Comments on: Wahdat-al-Wujud and the politics of polytheism

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:39:00 +0000

A decent introductory article on this Sufi doctrine, if one may call it one. Considering that the ultimate aim of religion is to serve and ultimately know Him, then the crucial grandscale metaphysical system of Wahdatul Wujud must be defended and explained by those who can, to the extent of one’s ability and understanding, of course.

Besides, this idea originated from the relatively-uncontroversial Imam Ghazali (Mishkatul Anwaar), with whom Shaykh Ibn Arabi, Shaykh Abu Madyan and other great Sufis were most impressed.

Which leads me to my question..have you ever heard of Sayyid Naquib Al-Attas, and his works? He is a contemporary scholar-philosopher-Sufi who resembles the Islamic polymaths of the glorious past. Without a doubt a scholar of his calibre is rare, especially in our age. Unfortunately, he is not recognized by the ‘masses’ although true scholars know him.

As a legitimate authority (who has probably inherited from the greatness of his grandfather – the great Saint Habib Abdullah bin Mushin Al-Attas) himself, Professor Naguib’s brief but comprehensive works systematically explains Wahdatul Wujud in a manner not to be found elsewhere today…not even in some of the great works of the past. Not that I’m comparing them..who am I to even dare do that. But all that I’m sharing with you here is that he is deliberate (by his own admission) in being more explicit in his philosophical treatment of the subject, whereas most other gnostic-Sufis traditionally veil the inner meanings and essential realities by the use of specific terminology..and a whole lot of background understanding that the average (modern) Muslim isn’t aware of. If anything, this Sayyid Naquib’s direct and explicit style is of immense benefit for academically-oriented aspirants/seekers/thinkers like yourself and others.

Obviously, the fact that it is authentic and true makes it much much better than leaving curious, younger Muslims groping in the dark, confused labyrinths of
Rene Guenon, Schuoun and other Perennialists…not that there isn’t insight scattered through their works. Although their dogma of ‘Transcendent Unity of Religions’ is illogical (read Prof Naguib) and unacceptable to an already-perfect Islam, at least I’ll concede to the fact that Hossein Nasr makes effort in reprinting useful classical works and writing new books. Personally, Sayyid Naquib’s 2 books which I have read I consider as life-changing experiences.

Anyway, apart from being the only modern Muslim scholar who has delimited and elaborated on the nature of the Islamic worldview, Sayyid Naguib also clarifies how and why Wahdatul Wujud is NOT pantheistic, monistic etc etc..and proceeds to give a positive explication of this grandscale ontological supersystem.

So yeah..interesting and useful reading material, if you have the time . By the way, I like your site. I’ll be sure to drop by more often now..so keep updating lol. My hope is that the above information benefits you or/and others in some way.
Thanks for the post.

By: Rodrigo

Rodrigo — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 05:12:00 +0000

Oi, achei teu blog pelo google tá bem interessante gostei desse post. Quando der dá uma passada pelo meu blog, é sobre camisetas personalizadas, mostra passo a passo como criar uma camiseta personalizada bem maneira. Até mais.

By: Zhilaal

Zhilaal — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 12:35:00 +0000

Yes, wonderful article. The misconceptions and sheer untruths flying around about this concept has made it increasingly difficult to be affiliated to the Sufi ideal and instead the uninformed Muslims are being disillusioned with their elders by these so-called salafi’s.

The great aalim of Islam, Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi had a knack of making subjects such as these easy to understand. He said that Wahdat-ul-wujood is the name given to a feeling of intense love in which you see nothing else apart from the beloved. Like in front of the blazing sun, the small light of a candle would be invisible. Though the candle’s flame is there, it is not registered in the vision of the person because of the light of the sun.

How easy he has made it for the layman to comprehend this. It is the memory of this great scholar that prompted me to create my blog. Hopefully, you guys might find it helpful as I have found yours.
http://www.shadeofrahmah.blogspot.com

By: irving

irving — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 12:57:00 +0000

An excellent article on a much misunderstood subject. The Unity of Being is the core of all monotheistic religions.
Thank you.

Ya Haqq!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 07:26:00 +0000

What about Wahdut us Shuhud ?
I believe this was propagated by Shiekh Ahmad Sirhindi , Shah Walliullah etc..