ABSTRACT
Shortly before his emergence from the long retreat in his house, ¿Abd al-GhanÎ al-NÁbulusÎ wrote a letter to a friend in Istanbul. He told him that he had now decided to abandon exoteric learning and devote himself entirely to the pursuit of esoteric knowledge.1 This might not be obvious from all of his subsequent writings. Bakri Aladdin has observed that some 25 works composed in the seven years following the end of his retreat show continuity with his previous production rather than a dramatic change.2 It is, however, quite understandable that a man of NÁbulusÎ’s scholarly standing, in his late forties, cannot simply shake off years of scholarly practice, however enthusiastic his resolve to listen to the voice of the unseen world. Consequently, his scholarship continues to underpin his writing and does not allow him to focus solely on mystical insights. Nevertheless, the letter serves as a declaration of the increasing value he places on mystical approaches to knowledge as against exoteric study; it need not be taken too literally as a matter of intent.
