Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi

[7] He wrote many books on several different subjects, including hadith, fiqh, usul, Qur'an studies, adab, grammar and history.

[7] One of his works was the Book on the Arrangement of the Travel that Raised my Interests in Religions and Experiences of the Great Authorities and Eminent People by the Observer of Islam and the Various Lands.

Ibn al-'Arabi also wrote The Rule of Interpretation, and Protective Guards Against Strong Objections (a source of comments that al-Ghazali made to his students).

[8] Two of al-'Arabi's books (Tartib al-rohla li al-targhib fi al-millah and Qanun al-ta'wil) provided descriptions of the al-Arabi's travels, and specifically recounted religious life in the holy city of Jerusalem.

[8] While in Jerusalem, Ibn al-'Arabi was fascinated by all of the scholars he met there, and performing the hajj became an element in his quest for knowledge.

[9] It was only when he returned to Baghdad in 1097 that Ibn al-'Arabi finally met Imam Abū Ḥāmed al-Ghazālī, an Islamic theologian, philosopher and Sufi mystic.

Although Ibn al-'Arabi undoubtedly respected al-Ghazali, he was not afraid to express his feelings of difference when it came to the teachings of falsafa (Islamic philosophy).

For example, there were times when Muslim judges and lawyers faced the situation where there was no legal text or scripture to help provide an insight or guidance on a judicial decision.

[19] Malikis generally forbid induced miscarriage after conception, as this was seen to be the point at which the soul was breathed into the unborn child.

He believed that this is the "only way allowed by the divine revelation", because the objective of beating in a non-violent way was ultimately to improve the wife's behaviour.

[23] Although Abu Bakr ibn al-'Arabi may have some critics, he was generally a highly acclaimed authority on hadith, and was regarded as being trustworthy and reliable.