(Adapted from the book Shirk ke Chaur Darwazay by Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi and Hafiz Mahmood al-Khudri)
Their belief is summed up in the poetic expression:
“Maas Maas sab aik hai, kya soor kya gaaye”
(Every flesh is one—be it pig or cow.)
“Allah causes the servant to die in his servanthood and then revives him in His essence.”
(Tārīkh-e-Tasawwuf, p. 237)
Further, Junayd believed that the attributes and actions of Allah are absorbed into His essence, and when the seeker reaches this level, he himself is fully absorbed into the Divine. It becomes a state of “I became You, and You became me.”
His student Husayn ibn Mansur Hallaj was executed in 309 AH for proclaiming:
"Ana al-Haqq" (I am the Truth, i.e., I am God)
He also said:
“I am the one whom I love, and the one I love is me. We are two spirits residing in one body...”
Another key figure, Ibn Arabi, spent his life promoting Wahdat al-Wujud. In Futuhat al-Makkiyah, he states:
“Glory be to the One who created things and remained as their very essence.”
In Fusus al-Hikam, he wrote:
“O Creator and the One dwelling in creation! Indeed, You are immersed within Your creation. The thing You create is endless within Your own essence.”
He even went as far as to say:
“These dogs and pigs are our gods. Allah is seated in the church as a priest.”
(Na‘ūdhu billāh)
((وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ))
He claimed this meant divine longing, that even the pain of separation is a noble and exalted experience, and that divine mercy isn’t exclusive to anyone. Furthermore, he stated:
“This punishment is more precious than red sulfur, while Allah’s mercy touches everyone.”
Sayyid Rashid Rida Misri rebuts this, stating:
((وَيُصَرِّحُ بِأَنَّ الْخَالِقَ وَالْمَخْلُوقَ وَاحِدٌ ...))
“(Ibn Arabi) clearly states that the Creator and creation are the same in essence, differing only in form.”
(Tafsir al-Manar, 10/379)
➊ Nothing exists besides Allah, so He neither created nor formed anything—He would then be His own creator.
➋ Allah is not the Lord of the worlds nor the Owner of dominion, for nothing exists apart from Him.
➌ Allah has not shown mercy, guided, or granted provisions—because everything is Allah.
➍ There is no servant to provide for, no one to guide, no deviation or guidance—thus denying all prophets and messengers.
➎ Calling people to Allah and His religion is deception, for man is his own deity.
➏ Allah Himself fasts, prays, sleeps, wakes, gets sick, and is cured—because all existence is Him.
➐ They regard Pharaoh and the Dajjal as enlightened and worthy of respect, claiming Pharaoh’s knowledge exceeded that of Musa (عليه السلام).
➑ All idol worship across history—from Lat, Uzza, and Hubal to the celestial bodies and prophets—was actually worship of Allah, as they see everything as Divine.
“All religions are branches from one tree. The idol and the Ka‘bah are one. Brahmin and Shaykh are the same.”
(Shah Niyaz Ahmad Barelvi, Tārīkh Mashaikh-e-Chisht)
Similarly, Maulana Rumi wrote in Fihi Ma Fihi:
“Differences in belief are only on the path; at the destination, they disappear.”
(أَفَمَنْ كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا كَمَنْ كَانَ فَاسِقًا لَا يَسْتَوْنَ)
(Surah al-Sajdah: 18)
“Is the believer like the rebellious sinner? They are not equal.”
(لَا يَسْتَوِي أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ وَأَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ)
(Surah al-Hashr: 20)
“People of Hell and people of Paradise are not equal.”
These and numerous other verses establish clear distinctions between believers and disbelievers, but the advocates of Wahdat al-Wujud are displeased with these Divine differentiations.
((الرحمن على العرش استوى))
(Surah Taha: 5)
“The Most Merciful rose above the Throne.”
This is reiterated in Surah al-A‘raf (54) and Surah Yunus (3). The Salaf and senior scholars have always stood firm against such heresies.
((بَطَلَ قُولُ أَهْلِ الْإِلْحَادِ الْقَائِلِينَ بِوَحْدَةِ الْوُجُودِ))
“The belief of the atheists who promote Wahdat al-Wujud is false.”
(Tafsir al-Qayyim, Surah al-Fatihah)
Imam al-Ghazali stated:
Anyone claiming that they’ve reached such a spiritual state where prayers are no longer obligatory and sins become permissible—I see no doubt in the obligation of executing such a person due to the grave harm to religion.
(al-Tafriqa bayn al-Islam wa al-Zandaqa)
(Ameen)
◈ Introduction to the Philosophy of Wahdat al-Wujud
The concept of Wahdat al-Wujud (Unity of Being) propagated by certain Sufis is a misguided, polytheistic, and slanderous doctrine with no connection to Islamic Shariah. In reality, this philosophy was borrowed from Hinduism, where it plays a central role in spreading shirk. Hindus express this belief with phrases like “Har mein Har hai” (Everything contains the Divine), and Persian dervishes describe it as “Hama Oost” (All is He). According to them, not only humans but also animals—dogs, cats, pigs, and birds—are all God.Their belief is summed up in the poetic expression:
“Maas Maas sab aik hai, kya soor kya gaaye”
(Every flesh is one—be it pig or cow.)
❀ The Entry of Wahdat al-Wujud into Islam
The foundational elements of Wahdat al-Wujud were laid by Junayd Baghdadi. According to Professor Yusuf Salim Chishti, Junayd said:“Allah causes the servant to die in his servanthood and then revives him in His essence.”
(Tārīkh-e-Tasawwuf, p. 237)
Further, Junayd believed that the attributes and actions of Allah are absorbed into His essence, and when the seeker reaches this level, he himself is fully absorbed into the Divine. It becomes a state of “I became You, and You became me.”
His student Husayn ibn Mansur Hallaj was executed in 309 AH for proclaiming:
"Ana al-Haqq" (I am the Truth, i.e., I am God)
He also said:
“I am the one whom I love, and the one I love is me. We are two spirits residing in one body...”
Another key figure, Ibn Arabi, spent his life promoting Wahdat al-Wujud. In Futuhat al-Makkiyah, he states:
“Glory be to the One who created things and remained as their very essence.”
In Fusus al-Hikam, he wrote:
“O Creator and the One dwelling in creation! Indeed, You are immersed within Your creation. The thing You create is endless within Your own essence.”
He even went as far as to say:
“These dogs and pigs are our gods. Allah is seated in the church as a priest.”
(Na‘ūdhu billāh)
✿ Distortion of Qur'anic Meanings
Ibn Arabi interpreted Surah al-A‘raf (7:156) in a mystical, esoteric manner, twisting Allah’s statement:((وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ))
He claimed this meant divine longing, that even the pain of separation is a noble and exalted experience, and that divine mercy isn’t exclusive to anyone. Furthermore, he stated:
“This punishment is more precious than red sulfur, while Allah’s mercy touches everyone.”
Sayyid Rashid Rida Misri rebuts this, stating:
((وَيُصَرِّحُ بِأَنَّ الْخَالِقَ وَالْمَخْلُوقَ وَاحِدٌ ...))
“(Ibn Arabi) clearly states that the Creator and creation are the same in essence, differing only in form.”
(Tafsir al-Manar, 10/379)
✔ Summary of Their Beliefs by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
Ibn Taymiyyah summarized the heretical beliefs of Wahdat al-Wujud proponents as follows:➊ Nothing exists besides Allah, so He neither created nor formed anything—He would then be His own creator.
➋ Allah is not the Lord of the worlds nor the Owner of dominion, for nothing exists apart from Him.
➌ Allah has not shown mercy, guided, or granted provisions—because everything is Allah.
➍ There is no servant to provide for, no one to guide, no deviation or guidance—thus denying all prophets and messengers.
➎ Calling people to Allah and His religion is deception, for man is his own deity.
➏ Allah Himself fasts, prays, sleeps, wakes, gets sick, and is cured—because all existence is Him.
➐ They regard Pharaoh and the Dajjal as enlightened and worthy of respect, claiming Pharaoh’s knowledge exceeded that of Musa (عليه السلام).
➑ All idol worship across history—from Lat, Uzza, and Hubal to the celestial bodies and prophets—was actually worship of Allah, as they see everything as Divine.
⚠ Wahdat al-Wujud and the Unity of Religions
Their philosophy blurs all distinctions between belief and disbelief, claiming that:“All religions are branches from one tree. The idol and the Ka‘bah are one. Brahmin and Shaykh are the same.”
(Shah Niyaz Ahmad Barelvi, Tārīkh Mashaikh-e-Chisht)
Similarly, Maulana Rumi wrote in Fihi Ma Fihi:
“Differences in belief are only on the path; at the destination, they disappear.”
✦ Rebuttal from the Qur’an
The Qur’an decisively refutes such claims:(أَفَمَنْ كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا كَمَنْ كَانَ فَاسِقًا لَا يَسْتَوْنَ)
(Surah al-Sajdah: 18)
“Is the believer like the rebellious sinner? They are not equal.”
(لَا يَسْتَوِي أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ وَأَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ)
(Surah al-Hashr: 20)
“People of Hell and people of Paradise are not equal.”
These and numerous other verses establish clear distinctions between believers and disbelievers, but the advocates of Wahdat al-Wujud are displeased with these Divine differentiations.
✿ The Transcendence of Allah
Allah is above and beyond His creation:((الرحمن على العرش استوى))
(Surah Taha: 5)
“The Most Merciful rose above the Throne.”
This is reiterated in Surah al-A‘raf (54) and Surah Yunus (3). The Salaf and senior scholars have always stood firm against such heresies.
❀ The Verdicts of the Scholars
Ibn al-Qayyim wrote:((بَطَلَ قُولُ أَهْلِ الْإِلْحَادِ الْقَائِلِينَ بِوَحْدَةِ الْوُجُودِ))
“The belief of the atheists who promote Wahdat al-Wujud is false.”
(Tafsir al-Qayyim, Surah al-Fatihah)
Imam al-Ghazali stated:
Anyone claiming that they’ve reached such a spiritual state where prayers are no longer obligatory and sins become permissible—I see no doubt in the obligation of executing such a person due to the grave harm to religion.
(al-Tafriqa bayn al-Islam wa al-Zandaqa)
◈ Conclusion
The doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujud is entirely false and constitutes outright shirk. Allah is distinct from His creation. The Qur’an and Hadith reject such beliefs unequivocally. May Allah protect us from this dangerous fitnah and grant us sound understanding of Tawhid.(Ameen)
