The Unity of Being (Wahdat al-Wujud)
Summary
TLDRThe script explores the misconception that Western religions like Christianity and Islam are dry, contrasting them with Eastern religions' perceived spirituality. It delves into Sufism, highlighting the doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujud or Unity of Being, which sees God as the sole reality and creation as His manifestation. The video discusses the philosophy's controversial history, its mystical aspects, and its parallels with non-dual philosophies like Advaita Vedanta. It also touches on the role of humans as microcosms reflecting God's attributes, aiming for self-knowledge to realize one's true nature as a reflection of God.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Western religions like Christianity and Islam are often misunderstood as dry and boring compared to Eastern religions, but they have rich mystical traditions like Sufism.
- 🕊️ Sufism, particularly the concept of Wahdat al-Wujud or the Unity of Being, is a profound and mystical philosophy within Islam.
- 🚨 The Unity of Being is controversial and has been seen as heretical by some scholars, yet it remains influential within Sufism and Islamic thought.
- 🌐 This doctrine posits that only God is real and all of creation is an illusion, a manifestation of God's being.
- 🧘♂️ Early Sufi mystics like Mansur al-Hallaj and Bayazid Bastami exemplified the Unity of Being through their spiritual ecstasies and proclamations.
- 📚 The works of Ibn Arabi, particularly his concept of God as the sole reality and the world as a reflection of divine attributes, are central to the Unity of Being.
- 🌈 The metaphor of light passing through a prism to create a spectrum of colors is used to illustrate the relationship between God and the world.
- 🔮 The concept is similar to non-dual philosophies in Hinduism and Taoism, emphasizing a singular, absolute reality.
- 🌌 Everything in the universe reflects God's attributes, making the cosmos a macrocosm that mirrors God's nature.
- 🧝♂️ The human being, as a microcosm, also reflects God's attributes and is seen as a central part of the divine manifestation.
- 🔍 The goal of Sufi practice is self-knowledge, realizing one's existence as a reflection of God, rather than a union with God, which is impossible.
Q & A
What is the main criticism against Western religions in the script?
-The script criticizes the common misconception that Western religions like Christianity and Islam are dry and boring, suggesting they are less spiritual and more focused on a distant, judging God compared to Eastern religions.
What is Sufism and why is it significant?
-Sufism is referred to as Islamic mysticism and is significant for its mystical and spiritual aspects. It is influential within Islam and has a rich tradition of diverse thoughts, orders, and philosophies, including the concept of Wahdat al-Wujud or the Unity of Being.
What is the Unity of Being and why is it controversial?
-The Unity of Being is a doctrine within Sufism that suggests there is only one reality, which is God, and all creation is His manifestation. It is controversial because some Muslim scholars have viewed it as dangerous or heretical due to its non-dual nature.
Who is Ibn Arabi and what is his connection to the Unity of Being?
-Ibn Arabi is a medieval Sufi thinker and mystic who is strongly associated with the Unity of Being. His teachings have been influential in the wider world of Sufism and Islam, and he is often credited with developing and promoting this philosophy.
What does the phrase 'La ilaha ilallah' mean in the context of the Unity of Being?
-In the context of the Unity of Being, 'La ilaha ilallah' is interpreted not just as 'There is no god but God,' but more profoundly as 'There is no reality but the Real,' implying that nothing exists except God.
How does the concept of creation fit into the Unity of Being?
-According to the Unity of Being, creation is an illusion in the sense that it is not separate from God. The multiplicity we perceive is not real; it's the idea of separation that doesn't exist. The only true self is God's self, and our existence is a reflection of this self.
What is the role of God's attributes in the creation according to the script?
-God's attributes play a crucial role in creation. The world is seen as a manifestation of God's attributes, where each thing in the world reflects one or a combination of His attributes, allowing God to experience Himself through creation.
How does the concept of insan al-kamil (Universal Man) relate to the Unity of Being?
-Insan al-kamil represents the perfect manifestation of God in human form, a state of complete self-annihilation where the individual recognizes themselves as nothing but a reflection of God, embodying the Unity of Being.
What is the goal of Sufi practices in the context of the Unity of Being?
-The goal of Sufi practices is to fight against the ego or lower self to reach a state of unity with God. However, in the context of the Unity of Being, it's more about realizing that there is nothing but God, and our being is His being.
How does the script address the misconception of pantheism in relation to the Unity of Being?
-While the Unity of Being might seem pantheistic, the script clarifies that it is not. Although it affirms that the world is God, it also emphasizes that the world is not God and that God completely transcends the world.
What is the significance of the human being in the Unity of Being philosophy?
-The human being is significant as a microcosm, a contained reflection of the macrocosm (the entire universe). Humans are seen as capable of reflecting all of God's names and attributes, playing a central role in the divine scheme.
Outlines
🕊️ Introduction to Sufism and the Unity of Being
The paragraph introduces the misconception that Western religions are dry and boring compared to Eastern religions, which are seen as more spiritual and non-dual. It highlights Sufism as a mystical tradition within Islam that challenges this view. Sufism includes the concept of Wahdat al-Wujud or the Unity of Being, which is a significant and sometimes controversial doctrine. This doctrine posits that there is only one reality, which is God, and that all creation is a manifestation of Him. The paragraph mentions the Sufi thinker Ibn Arabi, who is closely associated with this philosophy, and other Sufi mystics who have expressed similar ideas.
🌟 The Doctrine of Unity of Being Explained
This section delves into the specifics of the Unity of Being doctrine, explaining that it suggests everything except God does not truly exist, and that creation is an illusion of separation from God. It draws parallels with non-dual philosophies found in Hinduism and Taoism, emphasizing the idea that only God is real and that the multiplicity we perceive is a result of God's self-disclosure. The paragraph discusses how, in this view, the world is a reflection of God's attributes, much like light passing through a prism, and how this concept is expressed in Sufi poetry and thought.
🌱 The Relationship Between God and Creation
The paragraph explores the complex relationship between God and creation in the context of the Unity of Being. It explains that while everything is God in terms of existence, each created thing is not God in terms of its essence. This creates a paradox where we are both God and not God, existing as absolute beings and non-beings simultaneously. The paragraph also discusses how God's attributes manifest in the world and how everything in creation reflects these attributes, making the world a stage for God's self-manifestation.
🌌 The Human Role in the Cosmos
This section discusses the human being's role as a microcosm reflecting the macrocosm of the universe. It explains how humans, in their perfect form, are a reflection of God's attributes and how the goal of Sufi practice is to purify the heart to better reflect God. The paragraph introduces the concept of the 'perfect man' and how the human being can become a perfect mirror for God's reflection. It also touches on the theme of love as the essence of God and the relationship between the human lover and the divine beloved.
🔍 The Goal of Sufi Practice and Realization
The final paragraph summarizes the goal of Sufi practice as the realization of one's true nature as a manifestation of God, rather than the attainment of union with God. It emphasizes self-knowledge as the key to enlightenment and the understanding that the separate existence of the individual is an illusion. The paragraph concludes by noting the influence of the Unity of Being on Sufi thought and its spread in certain regions, as well as the ongoing debates about its orthodoxy within Islam.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Sufism
💡Unity of Being
💡Muhyiuddin Ibn Arabi
💡Monotheism
💡Illusion
💡Essence and Existence
💡Attributes of God
💡Microcosm and Macrocosm
💡Self-Annihilation
💡Perfect Man
Highlights
Western religions like Christianity and Islam are often seen as dry and boring compared to Eastern religions.
Eastern religions are portrayed as more spiritual and non-dualistic.
This dichotomy is misguided and overlooks the rich spiritual traditions within Western religions.
Sufism, Islamic mysticism, has a strong spiritual tradition.
Wahdat al-Wujud, or the Unity of Being, is a central doctrine in Sufism.
The Unity of Being has been controversial and sometimes viewed as heretical.
The doctrine asserts that there is only one reality, which is God.
All creation is a manifestation of God according to the Unity of Being.
Muhyiuddin Ibn Arabi is a significant figure associated with the Unity of Being.
The concept sees God as the only being, and all else as an illusion.
The world is considered illusory, not in a dream-like sense, but in the sense of separation from God.
The true self is God's self, and our selves are merely reflections of this.
The concept is similar to non-dual philosophies found in Hinduism and Taoism.
The world is created as a way for God to experience himself through others.
Everything in the world reflects God's qualities and attributes.
The human being is considered a microcosm, reflecting the macrocosm of the universe.
The goal of Sufism is to realize that one's existence is an illusion and that only God exists.
The Unity of Being has had a significant influence on the history of Sufism and the Muslim world.
Despite its popularity, the Unity of Being has been divisive within Sufism.
The philosophy shows that deep spirituality and non-dual understandings of God are not exclusive to Eastern religions.
Transcripts
it's quite common to hear people talk
about the Western religions like
Christianity and Islam as these quite
dry and honestly boring philosophies
where God is this man in the sky he was
watching over us in judging us and by
contrast those so-called Eastern
religions like Hinduism or Taoism or
Buddhism is often portrayed as these
very spiritual and beautiful
philosophies they aren't often non-dual
and very interesting by comparison
according to many opinions and with a
relationship to God that is a lot more
imminent and often as I said non-dual
but not only is this dichotomy very
misguided and narrow it also undermines
the incredibly strong and rich spiritual
and often mystical traditions within
these so-called Western religions Sufism
is often referred to as Islamic
mysticism and while this term is rather
problematic
there are certainly aspects of Sufism
that we could call mystical and one of
the most influential widespread and
important philosophies or doctrines
within Sufism is something known as what
at elbow Jude or the unity of being
[Music]
the unity of being is a philosophy that
has been rather controversial in certain
circles and in certain times some Muslim
scholars in history have viewed it as
dangerous or sometimes even heretical
but this should not just this should not
confuse us into believing that it is
some fringe philosophy the unity of
being as a doctrine has been incredibly
important and influential in the wider
world of Sufism and Islam in general and
has even sometimes dominated the
intellectual environment of the certain
regions in Muslim lands and Sufism
itself is of course very entirely
diverse with many competing schools of
thought and orders and ideas and
philosophies one of these being of
course the unity of being or what
attitude the unity of being in short
terms can be described to use pre
simplifying terms as a monastic or even
non dual philosophy or school of thought
within Sufism it states that there is
only one reality which is God and that
all creation are or is his manifestation
this philosophy is often strongly
connected to the medieval Sufi thinker
and mystic Mohideen even Arabi whom I've
made a very long video about that you
can find on my channel but this isn't to
say that if inaudible was the first to
express these ideas or similar ideas in
Sufism a very famous early example is
the Baghdad Sufi man surah al-hajj who
is said to have entered a spiritual
ecstasy and proclaimed an al hawk or I
am the truth for I am the reality
basically saying I am God similarly by
acid bastami who also lived in the 9th
century once proclaimed glory be to me
both signify a kind of annihilation of
the individual self into the absolute
reality that is God but the school of a
banana bee is the school that is most
strongly associated with this idea and
that is this school that I will be
basing this presentation on as I've said
I've made a much longer video where I
talk about it but not abhi and his
thought in a more comprehensive matter
and I should also point out that much of
this video we'll be using parts of that
same script so
you want a more thorough introduction to
these ideas and to even out of in
particular and I suggest you go watch
that video so what is what a tell would
or the unity of being in short terms the
adoption of the unity of being is based
on taking monotheism to its most extreme
and it not only states that God is the
only divinity in existence he is the
only being in existence one of God's
so-called 99 names in the Quran is al
Haq which means the truth or the real or
the reality with this in mind the
Islamic Proclamation la ilaha ilallah
isn't simply read as there is no god but
God or there is no divinity but the
divinity but instead as there is no
reality but the real or thus ultimately
there is nothing but God to a banana bee
and his followers there is only one
singular reality and that reality is God
a banana be identifies God in his utmost
essence as would or being or existence
so God is being he isn't a being he is
being itself and since Islamic theology
requires that God not only be the only
divinity but also that he is absolutely
one that must necessarily mean that
being or existence itself is one
absolutely one this also means that if
anyone says that anything exists except
of God one is actually committing
shidduch or polytheism which is the
greatest sin in Islam since you are
saying that there is a being that isn't
God but being is God and that basically
means you're saying that there is
another God but if God is the only
reality what are we what is creation
there appears to be
multiplicity everywhere what what's that
- a banana be anything other than God
which is creation basically is utterly
non-existent it's a kind of illusion he
writes quote the world is illusory and
has no real existence this is what is
meant by imagination hi al you have been
made to imagine that the world is
something separate and independently
real outside
the absolute but in reality this is not
so but it isn't an illusion in the
ultimate sense we do have a certain
existence on the physical plane it's not
all a dream like an Advaita Vedanta and
Hinduism for example the illusion is the
idea of separation that I exist as a
separate being when in reality only God
exists the only true self is God's self
and ours our only relative reflections
of this self one of the more celebrated
scholars for Abu Dhabi schools Muhammad
shall be story or a masterpiece of
Persian poetry called the Gulshan Yas in
which he xpick AIT's the doctrine of the
unity of being and he writes quote when
absolute existence is alluded to people
use the word I as a matter of expression
when reality has taken form through
individuation you refer to it in
language with the word I you and I are
accidents of the essence of being like
openings and the covering of the lamp of
being a banana be himself loves to use
metaphors to describe this relationship
between God in the world one of them is
where he describes it almost like a
lights a pure white light which is God's
being that travels through a prism and
creates a multitude of colors which
would be the world the colors themselves
are never the same as the white light
just as the creatures or creation is
never the same as God but at the same
time they consist of nothing but the
white light latina Rafi another
famous writer in the a banana b-school
writes the following in his book a llama
at quote come then into my eyes and look
and you will see a sun shining through a
thousand bits of glass beaming to plain
sight through each array of color why
should any difference appear between
this one and that all light is one but
colors a thousandfold
if you've read Hindu philosophy or
Taoism or Christian mystics like Meister
Eckhart Allah this will seem very
familiar to you in fact the doctrine of
the unity of being sometimes bears a
striking resemblance to philosophies
like Advaita Vedanta or certain ideas
within Taoism first
among many other things there are
differences of course but they share
aspects explained thus far with a single
absolute non dual reality being
identified with God and denying the
reality of anything beside him but what
creates the forms of the world
themselves what is the world when it is
not pure being and where does
multiplicity come from it will help a
bit to try to look at things like the
people back then would have viewed the
world partly thanks to a benzina or
Avicenna philosophically one had at this
time started to separate between
existence or being assured on the one
hand and essence or what 'no SMAW here
on the other when talking about a thing
or an object in the world like this
table in front of me
we can ask two basic questions about it
we can ask is it and we can ask what is
it the first question is it is a
question of existence or being and the
answer to that question would be yes or
no the second question what is it gives
a completely different answer and this
is the question of essence or what Ness
in this case a table table is
independent of whether or not it exists
it is an essence or what Ness that can
either exist or not exist it can either
have existence or which would being or
it can have it can not have existence or
being so according to what a turtle was
you would in terms of the existence or
the being the was you would of the
objects of the world they are God
because remember God is being he is
being itself is the only being and so
God is thus our being
he is our being however in terms of our
essences are what nasai are absolutely
not God we are that which by definition
God isn't I as a human being feel if
home cannot possibly be God because I am
everything that God isn't I am I am
finite I am temporal I am mortal I have
a certain form these are all things that
God cannot possibly be so this is the
relationship that we have here we are
simultaneously God and not God we are
absolute existence and we are absolute
Nanak
systems we are being and non-being all
at the same time but it doesn't end here
these essences or what misses also has a
relationship with God even if they
aren't God directly here we will need to
have some basic knowledge of Islamic
theology again so according to
mainstream islamic theology God is
absolutely transcendent beyond any
creaturely qualities so he doesn't have
any attributes or qualities that any
created things or creatures have but
according to the Koran and mainstream
Islamic theology he still has certain
attributes and each of his names like
al-haq or the ar-rahman rahim and so on
all these names that he's referred to by
corresponds to a certain attribute that
he has so al haqq means the truth or the
real he is the real he is the truth and
a man means the merciful he's merciful
Rob means the Lord for some all these
names that he has is also an attribute
that he has not traditionally in the
Koran it is thought said that God has 99
names and thus also 99 attributes but
according to a banana be the names are
actually infinite he has an infinite
amount of names and an infinite amount
of attributes and qualities and these
attributes and qualities have a very
important role to play in creation
there's a hadith Qudsi a saying of the
Prophet Muhammad where God is speaking
through him in which God says I was a
hidden treasure and I loved to be known
so I created the world so that I might
be known in gotta be loves this hadith
as he used it frequently it is the key
to understanding creation and the
purpose behind it I was a hidden
treasure refers to God's essence and the
attributes that are hidden therein I
loved to be known he wants to he wants
this hidden treasure to be experienced
and of course he knows his own
attributes since he well he is he but he
still wants his essence and attributes
to be experienced through someone who is
not him so I created the world so that I
might be known therefore the world is
created as a way for God to experience
himself through someone other than
himself but since this hidden treasure
is to be
own through the world that must mean
that the world contain traces of these
attributes and qualities of God right
this is absolutely true - banana be the
world is nothing but to use William
jeddaks words the loci of God's
self-disclosure or God's self
manifestation so everything in the world
every essence in philosophical terms
every particle of this world reflect and
reveal God's qualities and attributes in
an indirect sense like in a mirror this
is based partly on a Quranic verse that
a banana be loves to apply which goes
whichever way you turn there is the face
of God now remember the things of the
world or creation itself is not God he
is absolutely transcendent of them but
in a real sense they reflect everything
in the world the entire cosmos reflects
God's attributes and thus they are God
in a sense - in any case since God is
infinite and so are the possibilities of
his attributes there is no end to the
constant self manifestation of God in
the world at every moment at every
instant the world is created anew
revealing a new self disclosure the
world in that sense becomes the
continuous unfolding of God's
manifestation in limited form it's the
unfolding of possibilities inherent in
actuality the essences of the world the
things are contained in God's knowledge
beyond time and space as something he
calls the Ayana Thabet ah the immutable
entities these are non-existent in
themselves but function almost as
archetypes that determine what is
created in the actual cosmos and these I
Anitha bita are themselves determined by
God's attributes as they in their
totality reflect him so God has these
attributes of qualities and then he has
a knowledge of his own attributes or
qualities which are infinite so there's
an infinite number of possibilities an
infinite number of ways that his
attributes can be manifested and all
these ways all these forms in which he
can manifest himself are contained in
his own knowledge beyond time and after
which when he wants to create something
he
simply gives those archetypes those iana
Thabet ah he gives them being and at
each instant is a new creation at East
instant is a new reflection of God
that's constantly unfolding before our
eyes I know this is a whole lot to take
in and you may have to watch this a few
times if you this is all new to you but
believe it or not that is actually the
basic very basic simple explanation of
the adoption of what a Telugu ruled it
is you could see a non dual philosophy
where reality is ultimately oneness and
nothing exists except for God he is all
of being and he is the one in whose
being my being resides but there are
many other nuances to it that make it a
lot more complicated as I hope I have
shown you some scholars Western scholars
especially in the past have referred to
a banana B as a pantheist
or a pantheist and of course well this
is understandable it really isn't that
accurate at least from the traditional
prosperity traditional understanding of
the word pantheism now if not abhi does
in a way affirm that the world is God
since there is nothing but God but at
the same time he's very careful to point
out that the world is happened at the
same time absolutely not God and that
God completely transcends the world in
fact the world is as I've said the very
definition of what God isn't in terms of
itself the world is absolute nothingness
non being who has quote never smelled a
whiff of existence this point is finally
expressed by the 19th century figure
Amira birth Khadija xiety famous for his
defense against French colonialism who
was also a follower of banana be on his
school he states quote I am two things
according to two different relations
with respect to you I am the eternal for
ever and ever
I am the necessary being who epitomizes
himself with respect to me I am pure non
being who has never breathed the perfume
of existence the adventitious being who
remains non-existent in his adventitious
Ness so as I mentioned earlier the
entire cosmos is a manifestation a
reflection of the entirety of God
names are the entirety of God's
attributes while a certain object in the
world or a certain thing only reflects
one or a certain combination of certain
attributes or names the entire cosmos
reflects all of the names so the
creation as a whole is a direct
reflection of God's entire nature his
whole all of his attributes the cosmos
is thus often referred to by Manabi as
the macrocosm or the great man in san al
Kabeer but the human being also has a
central role to play in this scheme and
he is often referred to as the microcosm
or the small man in San elsewhere the
human being thus also reflects all the
names and all the attributes but in a
contained form so the human being is a
microcosmic reflection of the macrocosm
that is the entire universe and so
everything that exists on the inside
access exists on the outside as above so
below and and and so on man in his most
perfect and primordial form is known as
insanity camel or the perfect or
universal man in sanik camel is a
designation of god's perfect
manifestation in human form a human
being who has reached a state of
complete self annihilation where he
recognizes himself as nothing but God's
reflection and acts accordingly in the
perfect man
God is finally able to witness and
glorify himself like in a mirror one of
the more famous writers and poets from
the school of a banana be as a man by
the name of father Dean Iraqi who wrote
a incredible piece of was a combination
of prose and poetry called LaMotte which
means divine flashes and in this book he
presents this relationship between God
and the world through a triad of love
lover and beloved which is a rather
common theme within Sufi poetry now love
can be seen as the utmost essence of God
being itself and lover and beloved are
the relationship between the human being
and God as he is experienced by the
being man is the lover who longs for his
beloved which is God and they gaze upon
each other like in in a mirror in
mirrors so in a sense God sees his own
reflection in the mirror of the human
being and the human being sees his own
reflection in the mirror of God and
these two these lovers want desperately
to be close to each other they want to
unite with each other and so the human
being cleans this mirror of his heart so
that it more and more can reflect more
perfectly God's own reflection and when
this process is finally finished and
reaches its culmination the two are
finally United and they reflect each
other perfectly and in this meeting they
realized that the difference between
lover and beloved was only really an
illusion and the only thing that ever
existed was the reality of love itself
which is identical with God's essence of
that or being itself as such then the
eye of certainty opens and staring
inwardly at himself he finds himself
lost vanished but he finds the friend
and when he looks still deeper realizes
the friend is himself he exclaims
beloved I sought your hair and there
asked for news of you from all I met
then I saw you through myself and found
we were identical
now I blush to think I ever searched for
science of you the goal of these while
these Sufi practices or the goal of life
in general is to fight against your nafs
your ego or your lower self and finally
reach a unity or you to unite with God
but to a banana bee and many other Sufis
there is never any uniting with God this
would actually be an impossibility since
that would mean that's there was an
imperfection in God if something can be
added to him non-existence can never
unite with absolute being this is just
an impossibility instead if none of it
puts a lot of emphasis on self-knowledge
since these the human being and the self
is a direct reflection of God as
everything else is the key to sort of
say enlightenment is actually to
know yourself to gain knowledge of your
own self there's a hadith where the
Prophet Muhammad is thought to have said
know yourself and you shall know your
Lord thus the goal is to realize that
one's own separate existence is a kind
of illusion as we are only the
continuous self manifestations of God
thus to know ourselves and to know our
soul in a proper way is to know God so
there's no uniting with God the part of
us that is creature the part of us that
is separate from him can never unite
with him the goal is to realize that
there is nothing but God and that our
being is his being put in another way
uniting with God is not a process it's a
realization of what what has always been
we don't unite with God we realized that
we in a sense were God all along that
about summarizes it it should be point
out that there have been diverging
opinions and understandings within
Sufism regarding details and certain
aspects of this idea or this philosophy
but it has been incredibly influential
and important in the history of Sufism
and has had effects or influence on many
regions of the Muslim world
a banana bee school and the unity of
being has had a particularly strong
spread in the Persian and Indian regions
and as you can imagine its meeting with
certain Vedanta schools of Hinduism
garnered some incredibly interesting
results which I can and probably will
dedicate several videos to in the future
but that's for another day in any case
the unit of being has also been a very
divisive philosophy while it was rather
popular in certain Sufi circles others
have rejected it completely scholars
like even Tamiya or even Haldol and many
more have seen it as dangerous and even
heretical and there always been a debate
even though has been very popular in
certain times and places there has
always been a debate about its orthodoxy
so to speak I will be doing more videos
about these subjects and about
individuals from a banana bee school
this is one of my favourite subjects to
talk about so be sure that I will be
doing more material like
and I hope this video has shown you that
it isn't only in the so-called Eastern
religions that we find deep spirituality
or even non-dual understandings of God
but that the same kinds of philosophies
or ideas can be found in our own Western
context as well if you want to support
the channel you can like the video or
leave a comment and subscribe I'll see
you next time
[Music]
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