In recent years a number of important studies have helped acquaint the Western reader with Ibn Arabi's metaphysics so that a coherent picture of his spiritual supremacy has begun to emerge. This process is now greatly enhanced by the present volume in which Michel Chodkiewicz explores for the first time, the Masters 'hagiology' or teachings on sainthood. Founded on a careful analysis of the relevant texts, Chodkiewicz's work examines this essential part of Ibn Arabi's formulation of a doctrine of sainthood, defining the nature and function of sainthood, while also specifying the criteria for a typology of saints based on the notion of prophetic inheritance. The book concludes with a detailed description of the two phases of the two phases of the initiatory journey, the ascent to God, followed by the descent to created beings which, once accomplished, makes a saint the necessary mediator between Heaven and Earth.