A saying attributed to God, much loved by Sufis though not found in the standard hadith collections, says that God was a hidden treasure and loved to be known, and created the world in order to be known. Ibn ʿArabī read creation as the outcome of that divine love and longing.
Hidden treasure
The saying, cited by Sufis, in which God says he was a hidden treasure who loved to be known, and so created.
Also: kanz makhfi