Muhyiddin ibn ‘Arabi
translated by Stephen Hirtenstein

Just as metallic bodies are graded in degrees because of the defects that befall them while they are being formed, and yet they [all] seek the rank of completion, for which their realities became manifest, likewise, the human being is created for perfection. Nothing can divert him from this completion except the defects and ailments that befall people, whether that is within the provenance of their own nature or due to accidental matters.

Click here to read the text.

Originally published as The Alchemy of Human Happiness (fi ma‘rifat kimiya’ al-sa‘ada), introduction and translation by Stephen Hirtenstein. Oxford, Anqa Publishing, 2019. Republished here with warm thanks.