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(Redirected from Wahdat-ul-Wujood)
Following are some of the concepts in Sufi metaphysics
'Wahdat-ul-Wujood' or 'Wahdat al-Wujud' (Arabic: وحدة الوجود) the "Unity of Being" is a Sufi philosophy emphasizing that 'there is no true existence except the Ultimate Truth (God)'. All of his creations emerge from ''`adim'' (عدم non-existence) to ''wujood'' (existence) out of his thought only. Hence the existence of God is the only true one (Haq) and that of his creation a false one ('Baatil'). This concept is considered a formulation of Ibn Arabi (Muhyi ad-Din al-Shaykh al-Akbar) since he is considered the originator of this idea, but this term is not used in any of his writings.
Wahdat-ul-Wujood spread through the teachings of the Sufis like Shaikh Abu Ali Sindhi and Bayazid Bistami. Embellished and adored by Shaikh Fariddudin Attar and propounded and codified by Shaikhul Akbar Muhiyiddin Ibn Arabi. The Bektashi sect places much emphasis on the concept of Wahdat-ul-Wujood. This mystic sufi philosophy found conducive soil in many parts of South Asia as most of the saints and sages became dedicated disciples of Wahdat-ul-Wujood. Wahdat-ul-Wujood is also associated with ''Hamah Ust'' (Persian meaning He is the only one) philosophy in South Asia. Sachal Sarmast, Sufi and poet from Pakistan, was also an ardent follower of Wahdat-ul-Wujood.
Some Muslims, including both Sufis and Salafis, have made comparisons between wahdat ul-wujood and Pantheism, the concept that that all is God. This criticism has come both from Salafis and from Sufis as well.
Some, however, will counter that the two concepts difer in that wahdat ul-wujood states that God and the universe aren't identical[1]. They hold that the real existence to be for God only and the universe to have no existence by its own or without God.
Some Salafis criticize the concept of wahdat ul-wujood on the grounds that it was a product of Arab interaction with Hindu philosophy, and is not a purely Islamic concept. Others also cite similarities with Kabbalah.
Some Sufis have critcised wahdat ul-wujood with great impact such as Ahmad Sirhindi ''(Mujaddid Alif Sani)''. He wrote about the sayings that universe has no existence of its own and is a shadow of the existence of the necessary being. He also wrote that one should discern the existence of universe from the absolute and the absolute does not exist because of existence but because of his essence.[2]
It is also speculated that the concept of wahdat ul-wujood could be product of Arab interaction with Hindu mystics and literature, specifically in reference to the non-dualistic teachings of the Upanishads, which preaches very similar concepts in regards to reality being an illusion and the only true existence being Brahman. The Upanishads were translated into Arabic during Muslim rule of South Asia. However this concept was developed in Spain during the Muslim rule, much before Muslim rule in India.
'Apparentism' is the closest English approximation of the Sufi philosophy of ''wah-dat-ul-shuhud'', ''wahdat-ul-shuhud,'' or ''wahdatul shuhud'' (Arabic: Lit: Unity of Witness).
Abu Hafs Umar al-Suhrawardi (1145 - 1234 A.D.) was the author of Awarif-ul-Maarif and was a proponent of apparentism.
Later exponents of this view include Abd-al-karim Jili (died 1408 A.D.), author of Al-Insan-ul-Kamil ("The Perfect Man").
The main proponent of this theory in South Asia was Ahmad Sirhindi.According to his doctrine, any experience of unity between God and the world he has created is purely subjective and occurs only in the mind of the believer; it has no objective counterpart in the real world. The former position, Shaykh Ahmad felt, led to pantheism, which was contrary to the tenets of Sunnite Islam.
Shah Waliullah made the first attempt to reconcile the two (apparently) contradictory doctrines of wahdat al-wujud (unity of being) of Ibn al-'Arabi and wahdat al-shuhud (unity in conscience) of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi. Shaykh Muhyi al-Din ibn al- 'Arabi, the advocate of wahdat al-wujud, was of the opinion that being in reality is one and God. All other actual and possible beings in the universe are manifestations and states or modes of his Divine Names and Attributes. By the act of creation through the word kun (be), Ibn al-'Arabi means the descent of Absolute Existence into the determined beings through various stages. This gradual descent of the Absolute Existence is called tanazzulat al-khamsa (five descents) or ta'ayyunat al-khamsa (five determinations) in Sufi terminology. On the other hand, according to Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi, the exponent of the doctrine of wahdat al-shuhud, God and creation are not identical; rather, the latter is a shadow or reflection of the Divines Name and Attributes when they are reflected in the mirrors of their opposite non-beings (a'dam al-mutaqabila). Shah Wali Allah neatly resolved the conflict, calling these differences 'verbal controversies' which have come about because of ambiguous language. If we leave, he says, all the metaphors and similes used for the expression of ideas aside, the apparently opposite views of the two metaphysicians will agree. The positive result of Shah Wali Allah's reconciliatory efforts was twofold: it brought about harmony between the two opposing groups of metaphysicians, and it also legitimized the doctrine of wahdat al-wujud among the mutakallimun (theologians), who previously had not been ready to accept it.
In his books Lamahat and Sata'at, he discusses stages of being, the perceptive faculty, the relation of the abstract with the universe, the universal soul and the souls of man, after death, essence, miracles, the scope of man, the soul of the perfect, universal order, source of manifestation, and the transformation of mystics from quality to quality. He also demonstrated that the long-standing assumption that Sufi doctrine was divided between Apparentism and Unity of Being was a difference of expression alone, the latter doctrine (of Ibn 'Arabi) being seen as merely a less-advanced stage of projection.
★ ''God Speaks, The Theme and Purpose of Creation.'' Meher Baba, Dodd Meade, 1955. (second edition, p. 280)
★ ''Thaqīq al-haqq fi'l kalamat al-haqq'' a book by Peer Mahr Ali Shah
★ A Salafi refutation of the concept
★ Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi (1153 - 1191).
★ Emanationism
★ Illuminationist philosophy
Following are some of the concepts in Sufi metaphysics
| Contents |
| Wahdat-ul-Wujood |
| Spread |
| Criticism of the concept |
| Salafi criticism |
| Sufi Criticism |
| Similarity to other belief systems |
| Wahdat-ul-Shuhud |
| Wahdat |
| References |
| Further reading |
| See also |
Wahdat-ul-Wujood
'Wahdat-ul-Wujood' or 'Wahdat al-Wujud' (Arabic: وحدة الوجود) the "Unity of Being" is a Sufi philosophy emphasizing that 'there is no true existence except the Ultimate Truth (God)'. All of his creations emerge from ''`adim'' (عدم non-existence) to ''wujood'' (existence) out of his thought only. Hence the existence of God is the only true one (Haq) and that of his creation a false one ('Baatil'). This concept is considered a formulation of Ibn Arabi (Muhyi ad-Din al-Shaykh al-Akbar) since he is considered the originator of this idea, but this term is not used in any of his writings.
Spread
Wahdat-ul-Wujood spread through the teachings of the Sufis like Shaikh Abu Ali Sindhi and Bayazid Bistami. Embellished and adored by Shaikh Fariddudin Attar and propounded and codified by Shaikhul Akbar Muhiyiddin Ibn Arabi. The Bektashi sect places much emphasis on the concept of Wahdat-ul-Wujood. This mystic sufi philosophy found conducive soil in many parts of South Asia as most of the saints and sages became dedicated disciples of Wahdat-ul-Wujood. Wahdat-ul-Wujood is also associated with ''Hamah Ust'' (Persian meaning He is the only one) philosophy in South Asia. Sachal Sarmast, Sufi and poet from Pakistan, was also an ardent follower of Wahdat-ul-Wujood.
Criticism of the concept
Some Muslims, including both Sufis and Salafis, have made comparisons between wahdat ul-wujood and Pantheism, the concept that that all is God. This criticism has come both from Salafis and from Sufis as well.
Some, however, will counter that the two concepts difer in that wahdat ul-wujood states that God and the universe aren't identical[1]. They hold that the real existence to be for God only and the universe to have no existence by its own or without God.
Salafi criticism
Some Salafis criticize the concept of wahdat ul-wujood on the grounds that it was a product of Arab interaction with Hindu philosophy, and is not a purely Islamic concept. Others also cite similarities with Kabbalah.
Sufi Criticism
Some Sufis have critcised wahdat ul-wujood with great impact such as Ahmad Sirhindi ''(Mujaddid Alif Sani)''. He wrote about the sayings that universe has no existence of its own and is a shadow of the existence of the necessary being. He also wrote that one should discern the existence of universe from the absolute and the absolute does not exist because of existence but because of his essence.[2]
Similarity to other belief systems
It is also speculated that the concept of wahdat ul-wujood could be product of Arab interaction with Hindu mystics and literature, specifically in reference to the non-dualistic teachings of the Upanishads, which preaches very similar concepts in regards to reality being an illusion and the only true existence being Brahman. The Upanishads were translated into Arabic during Muslim rule of South Asia. However this concept was developed in Spain during the Muslim rule, much before Muslim rule in India.
Wahdat-ul-Shuhud
'Apparentism' is the closest English approximation of the Sufi philosophy of ''wah-dat-ul-shuhud'', ''wahdat-ul-shuhud,'' or ''wahdatul shuhud'' (Arabic: Lit: Unity of Witness).
Abu Hafs Umar al-Suhrawardi (1145 - 1234 A.D.) was the author of Awarif-ul-Maarif and was a proponent of apparentism.
Later exponents of this view include Abd-al-karim Jili (died 1408 A.D.), author of Al-Insan-ul-Kamil ("The Perfect Man").
The main proponent of this theory in South Asia was Ahmad Sirhindi.According to his doctrine, any experience of unity between God and the world he has created is purely subjective and occurs only in the mind of the believer; it has no objective counterpart in the real world. The former position, Shaykh Ahmad felt, led to pantheism, which was contrary to the tenets of Sunnite Islam.
Wahdat
Shah Waliullah made the first attempt to reconcile the two (apparently) contradictory doctrines of wahdat al-wujud (unity of being) of Ibn al-'Arabi and wahdat al-shuhud (unity in conscience) of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi. Shaykh Muhyi al-Din ibn al- 'Arabi, the advocate of wahdat al-wujud, was of the opinion that being in reality is one and God. All other actual and possible beings in the universe are manifestations and states or modes of his Divine Names and Attributes. By the act of creation through the word kun (be), Ibn al-'Arabi means the descent of Absolute Existence into the determined beings through various stages. This gradual descent of the Absolute Existence is called tanazzulat al-khamsa (five descents) or ta'ayyunat al-khamsa (five determinations) in Sufi terminology. On the other hand, according to Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi, the exponent of the doctrine of wahdat al-shuhud, God and creation are not identical; rather, the latter is a shadow or reflection of the Divines Name and Attributes when they are reflected in the mirrors of their opposite non-beings (a'dam al-mutaqabila). Shah Wali Allah neatly resolved the conflict, calling these differences 'verbal controversies' which have come about because of ambiguous language. If we leave, he says, all the metaphors and similes used for the expression of ideas aside, the apparently opposite views of the two metaphysicians will agree. The positive result of Shah Wali Allah's reconciliatory efforts was twofold: it brought about harmony between the two opposing groups of metaphysicians, and it also legitimized the doctrine of wahdat al-wujud among the mutakallimun (theologians), who previously had not been ready to accept it.
In his books Lamahat and Sata'at, he discusses stages of being, the perceptive faculty, the relation of the abstract with the universe, the universal soul and the souls of man, after death, essence, miracles, the scope of man, the soul of the perfect, universal order, source of manifestation, and the transformation of mystics from quality to quality. He also demonstrated that the long-standing assumption that Sufi doctrine was divided between Apparentism and Unity of Being was a difference of expression alone, the latter doctrine (of Ibn 'Arabi) being seen as merely a less-advanced stage of projection.
References
★ ''God Speaks, The Theme and Purpose of Creation.'' Meher Baba, Dodd Meade, 1955. (second edition, p. 280)
Further reading
★ ''Thaqīq al-haqq fi'l kalamat al-haqq'' a book by Peer Mahr Ali Shah
★ A Salafi refutation of the concept
See also
★ Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi (1153 - 1191).
★ Emanationism
★ Illuminationist philosophy
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