This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book "Where is Allah?"
Mr. Nisar Ahmad Khan Fathi, the authorized successor of Qari Fateh Muhammad Panipati, writes:
All Sufi gentlemen believe in Wahdat al-Wujud, meaning they negate the existence of anything other than the existence of Allah Almighty and say, "La Mawjuda Illallah" (There is no existence except Allah). And the multiplicity of things that is seen in this world, they say that these do not have their own separate existence, but rather all these universes and things of the universe are manifestations of the existence of Allah Almighty and are the manifestation of His names and attributes.
Without any suspicion of degradation or change, just as a shadow is of a person on the ground, it cannot be said that the shadow is united with that person or is the essence of that person, or that the person has descended and appeared in the form of a shadow, but rather that person is in his original state, and the shadow has come into existence from him without any suspicion of degradation or change.
The view of Sheikh Muhiuddin Ibn Arabi is that everything except Allah is non-existent, and existence belongs only to the Being of Allah Almighty, and whatever else is seen is the essence of His Holy Being; it has no separate existence of its own.
Note: This book has endorsements from Mufti Muhammad Yusuf Ludhianvi, Mufti Abdul Sattar (Professor, Jamia Khair Ul Madaris Multan), and Syed Raziuddin Ahmed Fakhri.
He also writes:
'Ayniyat (identity) and ghairiyat (difference) are two significant terms in the issue of Wahdat al-Wujud (Unity of Existence). 'Ayn means the sameness of two things. The Sufis of Wahdat al-Wujud prove 'ayniyat between the Creator and the creation, stating that there is no existence except that of Allah, the Existent by Necessity (Wajib al-Wujud), and whatever is seen in the world does not have an existence separate from the existence of Allah. Since the creation is a manifestation of the Creator's attribute of creation, and an attribute cannot be separated from the one it belongs to, the creation is not separate from the Creator.
Thus, Maulana Jami states this in the twenty-fifth flash:
So, this universe is the outward manifestation of Allah, and Allah is its inward reality. This universe, before manifestation, was the very essence of Allah, and Allah, after manifestation, is the very essence of the universe. In reality, existence is one, and manifestation and hiddenness, being first and being last, are merely relative and attributed, as Allah stated in the Quran: هُوَ الأَوَّلُ وَالآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ۔
Some misguided and ignorant individuals understood this relationship of 'ayniyat between the Creator and the creation in a literal and real sense, thus misleading themselves and leading thousands astray.
Explaining Wahdat al-Wujud, Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki states:
It is obligatory to know the nature of identity and difference, because until one is familiar with it, the nature of the issue of Wahdat al-Wujud (Unity of Existence) will not be understood. Those who have gone astray into heresy due to pondering the issue of Wahdat al-Wujud did so because they did not understand the issue of identity and difference. And whoever investigates these two matters first, it becomes easy for him to understand all issues. Although the issue of identity and difference is related to the knowledge of the six levels of descent (tanazzulat-e-sitta), this humble one does not engage in that length. Briefly, it is submitted that both identity and difference are established between the servant ('abd) and the Lord (Rabb): identity from one perspective and difference from another. For example, if a person places several mirrors around himself, his essence and attributes will be exactly reflected in each mirror. Things like joy, sorrow, laughter, and weeping also appear in the reflection of the mirror. For this reason, it can be said that the reflection is identical to that person, but this identity is technical and metaphorical, not literal. If it were literal, then whatever happens to the reflection would also have to happen to the person, but if a stone is thrown at the reflection or any impurity is cast upon it, the person will not be harmed by it, nor will he be defiled by the impurity. Rather, he will remain free and pure from these defects in his original state. Thus, metaphorical difference is established. So, identity and difference are both found in the person and the reflection, and in the same way, identity and difference are both found in the servant and the Lord. It should be known that whoever believes in a real, literal identity between the servant and the Lord and denies difference is an atheist and a heretic, because with this belief, there remains no distinction between the worshiper and the worshiped, the prostrator and the prostrated to, and this is unreal, we seek refuge in Allah from that!
Then, further clarifying this issue, Hazrat Haji Imdadullah Quddas Sirruhu states:
A subtle example comes to mind here: before existence, the servant was the hidden inner self of God, and God was the manifest outer self of the servant. is evidence of this. Realities were contained and hidden within His absolute essence and were manifest only to His essence. Then, when the essence willed that manifestation should occur in a different manner, He manifested the realities (a'yan) in their garments of receptivity with the gleam of His manifestation, and He Himself became hidden from their sight due to the intensity of His manifestation. It is like you, that the tree with all its branches, leaves, and flowers was hidden within the seed, as if the seed was actual and the tree was potential. When the seed manifested its inner self, it hid itself. Now, whoever sees, sees only the tree; the seed is not visible. If you reflect, you are manifest in the form of the tree. Although in one way, the seed and the tree are one, there is no separation, identity is found.
Maulana Abdul Hameed Khan Swati (founder of Madrasah Nusrat-ul-Uloom Gujranwala) says:
How regrettable and ignorant it is to say that the scholars of Deoband did not believe in Wahdat al-Wujud. The scholars of Deoband and their leaders and guides also strongly believed in this matter.
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi says:
The meaning of Wahdat al-Wujud is that no other independent existence should be understood except God. In this regard, he stated that Hazrat Haji Imdadullah Sahib, in response to Maulvi Ahmad Hasan Sahib, said that the Sheikh is the essence of the Messenger, but rather the essence of the Truth, no, the form of the Truth. Hazrat Haji Sahib had a habit of looking around in the gathering and saying: Is there any stranger? Once, he kept repeating this sentence: Where is the stranger, where is the stranger. We knew Hazrat Haji Sahib's disposition, that Hazrat was overcome by Wahdat al-Wujud.
Thanvi Sahib further says:
It is written about the circumstances of Hazrat Bayazid that in the state of overwhelming ecstasy, he would say: سُبْحَانِي مَا أَعْظَمَ شَانِي۔. The disciples submitted that Hazrat utters this phrase in the state of ecstasy. He said that I do wrong. If such a phrase escapes my lips this time, then take knives and attack me, finish me off. So it happened. That venerable person was again overcome and the same مَا أَعْظَمَ شَانِي came out of his mouth. According to the order, the disciples attacked from all sides, but all of them were wounded themselves. The venerable person regained consciousness and, seeing the wounded, inquired what the matter was? Why didn't you attack? It was submitted: Wow, Hazrat! You devised a good plan, you made us finish ourselves. And the whole incident was revealed. He said: So, it is known from this that I do not say that thing. If I said it, I would deserve punishment. Someone else is the speaker.
Then, in explaining it, he said: Look, when Hazrat Musa (Moses) عليه السلام appeared on Mount Tur, a voice came from the tree of Tur: إِنِّي أَنَا الله۔. When there can be importance in the tree being a manifestation, then what is far-fetched in a human becoming a manifestation?
Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki says:
Wilayat (Sainthood) is called annihilation in God and attaining one's survival through God's survival and one's manifestation through God's manifestation.
Benefit: Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi says about Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki:
Hazrat Sahib رحمه الله has the same beliefs as the Ahl-e-Haq (People of Truth).
Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi wrote a letter to Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki:
"O Allah, forgive me! That which has been written by the instruction of the Hazrat: I am a liar, I am nothing, it is only Your shadow, it is only Your existence, what am I, I am nothing, and that which I am, that is You, and me and You is itself the greatest polytheism."
Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Sahib says:
Zamin Ali Jalalabadi had many prostitutes as disciples in Saharanpur. Once he was staying at a prostitute's house in Saharanpur. All the female disciples came to visit their Mian Sahib, but one prostitute did not come. Mian Sahib said, "Why hasn't so-and-so come?" The prostitutes replied, "Mian Sahib! We told her many times to come and visit Mian Sahib. She said, 'I am very sinful and have a blackened face. How can I show my face to Mian Sahib? I am not worthy of visiting.' " Mian Sahib said, "No, you must bring her to us." So the prostitutes brought her. When she came in front, Mian Sahib asked, "Why didn't you come, madam?" She said, "Hazrat! I am ashamed to come for a visit because of my blackened face." Mian Sahib said, "Why are you ashamed, madam? Who is the doer and who is the enabler? It is He." Hearing this, the prostitute became furious and angrily said, "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. Even though I am sinful and have a blackened face, I would not even urinate on the face of such a pir." Mian Sahib was ashamed and remained silent, and she got up and left.
Note: Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Sahib says about the aforementioned Zamin Ali:
"Zamin Ali Jalalabadi was immersed in Tawhid (Oneness of God)." (Ibid.)
Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki Sahib says:
"O discerning one! The issue of Wahdat al-Wujud is true and correct. There is no doubt or ambiguity in this matter. This is the belief of the faqirs, the mashaikh, and all those who have pledged allegiance to this faqir. The late Maulvi Muhammad Qasim Sahib (founder of Darul Uloom Deoband), Maulvi Rashid Ahmad (Gangohi) Sahib, Maulvi Muhammad Yaqub Nanautawi Sahib, Maulvi Ahmad Hasan Sahib, and others are dear to this faqir and are connected to this faqir. They will never adopt a path contrary to the beliefs of this faqir or contrary to the way of the mashaikh."
Maulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri Sahib says:
قوله: «كنت سمعه» بصيغة المتكلم، يدل على أنه لم يبق من المتقرب بالنوافل إلا جسده وشبحه، وصار المتصرف فيه الحضرة الإلهية فحسب، وهو الذي عناه الصوفية بالفناء في الله، أي الإنسلاخ عن داوي نفسه، حتى لا يكون المتصرف فيه إلا هو، وفي الحديث لمعة إلى وحدة الوجود، وكان مشايحنا مولعين بتلك المسألة إلى زمن الشاه عبد العزيز، أما أنا فلست بمتشدد فيها.
Translation: "I become his ear" - the first-person pronoun indicates that only the body and existence of the one who draws near through voluntary acts of worship remain, until the divine presence occurs in that which is being acted upon. In the terminology of the Sufis, this is called Fana fi Allah, meaning to lose control, until Allah alone is the one acting. This hadith indicates the proof of Wahdat al-Wujud. Until the time of Shah Abdul Aziz, our mashaikh emphasized this issue, but I am not strict about it.
Maulana Abdul Hameed Swati Sahib says:
"The elders of the scholars of Deoband, Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi (d. 1297 AH) and Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani (d. 1377 AH), and other elders believed in the doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujud."
Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan Sahib explains the meaning of Wahdat al-Wujud:
Existence, in and of itself, is for the Necessary Existent (Wajib Ta'ala). Other than Him, all existents are His shadows and reflections, so in reality, there is only one existence.
He also says:
Names are manifestations of attributes, and attributes are manifestations of the Essence (Dhat), and the manifestation of a manifestation is a manifestation, so all creation is a manifestation of the Essence.
How is it that a person of high status sees Allah everywhere? He replied: The example of this is that a person who goes into a hall of mirrors will see himself everywhere. Therefore, this is the origin, and all the forms are its shadows, but these forms will not be characterized by its attributes of the Self, such as hearing, seeing, etc., because these forms are only shadows of its outer surface, not of the Self, and hearing and seeing are attributes of the Self, not of the outer surface. Therefore, the effect of the Self will not be produced in these shadows, unlike the human being, who is the shadow of the Self of Allah Almighty, and therefore benefits from the shadows of the attributes according to his capacity.
He also says:
Existence is one, and the Existent is one, and all else is its shadow.
"The sign of a true ecstatic (Majzoob) is that he never opposes the Sacred Law (Shariah). Hazrat Sayyidi Musa Suhag رحمه الله تعالى عليه was among the famous ecstatics. His shrine is in Ahmedabad, which I have had the honor of visiting. He kept a feminine appearance. Once, there was a severe famine, and the king, judge, and elders gathered and went to him for prayer. He kept refusing, saying, 'What am I capable of praying for?' When the people's lamentations exceeded the limit, he picked up a stone and brought it towards the bangles on his other hand, and raising his face towards the sky, said: 'Either send rain or take away my Suhag (marital status).' It was no sooner said than clouds rose towards the mountains and filled the land with water. One day, at the time of Friday prayer, he was going to the market. The city's judge was passing by, going to the main mosque. He came, and upon seeing him, enjoined good (امر بالمعروف) by saying that this appearance is forbidden for men, that he should wear masculine clothes and go to prayer. He did not deny or oppose this. He took off the bangles, jewelry, and feminine clothes and headed to the mosque, listened to the sermon. When the congregation was established and the Imam said the opening Takbir, as soon as he heard Allahu Akbar, his condition changed, and he said: 'Allahu Akbar! My husband is the Ever-Living who will never die, and these people are trying to make me a widow.' No sooner had he said this than he was covered from head to toe in the same red dress and the same bangles."
Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi Sahib writes:
"God Almighty is free from place, time, composition, and essence; He does not reside in any place."
He further writes:
"To believe that God is in every place is religious."
He also writes:
"To be present and watching in every place is by no means a quality of God. God Almighty is free from place and space."
He further writes:
"Hearing a voice from afar is certainly not a attribute of God, because one who hears a voice from afar is distant from the caller. But the Lord Almighty is closer than the jugular vein."
In the marginal notes of Muqabis al-Majalis known as Isharat Faridi, while explaining the statement of Ghulam Farid Mithankotvi, it is written:
What is meant by "Haq Faa'il" (The Truth is the Doer) and "Abdullah" (Slave of Allah) is that the servant will be completely lost in Allah Almighty, and only Allah will remain. Therefore, whatever action occurs, its doer will be Allah Almighty, and the servant will be removed from the middle. The servant will not become God, but rather the servant will be obliterated, and Allah will remain.
Pir Ghulam Farid Mithankot Wala says:
"In the nearness of voluntary prayers (Nawafil), there is annihilation in the attributes (Fana fi al-Sifat), not in the essence (Dhat), meaning that the servant's essence becomes characterized by the attributes of the Truth. In the nearness of obligatory duties (Fara'iz), there is annihilation in the essence (Fana fi al-Dhat)."
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani wrote:
"I saw in one of my revelations that I myself am God, and I was convinced that I was indeed Him. I had no will, no thought, and no action of my own. I became like a perforated vessel or like something that another thing has pressed into its side and completely hidden within itself, to the point that no trace of it remained. In the meantime, I saw that the spirit of Allah Almighty encompassed me and, dominating my body, concealed me within His being, until not a single particle of me remained. And when I looked at my body, my limbs had become His limbs, my eye His eye, my ear His ear, and my tongue His tongue. My Lord seized me, and seized me in such a way that I was completely absorbed in Him, and I saw that His power and strength surged within me, and His divinity billowed within me."
Believers in the Doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujud in the Recent Past
Mr. Nisar Ahmad Khan Fathi, the authorized successor of Qari Fateh Muhammad Panipati, writes:
All Sufi gentlemen believe in Wahdat al-Wujud, meaning they negate the existence of anything other than the existence of Allah Almighty and say, "La Mawjuda Illallah" (There is no existence except Allah). And the multiplicity of things that is seen in this world, they say that these do not have their own separate existence, but rather all these universes and things of the universe are manifestations of the existence of Allah Almighty and are the manifestation of His names and attributes.
Without any suspicion of degradation or change, just as a shadow is of a person on the ground, it cannot be said that the shadow is united with that person or is the essence of that person, or that the person has descended and appeared in the form of a shadow, but rather that person is in his original state, and the shadow has come into existence from him without any suspicion of degradation or change.
The view of Sheikh Muhiuddin Ibn Arabi is that everything except Allah is non-existent, and existence belongs only to the Being of Allah Almighty, and whatever else is seen is the essence of His Holy Being; it has no separate existence of its own.
Reference: (Aina-e-Salook, p. 110)
Note: This book has endorsements from Mufti Muhammad Yusuf Ludhianvi, Mufti Abdul Sattar (Professor, Jamia Khair Ul Madaris Multan), and Syed Raziuddin Ahmed Fakhri.
He also writes:
'Ayniyat (identity) and ghairiyat (difference) are two significant terms in the issue of Wahdat al-Wujud (Unity of Existence). 'Ayn means the sameness of two things. The Sufis of Wahdat al-Wujud prove 'ayniyat between the Creator and the creation, stating that there is no existence except that of Allah, the Existent by Necessity (Wajib al-Wujud), and whatever is seen in the world does not have an existence separate from the existence of Allah. Since the creation is a manifestation of the Creator's attribute of creation, and an attribute cannot be separated from the one it belongs to, the creation is not separate from the Creator.
Thus, Maulana Jami states this in the twenty-fifth flash:
So, this universe is the outward manifestation of Allah, and Allah is its inward reality. This universe, before manifestation, was the very essence of Allah, and Allah, after manifestation, is the very essence of the universe. In reality, existence is one, and manifestation and hiddenness, being first and being last, are merely relative and attributed, as Allah stated in the Quran: هُوَ الأَوَّلُ وَالآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ۔
Some misguided and ignorant individuals understood this relationship of 'ayniyat between the Creator and the creation in a literal and real sense, thus misleading themselves and leading thousands astray.
Explaining Wahdat al-Wujud, Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki states:
It is obligatory to know the nature of identity and difference, because until one is familiar with it, the nature of the issue of Wahdat al-Wujud (Unity of Existence) will not be understood. Those who have gone astray into heresy due to pondering the issue of Wahdat al-Wujud did so because they did not understand the issue of identity and difference. And whoever investigates these two matters first, it becomes easy for him to understand all issues. Although the issue of identity and difference is related to the knowledge of the six levels of descent (tanazzulat-e-sitta), this humble one does not engage in that length. Briefly, it is submitted that both identity and difference are established between the servant ('abd) and the Lord (Rabb): identity from one perspective and difference from another. For example, if a person places several mirrors around himself, his essence and attributes will be exactly reflected in each mirror. Things like joy, sorrow, laughter, and weeping also appear in the reflection of the mirror. For this reason, it can be said that the reflection is identical to that person, but this identity is technical and metaphorical, not literal. If it were literal, then whatever happens to the reflection would also have to happen to the person, but if a stone is thrown at the reflection or any impurity is cast upon it, the person will not be harmed by it, nor will he be defiled by the impurity. Rather, he will remain free and pure from these defects in his original state. Thus, metaphorical difference is established. So, identity and difference are both found in the person and the reflection, and in the same way, identity and difference are both found in the servant and the Lord. It should be known that whoever believes in a real, literal identity between the servant and the Lord and denies difference is an atheist and a heretic, because with this belief, there remains no distinction between the worshiper and the worshiped, the prostrator and the prostrated to, and this is unreal, we seek refuge in Allah from that!
Then, further clarifying this issue, Hazrat Haji Imdadullah Quddas Sirruhu states:
A subtle example comes to mind here: before existence, the servant was the hidden inner self of God, and God was the manifest outer self of the servant. is evidence of this. Realities were contained and hidden within His absolute essence and were manifest only to His essence. Then, when the essence willed that manifestation should occur in a different manner, He manifested the realities (a'yan) in their garments of receptivity with the gleam of His manifestation, and He Himself became hidden from their sight due to the intensity of His manifestation. It is like you, that the tree with all its branches, leaves, and flowers was hidden within the seed, as if the seed was actual and the tree was potential. When the seed manifested its inner self, it hid itself. Now, whoever sees, sees only the tree; the seed is not visible. If you reflect, you are manifest in the form of the tree. Although in one way, the seed and the tree are one, there is no separation, identity is found.
Reference: (Aina-e-Sulook, pp. 113-114)
Maulana Abdul Hameed Khan Swati (founder of Madrasah Nusrat-ul-Uloom Gujranwala) says:
How regrettable and ignorant it is to say that the scholars of Deoband did not believe in Wahdat al-Wujud. The scholars of Deoband and their leaders and guides also strongly believed in this matter.
Reference: (Maqalat Swati, Part 1, p. 378)
Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi says:
The meaning of Wahdat al-Wujud is that no other independent existence should be understood except God. In this regard, he stated that Hazrat Haji Imdadullah Sahib, in response to Maulvi Ahmad Hasan Sahib, said that the Sheikh is the essence of the Messenger, but rather the essence of the Truth, no, the form of the Truth. Hazrat Haji Sahib had a habit of looking around in the gathering and saying: Is there any stranger? Once, he kept repeating this sentence: Where is the stranger, where is the stranger. We knew Hazrat Haji Sahib's disposition, that Hazrat was overcome by Wahdat al-Wujud.
Reference: (Al-Mufawwazat Hakeem-ul-Ummat: 15/203)
Thanvi Sahib further says:
It is written about the circumstances of Hazrat Bayazid that in the state of overwhelming ecstasy, he would say: سُبْحَانِي مَا أَعْظَمَ شَانِي۔. The disciples submitted that Hazrat utters this phrase in the state of ecstasy. He said that I do wrong. If such a phrase escapes my lips this time, then take knives and attack me, finish me off. So it happened. That venerable person was again overcome and the same مَا أَعْظَمَ شَانِي came out of his mouth. According to the order, the disciples attacked from all sides, but all of them were wounded themselves. The venerable person regained consciousness and, seeing the wounded, inquired what the matter was? Why didn't you attack? It was submitted: Wow, Hazrat! You devised a good plan, you made us finish ourselves. And the whole incident was revealed. He said: So, it is known from this that I do not say that thing. If I said it, I would deserve punishment. Someone else is the speaker.
Then, in explaining it, he said: Look, when Hazrat Musa (Moses) عليه السلام appeared on Mount Tur, a voice came from the tree of Tur: إِنِّي أَنَا الله۔. When there can be importance in the tree being a manifestation, then what is far-fetched in a human becoming a manifestation?
Reference: (Malfuzat Hakeem-ul-Ummat: 5/373-374)
Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki says:
Wilayat (Sainthood) is called annihilation in God and attaining one's survival through God's survival and one's manifestation through God's manifestation.
Reference: (Kulliyat-e-Imdad, p. 18)
Benefit: Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi says about Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki:
Hazrat Sahib رحمه الله has the same beliefs as the Ahl-e-Haq (People of Truth).
Reference: (Imdad al-Fatawa: 5/270)
Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi wrote a letter to Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki:
"O Allah, forgive me! That which has been written by the instruction of the Hazrat: I am a liar, I am nothing, it is only Your shadow, it is only Your existence, what am I, I am nothing, and that which I am, that is You, and me and You is itself the greatest polytheism."
Reference: (Faza'il-e-Sadaqat by Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi, Part Two, p. 557; Makatib-e-Rashidia, p. 36)
Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Sahib says:
Zamin Ali Jalalabadi had many prostitutes as disciples in Saharanpur. Once he was staying at a prostitute's house in Saharanpur. All the female disciples came to visit their Mian Sahib, but one prostitute did not come. Mian Sahib said, "Why hasn't so-and-so come?" The prostitutes replied, "Mian Sahib! We told her many times to come and visit Mian Sahib. She said, 'I am very sinful and have a blackened face. How can I show my face to Mian Sahib? I am not worthy of visiting.' " Mian Sahib said, "No, you must bring her to us." So the prostitutes brought her. When she came in front, Mian Sahib asked, "Why didn't you come, madam?" She said, "Hazrat! I am ashamed to come for a visit because of my blackened face." Mian Sahib said, "Why are you ashamed, madam? Who is the doer and who is the enabler? It is He." Hearing this, the prostitute became furious and angrily said, "La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. Even though I am sinful and have a blackened face, I would not even urinate on the face of such a pir." Mian Sahib was ashamed and remained silent, and she got up and left.
Reference: (Tazkirat-ur-Rashid by Muhammad Ashiq Ilahi Meerathi, Part Two, p. 242)
Note: Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Sahib says about the aforementioned Zamin Ali:
"Zamin Ali Jalalabadi was immersed in Tawhid (Oneness of God)." (Ibid.)
Haji Imdadullah Muhajir Makki Sahib says:
"O discerning one! The issue of Wahdat al-Wujud is true and correct. There is no doubt or ambiguity in this matter. This is the belief of the faqirs, the mashaikh, and all those who have pledged allegiance to this faqir. The late Maulvi Muhammad Qasim Sahib (founder of Darul Uloom Deoband), Maulvi Rashid Ahmad (Gangohi) Sahib, Maulvi Muhammad Yaqub Nanautawi Sahib, Maulvi Ahmad Hasan Sahib, and others are dear to this faqir and are connected to this faqir. They will never adopt a path contrary to the beliefs of this faqir or contrary to the way of the mashaikh."
Reference: (Shamaim Imdadiyah by Ashraf Ali Thanvi, Part Two, p. 32; Kulliyat Imdadiyah, p. 218)
Maulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri Sahib says:
قوله: «كنت سمعه» بصيغة المتكلم، يدل على أنه لم يبق من المتقرب بالنوافل إلا جسده وشبحه، وصار المتصرف فيه الحضرة الإلهية فحسب، وهو الذي عناه الصوفية بالفناء في الله، أي الإنسلاخ عن داوي نفسه، حتى لا يكون المتصرف فيه إلا هو، وفي الحديث لمعة إلى وحدة الوجود، وكان مشايحنا مولعين بتلك المسألة إلى زمن الشاه عبد العزيز، أما أنا فلست بمتشدد فيها.
Reference: (Faid al-Bari: 428/4)
Translation: "I become his ear" - the first-person pronoun indicates that only the body and existence of the one who draws near through voluntary acts of worship remain, until the divine presence occurs in that which is being acted upon. In the terminology of the Sufis, this is called Fana fi Allah, meaning to lose control, until Allah alone is the one acting. This hadith indicates the proof of Wahdat al-Wujud. Until the time of Shah Abdul Aziz, our mashaikh emphasized this issue, but I am not strict about it.
Maulana Abdul Hameed Swati Sahib says:
"The elders of the scholars of Deoband, Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi (d. 1297 AH) and Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani (d. 1377 AH), and other elders believed in the doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujud."
Reference: (Maqalat Swati, Part One, p. 375)
Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan Sahib explains the meaning of Wahdat al-Wujud:
Existence, in and of itself, is for the Necessary Existent (Wajib Ta'ala). Other than Him, all existents are His shadows and reflections, so in reality, there is only one existence.
Reference: (Al-Mufawwadat, Part One, p. 56)
He also says:
Names are manifestations of attributes, and attributes are manifestations of the Essence (Dhat), and the manifestation of a manifestation is a manifestation, so all creation is a manifestation of the Essence.
Reference: (Al-Mufawwadat, Part One, p. 59)
How is it that a person of high status sees Allah everywhere? He replied: The example of this is that a person who goes into a hall of mirrors will see himself everywhere. Therefore, this is the origin, and all the forms are its shadows, but these forms will not be characterized by its attributes of the Self, such as hearing, seeing, etc., because these forms are only shadows of its outer surface, not of the Self, and hearing and seeing are attributes of the Self, not of the outer surface. Therefore, the effect of the Self will not be produced in these shadows, unlike the human being, who is the shadow of the Self of Allah Almighty, and therefore benefits from the shadows of the attributes according to his capacity.
Reference: (Al-Mufawwazat, Part 1, p. 57)
He also says:
Existence is one, and the Existent is one, and all else is its shadow.
Reference: (Al-Mufawwazat, Part 1, p. 110)
"The sign of a true ecstatic (Majzoob) is that he never opposes the Sacred Law (Shariah). Hazrat Sayyidi Musa Suhag رحمه الله تعالى عليه was among the famous ecstatics. His shrine is in Ahmedabad, which I have had the honor of visiting. He kept a feminine appearance. Once, there was a severe famine, and the king, judge, and elders gathered and went to him for prayer. He kept refusing, saying, 'What am I capable of praying for?' When the people's lamentations exceeded the limit, he picked up a stone and brought it towards the bangles on his other hand, and raising his face towards the sky, said: 'Either send rain or take away my Suhag (marital status).' It was no sooner said than clouds rose towards the mountains and filled the land with water. One day, at the time of Friday prayer, he was going to the market. The city's judge was passing by, going to the main mosque. He came, and upon seeing him, enjoined good (امر بالمعروف) by saying that this appearance is forbidden for men, that he should wear masculine clothes and go to prayer. He did not deny or oppose this. He took off the bangles, jewelry, and feminine clothes and headed to the mosque, listened to the sermon. When the congregation was established and the Imam said the opening Takbir, as soon as he heard Allahu Akbar, his condition changed, and he said: 'Allahu Akbar! My husband is the Ever-Living who will never die, and these people are trying to make me a widow.' No sooner had he said this than he was covered from head to toe in the same red dress and the same bangles."
Reference: (Al-Mufawwazat, Part Two, p. 208)
Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi Sahib writes:
"God Almighty is free from place, time, composition, and essence; He does not reside in any place."
Reference: (Ja' al-Haq, p. 418)
He further writes:
"To believe that God is in every place is religious."
Reference: (Ibid., p. 162)
He also writes:
"To be present and watching in every place is by no means a quality of God. God Almighty is free from place and space."
Reference: (Ibid., p. 161)
He further writes:
"Hearing a voice from afar is certainly not a attribute of God, because one who hears a voice from afar is distant from the caller. But the Lord Almighty is closer than the jugular vein."
Reference: (Ibid., p. 190)
In the marginal notes of Muqabis al-Majalis known as Isharat Faridi, while explaining the statement of Ghulam Farid Mithankotvi, it is written:
What is meant by "Haq Faa'il" (The Truth is the Doer) and "Abdullah" (Slave of Allah) is that the servant will be completely lost in Allah Almighty, and only Allah will remain. Therefore, whatever action occurs, its doer will be Allah Almighty, and the servant will be removed from the middle. The servant will not become God, but rather the servant will be obliterated, and Allah will remain.
Reference: (Muqabis al-Majalis, p. 706)
Pir Ghulam Farid Mithankot Wala says:
"In the nearness of voluntary prayers (Nawafil), there is annihilation in the attributes (Fana fi al-Sifat), not in the essence (Dhat), meaning that the servant's essence becomes characterized by the attributes of the Truth. In the nearness of obligatory duties (Fara'iz), there is annihilation in the essence (Fana fi al-Dhat)."
Reference: (Muqabis al-Majalis, p. 706)
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani wrote:
"I saw in one of my revelations that I myself am God, and I was convinced that I was indeed Him. I had no will, no thought, and no action of my own. I became like a perforated vessel or like something that another thing has pressed into its side and completely hidden within itself, to the point that no trace of it remained. In the meantime, I saw that the spirit of Allah Almighty encompassed me and, dominating my body, concealed me within His being, until not a single particle of me remained. And when I looked at my body, my limbs had become His limbs, my eye His eye, my ear His ear, and my tongue His tongue. My Lord seized me, and seized me in such a way that I was completely absorbed in Him, and I saw that His power and strength surged within me, and His divinity billowed within me."
Reference: (Ruhani Khazain: 13/103, 104)
