Ibn al-Arabi, the renowned Sufi mystic and philosopher, articulated a profound vision of reality where the material world, as we perceive it, is actually non-existent. For him, everything in the universe directs us towards the Divine, with material reality serving as a mere shadow of a deeper, spiritual truth. This worldview, encapsulated in his concept of Wahdat al-Wujud (the Unity of Being), intriguingly resonates with interpretations of modern quantum physics. In this field, the nature of reality has become increasingly abstract, challenging classical notions of a fixed and objective material world.

Recent developments in quantum physics, particularly the refutation of local realism and non-contextual realism, have led to a radical rethinking of the nature of reality—suggesting that realism itself may be imaginary. This scientific perspective echoes Ibn al-Arabi’s metaphysical views, where the material world is seen as transient masking a unified, divine essence. In this article, we will explore the parallels between Ibn al-Arabi’s mystical philosophy and modern quantum discoveries, providing an overview of key quantum concepts to better understand this confluence of ancient wisdom and contemporary science.

The Nature of Reality in Ibn al-Arabi’s Thought

Ibn al-Arabi posited that material reality, the world of forms and objects, is not an independent, self-sustaining entity. Rather, it is a reflection of the Divine Essence, which is the only true reality. According to Ibn al-Arabi, everything in existence is a sign of God’s presence, and the physical world is a series of manifestations of the Divine names and attributes. This worldview challenges the notion of a separate, material world as we experience it, suggesting instead that what we see is merely an illusion or a temporary manifestation of a deeper, unified reality.

In his metaphysical framework, he explains that Allah does not share his existence with any other entity. In other words, there is no reality but the Reality of Allah, thus automatically rendering this world as utterly non existent. The understanding truly encapsulates tawhid or Oneness, because the duality of Allah and creation is eliminated.

He is Allah, the One. Allah, Al-Samad. He neither begot any nor was He begotten and none is comparable to Him.” – Qur’an: 112

Allah “neither begot any nor was He begotten“, essentially echoes the understanding that nothing has been produced by Him. If creation was a product of Allah, there would be something separate from Him, which would logically invalidate His Oneness, and also this surah of the Qur’an.

Quantum Physics and the Elusiveness of Material Reality

One of the most significant developments in quantum physics has been the refutation of two classical concepts: local realism and non-contextual realism. These concepts were foundational to the classical understanding of the universe but have been disproven by quantum experiments, leading to profound implications for our understanding of reality—implications that resonate with Ibn al-Arabi’s mystical vision.

Local Realism

What is Local Realism?

Local realism is the idea that objects have definite properties and exist independently of observation. It also holds that no information or influence can travel faster than the speed of light. In simpler terms, it means that things are as they are, whether we are looking at them or not, and that nothing can instantaneously affect something else far away. This was disproven by Bell’s Theorem and the Bell Test Experiments (1960s – 1980s). 

Imagine you have a pair of gloves: one for the left hand and one for the right. You put each glove in a separate box and send one box to a friend across the world. Before opening the boxes, you don’t know which glove is in which box, but you believe that once your friend opens their box and finds the right-hand glove, you will instantly know that your box contains the left-hand glove. This is local realism: each glove has a definite state (left or right) regardless of whether you’ve looked at it or not, and knowing the state of one immediately tells you about the other, but there is no “spooky” connection between the two.

Challenge to Local Realism:

In quantum physics, experiments with entangled particles (like the gloves, but in a quantum sense) show that the properties of these particles aren’t determined until they are observed. Moreover, the state of one particle seems to instantaneously affect the state of the other, even if they are light-years apart. This phenomenon, known as quantum entanglement, proves that local realism is false at the quantum level. Particles don’t have definite properties until observed, and their connection breaks the limits of physical reality, because they influence each other faster than speed of light.

To explain it simply, imagine two particles that are somehow “connected” in a way that whatever happens to one immediately affects the other, no matter how far apart they are. For example, if you were to check the state of one particle and find it spinning in a certain direction, the other particle, even if it’s on the other side of the universe, would instantly be found spinning in the opposite direction. This happens faster than the speed of light, which is mind-boggling because, according to Einstein’s theories, nothing should be able to travel faster than light.

What makes it even more surprising is that these particles don’t actually “decide” what their states are until they are observed. Before you look at them, they exist in a kind of “in-between” state, not fully committed to any one outcome. But the moment you observe one particle, both instantly settle on their respective states, as if they were always in sync, despite the vast distance.

This phenomenon is so strange that it suggests our usual way of understanding how the world works—where things are only influenced by their immediate surroundings—does not apply at the quantum level. It raises fascinating questions about the true nature of reality, suggesting that everything might be more interconnected than we ever imagined.

Non-Contextual Realism

What is Non-Contextual Realism?

Non-contextual realism is the idea that the properties of objects (like a particle’s spin or position) exist independently of how or where we measure them. This means that the object has intrinsic properties that are not affected by the context or method of observation.

To illustrate this concept, imagine you have a book on a table. Whether you look at it from the front, the side, or above, the book is still the same book—it has a fixed color, size, and shape. No matter how you observe it, those properties don’t change. This is non-contextual realism: the properties of the book are inherent and don’t depend on how you measure or observe it. This concept, which we hold true in our everyday life was disproven by Kochen-Specker Theorem and Experiments (1967 – 1990s), further disproven by Aspect’s Experiment (1982) and definitely disproven by Loophole-Free Bell Tests (2015).

Challenge to Non-Contextual Realism:

In quantum mechanics, experiments have shown that the properties of particles can depend on how they are measured. For instance, if you measure the position of a particle, its momentum becomes uncertain, and vice versa. This means the properties of quantum objects aren’t fixed but are dependent on the measurement context. The idea that properties are independent of the measurement method doesn’t hold in the quantum world, refuting non-contextual realism.

So, unlike in the ordinary world, where we expect objects to have definite properties no matter how we look at them, in the quantum world, the very act of measuring changes what those properties are. This idea turns the classical notion that things have inherent, unchanging properties on its head, showing that in the quantum world, how you choose to observe something actually affects what you see.

The Implications: The Collapse of Realism?

The disproval of local realism and non-contextual realism challenges the very notion of realism itself—the idea that the world exists in a definite state independent of our observations. In quantum mechanics, the act of observation plays a crucial role in determining the state of a system, suggesting that reality is not fixed but rather fluid and dependent on our interactions with it.

This emerging view in quantum physics aligns closely with Ibn al-Arabi’s metaphysical ideas. Ibn al-Arabi suggested that what we perceive as material reality is not an independently existing entity but a manifestation of a deeper, spiritual reality. The collapse of realism in quantum physics echoes his assertion that the material world is an illusion, a transient reflection of a unified, divine essence that cannot be fully grasped by the senses or the intellect.

In essence, the findings in quantum physics that challenge the validity of realism are a scientific parallel to Ibn al-Arabi’s mystical insights. Just as quantum physics suggests that the world we observe is not the ultimate reality but rather a projection shaped by deeper, non-local forces, Ibn al-Arabi taught that the material world is a veil over the true, divine reality. The refutation of local and non-contextual realism opens the door to rethinking the very nature of existence, inviting us to consider the possibility that what we experience as reality is not as concrete or independent as we once believed.

As quantum physics continues to explore the boundaries of what we can know about the universe, it increasingly aligns with the insights of mystics like Ibn al-Arabi, who long ago suggested that the true nature of reality lies beyond the physical and the observable.