After an explanation of
the Islamic Concept of Tawheed, we come to
the
Tawheed of the Sufis or Tawheed al-Wujoodi or Wahdat al-Wajood.
Wahdat al-Wajood is a
concept based upon the idea that nothing exists other
than Allah, and creation is merely the manifestation of
Allah. This implies that the creation is Allah, and
Allah does not exist outside the creation. Haji
Imdadullah Muhajir Makki, the spiritual guide of the
most prominent Deobandis, explains Wahdat al-Wajood in a
booklet by the same name, with an example of a seed and
a tree. He states that the seed is Allah and the
creation is the tree with its stem, roots, branches and
leaves. Initially, only the seed was present, and the
entire huge tree was hidden in the small seed. When the
plant grew into a massive tree, the seed disappeared.
The seed is now manifest in this huge tree and does not
have an existence outside of it.
The Sufis consider the
realization of Wahdat al-Wajood to be a matter of great
wisdom. According to them, Tawheed (lit. making one) is
a complete denial of existence for everything other than
Allah, as explained by the Deobandis in ‘Irshaadul
Mulook’ and ‘Ikhmaalush Shiyaam’, “The root of Tawheed
is the negation of the non-existent and transitory
things and the confirmation of the everlasting thing.”[1]
“A concept which posits true existence for any being
other than Allah is Shirk in Divine Attribute of
Existence (Wajood).”[2]
The Sufis consider this
type of Tawheed to be suitable only for the ‘Spiritually
Elite’, and claim that only those who have reached the
‘stage’ due to excessive penance and Dhikr are able to
comprehend Wahdat al-Wajood. But in reality, Wahdat al-Wajood
is based upon…
Ignorance of the
correct way to love and fear Allah.
Exaggeration in beliefs
formed upon baseless principles.
Total disregard for
acquiring and learning Aqeedah (beliefs) from the
Qur’aan and the Sunnah.
