born 1365
died 0441; 1424
Islamic mystic.
Little is known of his life, though he is believed to have visited India in 1387 and to have studied in Yemen (13931403). Influenced by Ibn al-Arab 012B; , he developed his doctrine of the "perfect man," which he outlined in his Studies in Islamic Mysticism . He asserted that the perfectly moral individual can attain unity with God, a unity already experienced by Muhammad and the other prophets, and then become a channel by which the whole community can enjoy contact with the divine being.