CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Trustees, Annual Report for the period From: 1¥t January, 2023- period start date 315t December, 2023 - period end date Charlty name: Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society CIO Charity registration number: 1179324 Objectives and Activities SORP referen Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document Pora 1.17 The advancement of education for the public benefit by promoting. sustaining and increasing individual and collective knowledge of the works and ideals of Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi (1165-1240 CEI, and those people who have perpetuated them, by such means as the trustees think fil, but including study. research. publication. translation and communication of hrs written Works. Summary ofthe main activities in relation lo those purposes for the public benefit. in particular, the activities, projects or ServIS identified in the accounts. Para 1.17 and During 2023 the Soctety'5 library was relocated lo the Woolf Inslilule. Cambridge. The library represents one of the most significant collections ol written works by and about Ibn Arabi. A comprehensive project lo re-catalogu9 tho library was completed prior lo transfer. MIAS Education hosted a total of 5 online courses embracing a number of different approaches to the study of Ibn Arabl. The Society hosted 6 online seminars featuring established scholars who presented talks on different aspects of Ibn Arabl's thought. Volumes 72 and 73 ofthe Sodety's Joumal were published during 2023. The Society's YouTube channel has continued to grow and now has 6.300 subscribers. The Societ5 Fabook page has 16.000 subscribers. A further gTanl was made to support the work lo make the first English translation of the whole of Ibn Arabi's Al-Futuhat al-makklyya whlch Comprises 37 volumes. The Society was co-sponsor with the Circolo dei Lettori, ToriTr), of an in-person event enliued: Sama.. Spintual Lislening in Ibn Arabi and in Sufi Literature organised by ils partner organisalion MIAS Latina and held in Torino.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance Issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit Pdra 1.18 The Society has considered the Commission's guidance on public benefit, specifically that concernlng the advancement ol ¢ducalion. Additional information (optional) You ma choose to include further statements where relevant about.. SORP reference Th8 Society recognises that, after its Inlemal funding comrnilments have been met. funding exlefrbal projects is an important way lo expand its activities and support valuable work being undertaken to enhance the understanding of Ibn Arabi and his lea¢hing. Grants lo projects arg made in conformity with the Society's Charitable Objects and are considered in the context of the Society's Business Plan and Budget Priorities. The sustainability and long4erm 9oals of the project are important considerations. Para 1.38 Policy on grant making Para 1.38 Policy on social investment including program related investment Para 1.38 Contribulion made by volunteers Other
Achievements and Performance SORP referenc8 The Society's library The library has been built up over 40 years through purchases and donations. 11 represents a uniquè and important collg¢tion of wriltsn works by and about Ibn Arabi. Since ils inception, the library has been kept in a private house with admission by Tequesl. In October il was relocated lo The Woolf Institute. Cambridge. Details of the Collecllon are now included In th& Cambridge Theological Federation catalogue and the books are easily accessible to scholars and Cambridge University students in the library at the Woolf Inslilule. Summary ofthe main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity's work has made lo the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to soctety as a whole. Para 1.20 Educatlon courses The Education Team have run a variety of courses during 2023. These have ranged from an intensive 4-week online course lo a 10-week online course, each lo cater for students with different time restrictions for learning. A further 4-week online course. led by a guest lecturer currenuy Iranslaling Ibn Arabi's Al- Fu(uh81 al-makkiyya into English, gave students an insight into the translation Process and an opportunity lo develop their own insights into the lexL An online introductory course for those new lo Ibn Arabi's thought was run over a weekend of intensive study and conversation. 11 is hoped to run this biannually. Durin9 the summer a 3-week online course provided students with an in4eplh learning opportunity to study Ibn Arabi's important late wcwk, the Fusus al-Hikam. Online serninars The Society welcomed scholars from around the worfd to share their current research into Ibn Arabi and engage with audiences during lively question and answer sessions. Events such as these support important research which, in turn, informs and enlarges the community of those interested in Ibn Arabi's teaching. Grants The Society provided a grant lo support tho translation of Al-Futuhal 21-Makkiyah, IThe Openings Revealed in Makkah). This is the first lime an English translaOn and commentary has been made of all 37 volumes of Ibn Arabi's magnum opus. The importance of translaliThJ the whole work into English. for ftjture scholarship and leaming, cannot be over- estimated. Additional Informatlon (optlonal)
You ma choose to include lurther statements where.relevant about- Achievements againsl objectives set Para 1.41 Performance of fundraising activities against objeclives set Para 1.41 Investment performance against objectives Para 1.41 Other Financial Review Review of the tharity s financial positi¢)n at Ihe end of the period Para 1.21 In 2023 the Society's re¢eipts from its everyday activities was £22,556- very similar to previous years. Disposable income came primarily from Membership subscriptions, general donations {not for a specific purposel, and for the first lime, noticeable interest on its deposits. Receipts from sourcos such as Ihe sale of books, provision of online courses, online events, and journal-related reip1S of various kinds, corresponded to areas of expenditure. and landed to break- even or redu nel expenditure. Thè Society's expenditure on everyday activities was £22.802. also in the sarne range as previous years. This induded the costs associated with Tnoving the Swiely's Library from a private house in Oxford to the library of the Woolf Institute in Cambridge. However, total expenditur& was £33.6D7 due lo the exceptional amount of £10.805 spent on grants and prizes, chiefly contributions of £9.000 to activities such as copy-editing and proofreading Dr Eric Winkel's English translation of the Al- Futuhat al-makkiyy?. Apart from the effects on inljation, we may expect the Society's expenditure on Ils actfvities to increase as the amount of administration which can be provided by volunteers declines. and there is a corresponding increase in the services which need to be paid for. This can be seen in the rising in cost of pre-print work on the Joumal, which will be signrficant in 2024. and will extend lo other areas, such as rllembershi adminislratlon and bookkee
In 2022 the Society received a windfall gift of EUR 125,000. In 2023 it received a similar gift of EUR 125,000. These Iwo donations have transformed the Society's balance sheet, so that its assets al year-end 2023 lolalled £322.689 (compared lo £101,511 al end 20211. Al the timo of making the s&cond donation the donor clarrfied the intent of the gift, so that the whole amount is now being Irealed as a Restricted fund, a term used by the Charity Commission lo indicate that il may only be used for the purpose for which it is donated, in this case. lo provide an income for the Society. Further, in 2022 the Junior Research Fellowshlp project was brought lo an end. In 2023 the donations collected for il in a Restricted fund were dislribuled. with the agreement of the donors, in part lo another Reslricled fund. and to the Presidents, Fund. an Unrestricted fvnd. In 2023 the nel transfers b8tween Unreslri¢t&d funds and Reslricled funds lolalled £73,690. Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves slatin are held Amount of reserves held Reasons for holding zero reserves Details of fund materially in deficit Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern Para 1.22 Para 1.22 Pala 1.22 NIA Para 1.24 NIA Para 1.23 NIA Additional information {optional) You ma choose to include further statements where relevant about- On occasions the Society has solicited support for a particular projecL such as the Manuscript Archive project, but in general donations are spontsneous, and it does not engage in systemalie fund-ralsing. Ils Income from donations is irregular and unpredictable. The charity's principal sources of fvnds {including any fundraising) Para 1.47 11 has historically delivered its a¢tivilies using volunteer effort. and balanced ils expenditure with its income from membership subs¢riplions and a modest level of general donations, together with receipts from ils activities e.g., online course fees. At the end of 2023 the Society held £29.603 in retained earnings. and a further amount of £21.206 in the Presidents. fund which it may draw on for any purpose. Since il became a charity in 2018 it has attracted a number of generous donations for specific purposes such as the symposium, manuscri l archive catalo ue. These donations
go lo Restricted funds, and are typically used lo develop new aspects of its ongoing activities. It had £48,358 in such projecl-relaled restricted funds at the end of 2023. As described above, in 2022 and 2023 il re¢eived two donations which together had a steding value of 223,523. These are now a Reslricled fund which will be invested lo provide an income for the Society. Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted Para 1.46 The Society's membership income is a wtal part of ils funding. Ils members are spread over more than 20 counliies. Turbulent economic condilions and international conflicts may aff8ct their continued participation in the Society. The Society may not recnjit enough yDung members able lo take on administrative roles in future. A descrlptlon of the princSpal risks facing the charity Para 1.46 Other Structure, Governance and Management Description of charity's trusts- Type ofgoveming document trust deed, ro al charter How is the charity constituted? (e.g. unincorporated association. CIO Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional promsions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees Par8 1.25 Constitution Para 1.25 CIO- Foundatiorb fomed on 25 July 2018 Para 1.25 Election of Iruslees is by a resolution passed at a propetly convened meeting of the charity trustees, as delailed in the Society's Conslilution. clauses- 9., 10,. 12 and 13. Additional information {optional) You ma choose to include further statements where relevant about.. The following poliues, which comply wtth Gov.UK guidance for charities, have been written and ratified by the Board: Finance, Complaints, Conflict of Interest. Risk Management. Privacy (data protgctionl, Safeguarding, Social-media and Volunteers. Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and trainin9 of trustees Para 1.51
The charivs organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works Par8 1.51 Relationship wilh any related parties Pafa 1.51 Other Reference and Administrative details Chari name Other name the chari uses istered chari number Charity's principal address Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society CIO 1179324 POBox892 Oxford OX2 7XL Name of person {or body) entllled Truste• name Office lif any} Dates ae If not hr whole year appoint trustee Ifan L D Barratt Appointed July 2018 Appointed July 2018 Appointed January 2022 Appointed January 2022 Appointed January 2022 Appointed November 2022 Appointed July 2018 Appointed July 2018 Appointed April 2021 Appointed November 2022 MECass David Hornsby Anne-marie Morrisey Katherine Randall Aishah Safdar C Twinch R W Twinch F Youakim 10 Omar Zein 11 12 13 14
orate trustees- names of the directors at the date the re DITectOT name ortwasa roved Name of trustees holding lille to property belonging to the charity Trustee name Date5 acted rf nol forwhole ear Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others Description of the assets held in this capacity Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity's objects Details of aangeMentS for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity's own assets Additional infomiation (optionall Names and addresses of advisers {Optional information) Type of Name Address adviser Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional infomiationl Exemptions from disclosure Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
Other o tional information Declarations The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above. Signed on behalf of the charity's trustees Signature{sl Full namels) Lucy Diana Barratt Position (eg Secretary. Chair, etc) Trustee Date 23.09.2024
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Muhyiddln IBN Arabl So¢letyCIO 1179324 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a Forthe pevlod from To 0110112023 3111212022 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestrl¢d Re51rlcted funés Endowment funds Total funds Lastyear tDthe nvafeJt£ t•th•nearult Al Recei Oonalknns ts 1158 404 158fj 4.669 7,26B 14 2.733 J¢umgl KI&mbgrshipSubs¢Wf on5nècouas aneevenBtS 72Ba 1082 877 2,692 JJ7T 2.69Z 316 5.56U ta 22.556 124.V81 146.647 133.119 etan (see table). Investment SA es. Total re¢elpt$ 148,647 A3Pa ènts C10.AcmThj, InswJn¢• Membership. UBTrk chatses, Paypbl le8 Intem, WBbtedeY? B¢ok$a. Pos Granls Journalpcthll. postaoo IAS EdurAv)nr5as ¢vgnL Archivg Pf¢ 9¢¢ Lbrary 2.714 2.714 2.801 924 1,029 1392 10.405 7,073 2,8Y3 I08 924 ert 400 7.073 2,8 151 2.04Q 33,607 2.040 33,607 240 Sub total 21981 A4 Asset and irbvestment ur¢has•$ Sèè table Sub lotèl Totalp4ymgnt5 33,607 33.601 24,981 Net of receipfsl(paymenes) AS Trarbslers between funds A6 Cash funds last yo*r C8sh funds Ihls yearend 11.0$1 73.690 124.091 73,680 113,040 10B.130 $0.807 271,B82 322,689 209,649 CCXXR1 accounts ISSI 1W912024
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds tonaarast£ ReslriGted funds to n•irg5¢£ Ed0wMefjl funds néar•stt Categories Detai'.s Bq Cash funds ¥o.ioy Total cash fund5 SO,807 27182 pay1$ &ii Unrestricted funds to néar•st£ Ro$trl¢tÈd funds to neiresl£ Endowment funds to neBrest£ stockofpmt•dioum& 300 PDslagg 5tamP5 Fundtowhkh CDstlpptionil) Curr•ntva B3 Investment assets tLythkh Ctsstlopgonall Currentvaluo B4 A$58ts retalned forthe tharitys own use Lr*ryofprn)t¢dtthS Unrgstrrctedlund5 DIgKalkn39# ttopksofmanusc UnleSEdn4$ FundtowhlGh rAlat4S knountdu¢ ON Vlh•Ddu• rsn& È5 Li¢bilitie5 zgae Swjned byom Ortrust9P5 0 bèhaifol311 the trusIS Siynalure Print Name Date of roval Richard TMAnch 23n9I2024 CCXX R2 ac¢ounts ISSI 1610912024
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report s/4} Report to the trusteesl members of Muhylddin Ibn Arabi Society CIO On accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023 Charity no (if any 1179324 Set out on pages As attached If6mèmb&r lo iftcliJde the 020è nuwibÈrs o., attdiilolldl sheelsl I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust") for the year ended 3111212023 Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (llhe Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed Ihe applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. l Confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material resped: accounting records were not kept in accordan with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in conneclion with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding ofthe accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 04 October 2024 Name: B K Silva Relevant professional qualification{s} or body (if any): ACA Address: MHA, Building 4, Foundation Park, Roxborough Way, Maidenhead, SL6 3UD IER October 2018