Ibn al-Arabi has been interpreted with admiration and with sharp criticism. Disputes concern theological claims, terminology, scriptural interpretation and the legitimacy of particular readings. Reducing the history to an uncomplicated list of admirers and opponents obscures the intellectual arguments.
How to study this subject
Reception is not a single school speaking with one voice. Disciples, commentators, critics, copyists and modern scholars each addressed different questions across centuries. A statement of influence must identify who read whom, and a disputed doctrine must be located in the specific text and period under discussion.
To document influence, identify the quoted passage, the later author, the date and any traceable manuscript or teaching connection. Verbatim borrowing, conceptual similarity and subsequent reinterpretation are not equivalent. When discussing controversy, present the relevant argument and its context rather than recycling unsourced labels of praise or condemnation. Digital catalogues are starting points, not final historical verdicts.
Present competing readings in their strongest documented form, specify the centuries and authors involved, and distinguish a genuine quotation from a paraphrase or polemical attribution.
Primary sources and further reading
These are contextual reading links, not exact passage-level citations.