The Philosophy of Wahdat al-Wujud
The Sufi doctrine of “Wahdat al-Wujud” (the Unity of Being) is sheer misguidance, shirk, and fabrication against Allah. It has no connection whatsoever with Islamic Shari’ah. In fact, the philosophy of “Wahdat al-Wujud” was taken by the Sufis from “Hinduism.” The greatest cause of the spread of shirk among Hindu yogis is the doctrine of “Wahdat al-Wujud.” Hindus express it as “Har mein Har hai,” meaning that Allah exists in everything, and Persian-speaking dervishes give this philosophy the name “Hama Ust.” According to them, not only humans but also dogs, cats, pigs, animals, birds, in short every single thing in the world, is a lord. Hindu dervishes say:
“Flesh is flesh, all is one, whether it is a pig or a cow.”
The Beginning of This Philosophy in Islam:
Undoubtedly, it was Junayd al-Baghdadi who laid the foundation of the philosophy of “Wahdat al-Wujud.” Professor Yusuf Saleem Chishti derived from his treatises some of the teachings concerning Tawhid and the Essence and Attributes of Allah the Exalted, a few of which are mentioned in the lines below.
When Junayd al-Baghdadi was asked about the meaning and concept of Tawhid, he answered:
“Allah makes death come upon the servant as a servant, and then revives him again in His own Being.”
Professor Sahib further writes:
“Junayd has also made clear that the attributes and actions of Allah are all absorbed in His Being, meaning they are included in it, and that there is no distinction among them. When the seeker reaches this station of Tawhid, he comes to know that the attributes and actions are all absorbed in the Being. At that time, he himself is completely absorbed into the Divine Being, that is, the matter becomes like ‘I have become You, and You have become I’.”
Junayd al-Baghdadi’s student Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj (crucified in 309 AH) was killed in Baghdad in a very brutal manner. He uttered in his own tongue a sentence of two words, which Islam has indeed forgiven, but has not forgotten: “أَنَا الْحَقُّ,” meaning “I am God.”
He also says:
“I am the One whom I desire or love, and the One whom I love is me. We are two souls residing in one body. If you see me, you see Him, and if you see Him, you see both of us.”
And Ibn Arabi also belongs to those who hold this false belief. He remained engaged throughout his whole life in its propagation and promotion. Accordingly, he succeeded in his endeavour. The result was that many Muslims and dervishes too were swept away by this current. Shaykh Ibn Arabi, in his famous work “Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya,” described the reality of “Wahdat al-Wujud” as follows:
“Pure is He who created things and remained Himself the very essence of things.”
In his other work “Fusus al-Hikam” he wrote:
“O You who create things and remain included among them! Indeed, You are merged within Your creation. What You create is infinite within Your Being. (Thus) You are limited on one side and unlimited on the other.”
This “Shaykh al-Akbar” of Sufism becomes so intoxicated with this disbelieving belief that he says:
“These dogs and pigs are indeed our gods. Allah is sitting as a priest in the church.” ( نعوذ باللہ من ھذہ الخر عبلات )
False Interpretations of Quranic Verses:
“Shaykh al-Akbar” makes false and arbitrary interpretations of Quranic verses, presents them as the original teachings of the Quran, and names “Wahdat al-Wujud” as Quranic Sufism. Behold, here is a sample of esoteric exegesis or false interpretation.
contains the Divine declaration:
((قَالَ عَذَابِیْۤ اُصِیْبُ بِهٖ مَنْ اَشَآءُۚ-وَ رَحْمَتِیْ وَ سِعَتْ كُلَّ شَیْءٍؕ))
“I inflict My punishment on whom I will, but My mercy encompasses all things.”
According to Ibn Arabi, its interpretation is this:
((أَي عَذَابُ الشَّوْقِ الْمَخْصُوصِ فِي الْحَاصِلُ مِنْ جِهَتِي وَإِنْ كَانَ إِلَيْهَا أَلَمُ الْفِرَاقِ لَكِنَّهُ أَمْرٌ عَزِيزٌ خَطِيرٌ وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ لَا تَخْتَصُّ بِأَحَدٍ دُونَ أَحَدٍ غَيْرَهُ وَشَيْءٌ دُونَ شَيْءٍ . ))
“That is, the particular longing that arises from Me and from My side, although the pain of separation is painful for it, is a rare and lofty matter; and the statement ‘My mercy encompasses all things’ means that it is not specific to any person or any thing, nor to one thing rather than another.”
Dear readers, you have seen the disregard for the vast mercy of Allah the Exalted. Now also see the superiority of His punishment over His mercy. Ibn Arabi writes:
((وَلَعُمُرِى إِنَّ هَذَا الْعَذَابَ أَعَزُّ مِنْ كِبَرِيتِ الْأَحْمَرِ وَأَمَّا رَحْمَتُهُ فَلَا يَخُلُو مِنْ حَظِّ مِنْهَا أَحَدٌ .))
“And this punishment is more precious and rarer than red sulphur, while as for His mercy, no one is free of some share of it.”
Sayyid Rashid Rida al-Misri, rebutting the “philosophy of Wahdat al-Wujud” of Shaykh Ibn Arabi, writes:
(( وَيُصَرِّحُ بِأَنَّ الْخَالِقَ وَالْمَخْلُوقَ وَاحِدٌ فِي الْحَقِيقَةِ وَإِنَّمَا الْاِخْتِلَافُ فِي الصُّورَةِ. ))
And (Ibn Arabi) makes explicit that between the Creator and the creation there is only a difference of form and appearance, while in reality the Creator and the creation are one and the same thing.”
Shaykh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyya, may Allah have mercy on him, presented the summary and essence of the beliefs of the Sufis who hold “Wahdat al-Wujud,” which is as follows:
➊ Allah has neither created anything nor fashioned their forms, because there is no existence of anything other than His existence. Therefore, how can the Lord be the creator of His own Being?
➋ God has neither created anything nor fashioned their forms, because there is no existence of anything apart from His existence. So how can the Lord be the creator of His own essence?
➌ Allah is not the Lord of the worlds, nor is He the Owner of the kingdom, because there is no existence of anything apart from His existence; rather, everything is His essence. So how can the Lord be the “Lord” of His own essence? (Although Allah has Himself declared Himself to be the Lord of the worlds in Surah al-Fatihah, in this way these people reject and deny the Qur’an.)
➍ Allah is not the creator of anyone; He has given nothing to anyone, has not shown mercy upon anyone, has not guided anyone. He has not bestowed any blessing of any kind upon anyone, has not taught anyone any knowledge. Through Him no one reaches good or evil, neither benefit nor harm, neither giving nor withholding, neither guidance nor misguidance, because everything is Allah. There is no servant to whom provision is given, nor any misguidance from which guidance is given. (In this way these people are, in effect, deniers of prophethood and of the prophets and messengers.)
Dear readers! Our very close friend Abdul Rahman came to our place, and with him was a man named Shafqat Shah, who holds these same beliefs. He was saying that whoever says Allah the Exalted has shown mercy upon so-and-so, bestowed His grace, is the greatest liar, because He does not show His mercy upon anyone, and has never done so. He said that on television it is often stated that whoever sends one blessing upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Allah the Exalted sends ten mercies upon him. One day I said to my family, “Look, I send a hundred (100) blessings upon the name of the Prophet ﷺ.” When I had uttered this sentence, I asked my family whether I had sent a hundred (100) blessings or not, and the answer was yes. Then he says that I said, “Now tell me, what mercy has descended upon me in return for it?” This is all lies. (العیاذ باللہ)
And observe their belief regarding the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Shaykh Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Khaliq, a well-known writer of the Arab world, writes in his celebrated book “Fada’ih Sufiyyah”:
(( يَعْتَقِدُ الصُّوفِيَةُ فِي الرَّسُول أَيْضًا عَقَائِدَ شَتَّى فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يُزَعَمُ أَنَّ الرَّسُولَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمْ يَصِلُ إِلَى مَرْتَبَتِهِمْ وَحَالِهِمْ وَإِنَّهُ كَانَ جَاهِلا لِعُلُومِ رِجَالِ التَّصَوُّفِ كَمَا قَالَ الْبَسْطَامِي: حُضُنَا بحْرًا وَقَفَ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ بِسَاحِلِهِ.))
Regarding the Messenger of Allah ﷺ too, the Sufis hold various beliefs. Among them are some who presume that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ could not attain their rank and state, because he was unaware of the special knowledge of the men of Sufism. Thus (Bayazid) al-Bistami said:
“We plunged into the ocean (of gnosis) while the prophets and messengers remained standing on its shore.”
In any case, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah further states that the adherents of the philosophy of Wahdat al-Wujood say:
➎ Calling people to Allah and His religion is a deception and trickery against them. Man is himself his own end, his own deity; he himself is Allah, and there is nothing beyond him that he should worship or invite others to worship.
➏ It is Allah Himself who bows and prostrates and performs servitude and obedience. It is He who fasts and goes hungry. He sleeps and wakes. He is afflicted with illnesses and it is He who is cured. He is characterised by all defects and imperfections. Every disbelief and transgression is part of His existence, because there is no existence of anything apart from Him.
➐ Claimants to divinity such as Pharaoh and the Dajjal are, in their view, worthy of reverence. Pharaoh and Iblis were both gnostics of Allah, and they will attain salvation. According to these people, Pharaoh’s knowledge was greater than that of Musa, because worship of anything is in reality worship of Allah. Ibn Arabi, explaining Pharaoh’s statement (أَنَا رَبُّكُمُ الأعلی), writes that its meaning is that although in one respect all are lords, yet I am the highest and most exalted among them all, because the office of rulership is apparently with me among you.
➑ Those who worshipped Lat, Uzza, Manat, Wadd, Suwa’, Yaghuth, Ya’uq, Nasr, Shi’ra, the stars, the sun, the moon, Christ, Uzair and the angels, as well as the peoples of Noah, ‘Ad, Thamud, the people of Pharaoh, the Children of Israel, and all the polytheists, in whatever idols they worshipped, in reality worshipped Allah! It is inconceivable that they worshipped anyone other than Allah, because Allah is present in everything!
Wahdat al-Wujood and Wahdat al-Adyan:
According to these people, the distinction between faith and disbelief and so on is only at the level of paths, not at the destination. Every sect is upon the correct path. Consider the following verses of the well-known elder of the Chishti order, Shah Niyaz Ahmad Barelvi, in which Wahdat al-Wujood and Wahdat al-Adyan are expressly advocated. For example:
All these religions and nations are branches of one tree, sprouting from one root, these shoots that have emerged, all sprouting forth. He who is the Lord of the Sacred House is the idol too; I see the Ka’bah and the temple alike.
The Brahmin acknowledges this one and the Shaykh that one; this mutual quarrel is what I see here.
Maulana Rumi’s malfuzat “Fihi Ma Fihi” states:
“The difference of faith and disbelief is also only up to the paths, not at the destination. Everyone may quarrel and dispute: this path is wrong, that path is right, this one is upon truth, that one upon falsehood. When they reach the destination, it becomes clear that all the differences were of the path only, and the goal of everyone was one.”
Refutation of this view from the Qur’an and Sunnah:
However, when we examine the philosophy of Wahdat al-Wujud and the unity of religions by the criterion of the Qur’an, these misleading illusions vanish like (هَبَآءً مَّنْثُوْرًا).
The Almighty says:
( اَفَمَنْ كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا كَمَنْ كَانَ فَاسِقًا لَا یَسْتَوٗنَ)
“Is one who is a believer like one who is a defiant sinner? They are not equal.”
He further said:
(لَلَا یَسْتَوِیْۤ اَصْحٰبُ النَّارِ وَ اَصْحٰبُ الْجَنَّةِؕ-اَصْحٰبُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمُ الْفَآىٕزُوْنَ)
“The companions of the Fire and the companions of Paradise are not equal; the companions of Paradise are the successful ones.”
The above and countless similar Qur’anic verses loudly proclaim that the division of belief and action between believers and disbelievers was made by Allah, the Lord of Honour Himself, yet the proponents of the philosophy of Wahdat al-Wujud are not pleased with this division and are deeply distressed by it.
May Allah protect us from their evil and their mischief. The Qur’an and the Prophetic Hadiths ﷺ strongly negate this belief. Allah is separate from His creation. His being (( منبابن عن الخلق .)) (separate from the creation) is evidence that the doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujud is false and purely shirk.
Allah is established above the Throne.
(اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوٰى)
“The Most Merciful is established upon the Throne.”
And this attribute of Allah (istiwa’) is found in
.
Blocking this fitnah through the elders and the righteous predecessors:
Whenever a fitnah has raised its head, the predecessors suppressed it. Therefore, in eradicating this fitnah and uprooting this shirk-based belief, they left no stone unturned. Accordingly, while discussing the philosophy of Wahdat al-Wujud, Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
((بَطَلَ قُولُ أَهْلِ الْإِلْحَادِ الْقَائِلِينَ بِوَحْدَةِ الْوُجُودِ .))
“The statement of those heretics who hold the belief of Wahdat al-Wujud has been refuted.”
Imam al-Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him), in his famous book “At-Tafriqa bayn al-Islam wa al-Zandaqah”, writes:
(( وَمِنْ جِنْسِ ذَلِكَ مَا يَدَّعِيْهِ بَعْضُ مَنْ يُدْعَى التَّصَرُّفَ أَنَّهُ بَلَغَ حَالَةٌ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ اللهِ تَعَالَى أُسْقِطَتْ عَنْهُ الصَّلَوةُ وَحَلَّ لَهُ شُرَبُ الشكرِ الْمَعَاصِي فَهَذَا مِمَّا لَا أَشُتُ فِي وُجُوبِ قَتْلِهِ إِذْ ضَرَرُهُ فِي الدِّينِ أعْظَمُ . ))
“The claim of some of those who claim Sufism (is false) that he has reached such a state with Allah that prayer has been dropped from him and sins such as drinking wine have become lawful for him. In such a case, I have no doubt about the obligation of killing the one who says this, since his harm to the religion is immense.”
May Allah grant us the understanding of the truth. (Ameen)
