Perspectives, Relationships and Relativity in Ibn al - ‘Arabī’s Thought 98 receive from God spiritual sustenance, that is, knowledge through which their hearts become alive . 2 One of the aspects of almsgiving ( zakāt ) is the theological notion that everything belongs to God . Thus, when one possesses something, it is impure . In order to purify his possessions one is obliged to give a portion of them . Ibn al - ‘Arabī’s innovation regarding this issue is his idea that almsgiving also applies to spiritual property . Hence, sharing one’s knowledge with others means almsgiving in the spiritual domain . 3 The fast itself, mainly the Ramaḍān, without considering its divergent perspectives, causes one to come close to God . One of Ibn al - ‘Arabī’s principal ideas in relation to fasting is how the human being compares to God . Just as God is exempt of any material feature ( tanzīh ) , when fasting the human being is free of his materiality . However, in contrast to God, human transcendence...
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