyzed the concepts of maqām, ḥāl, fanāʾ, and tajallī, these concepts have most often been interpreted within frameworks emphasizing hierarchical progression, ethical cultivation, or metaphysical realization. The coding results presented in this study suggest that an additional structural dimension recursive temporality plays a central role in organizing the spiritual path. 4.3.1 al-Qushayrī and the Hierarchical Model of the Path Classical interpretations of al-Qushayrī have generally emphasized the hierarchical organization of the maqāmāt. In his translation of al-Risāla, Alexander Knysh highlights the sequential nature of spiritual advancement, noting that a seeker cannot move to a higher station without fulfilling the requirements of the previous one (al-Qushayrī 2007, 77). A similar emphasis appears in earlier presentations of Sufi spirituality, such as A. J. Arberry’s account of the “stations of the mystic path”, where the maqāmāt are described as stages within a structured moral ascent (Arberry 1950, 75–79). Such interpretations correctly identify the pedagogical structure of the path, yet they often foreground progression while underemphasizing the instability of spiritual states. As shown in the coded passages above, al-Qushayrī’s distinction between ḥāl as “divine gift” and maqām as “acquired discipline” introduces an inherent dynamic of repetition. Spiritual states cannot be permanently secured and must be continuously stabilized through practice. From this perspective, the path appears not simply as a linear ascent but as a recursive process of repeated ethical consolidation. 4.3.2 al-Ghazālī and the Ethics of Continuous Renewal Modern scholarship on al-Ghazālī has frequently highlighted the ethical and psychological dimensions of the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn. Early studies by D. B. Macdonald and W. Montgomery Watt interpreted al-Ghazālī’s work primarily as a systematic program of moral refinement, while later scholars such as Fazlur Rahman and Frank Griffel
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