| 19 - Unity and Multiplicity |
Pages 9 and 10 - Chapter
One: "Sufi teachers have frequently explained Sufism’s role in the
context of tawhid, the assertion of God’s unity that is given its most
succinct expression in the first Shahadah, la ilaha illa Allah '(There is) no
god but God.' By creating the universe, God causes multiplicity to appear from unity.
He displays the potentialities of existence implied by His own 'names and
attributes' (asma' wa sifat) in an infinite universe. The creatures of
this universe make manifest the nature of their Creator. The tremendous diversity of
creation discloses the unlimitedness of God’s creative power. All opposition and
strife express the boundless range of God’s perfections and the fact that the
richness of the divine reality can only appear outside of itself in a domain of infinite
differentiation and dispersion. The contrasting and conflicting things of the world can
never achieve the peace and stillness of the divine, which alone is the coincidence of
opposites."
Commentary: The
author of Sufism - A Short Introduction is incorrect. "la ilaha illa" has
no truth or significance except in the context of Allah, the all-inclusive Name of
Divinity.
Furthermore, the
"most succinct expression" of tawhid is ‘Allah’, and the
Shahadah confirms this through the manner in which it refers all matters of truth and
reality back to Allah.
In addition, contrary to
the contention of the author, God does not cause "multiplicity to appear from
unity". A more correct way of stating the issue under consideration would be to say
that ‘God gives expression to unity through the appearance of multiplicity’.
Unity and multiplicity
are not different realities, and, therefore, multiplicity does not "appear from
unity". Whether one sees multiplicity, unity, or both simultaneously, is a matter of
the ‘angle’ of spiritual engagement.
The generality of
humanity sees only multiplicity. The spiritual elite see only unity. The elite of the
elite see ‘multiplicity in unity’ and ‘unity in multiplicity’
simultaneously.
According to the author,
God "displays the potentialities of existence implied by His own "names and
attributes" (asma' wa sifat) in an infinite universe." To begin
with, the "potentialities of existence" are not "implied by
His own ‘names and attributes’" since there is no process or condition of
‘implication’ involved in this.
Inherent in the
‘Hidden Treasure’ are the potentials of the fixed form known as the
‘Reality of Muhammad’. Also inherent in the ‘Hidden Treasure’ are the
‘Names and Attributes’.
When the Divine Desire
passes through - by means of the command "Kun" (Be) - the potentials of the
fixed form inherent in the Creative Imagination of the ‘Hidden Treasure’, the
potentials serve as something akin (i.e., the following is intended only as
a heuristic device) to an ‘object’ in a Divine Holograph. In other words, the
beam of ‘tawhid’ is refracted by the special mirror of Desire inherent in tawhid
to generate two ‘pathways’ - both of which give expression to the same tawhid .
One of these pathways of tawhid ‘passes through’ the potentials of the fixed
form or the ‘Reality of Muhammad’ inherent in the ‘Hidden Treasure’,
and the other pathway of tawhid constitutes the ‘reference wave’ of the Divine
Names and Attributes which also are inherent in the ‘Hidden Treasure’. Both of
these pathways - the ‘object wave’ and the ‘reference wave’ - are,
then, joined together again (in accordance with the Original Desire of Divinity) to form
the ‘holographic image’ of manifest existence which also is inherent in the
‘Hidden Treasure’.
In truth, the Hidden
Treasure, the Divine Desire, the fixed potentials of the ‘Reality of Muhammad’,
the Names and Attributes, the Command of "Kun", and Manifest existence are all
expressions of one, and the same, principle of tawhid. Multiplicity is merely the way in
which Unity manifests Itself to Itself under conditions which Unity imposes on Itself -
conditions which are inherent in Unity.
What is infinite in all
of this is not necessarily the universe, per se, (that is, the realm of manifested
existence) but, rather, the nature of the tawhid or Unity which is rooted in the Divine
Desire of a ‘Hidden Treasure’ that is inherent in the Essence or
‘Dhat’ of Divinity. Because this Essence can neither be exhausted nor
circumscribed, the potential for disclosure of this or that jewel of the ‘Hidden
Treasure’ by means of Divine Himma, Desire, or Aspiration is without any limits
except those which Divinity imposes on Itself. Therefore, the number of universes which
are possible, as well as the extent of such universes (e.g., finite, infinite, or both, or
neither) which might be given expression through this Divine Plenitude, are known only to
Divinity.
We can know of the
‘Hidden Treasure’ only what is disclosed to us through the way in which tawhid
permits us to participate, knowingly or unknowingly, in the ‘Hidden Treasure’.
Beyond this, Divinity is unknowable except to Divinity.
In the light of the
foregoing outline, the author of Sufism - A Short Introduction is not quite
correct when he says that: "The creatures of this universe make manifest the nature
of their Creator", as well as when he states: "The tremendous diversity of
creation discloses the unlimitedness of God’s creative power". This is so for a
variety of reasons.
What is made manifest in
the "creatures of this universe" are some of the "Names and
Attributes" inherent in the ‘Hidden Treasure’. The Names and Attributes of
this realm of manifest existence are but a small subset of the Names and Attributes
inherent in the ‘Hidden Treasure’.
In any event, the Sufi
masters are agreed that the potentials of the fixed forms never come into existence, per
se. Instead, manifest existence is the image generated through the appearances of the
interaction of the Divine Names and Attributes, as the principle of tawhid incorporating
those Names and Attributes (and which is inherent in the original Divine Himma or
Aspiration to be known) engages the aspect of the ‘Hidden Treasure’ known as the
‘fixed form’ of the ‘Reality of Muhammad’ which arises through the
Divine capacity for Creative Imagination.
Created existence is
projected upon a Divine screen whose ‘fabric’ is woven from those Names and
Attributes of the ‘Hidden Treasure’ to which Divinity chooses to give expression
through the realm of the Manifest. The ‘images’ of created existence appearing
on that Divine Screen consist of various combinations of the Names and Attributes whose
forms (that is, the combinations of Names and Attributes which underwrite ‘created
images’) are a function of the nature of the Original Divine Himma and how this Himma
or Aspiration wishes different dimensions of the potential of the fixed form of the
‘Reality of Muhammad’ to appear in Manifest Reality.
Creatures of the universe
do not so much "make manifest the nature of their Creator", as much as they make
manifest the intent of the Divine Himma of the ‘Hidden Treasure’. In fact, the
‘Creator’ is one of the Names inherent in the ‘Hidden Treasure’ which
is reflected in the nature of the Divine Himma concerning the ‘Hidden Treasure’.
The ‘nature’ or
Dhat of Divinity is not made manifest through the ‘creatures’, but, rather, only
the nature of the Divine Himma is made manifest through the creatures. What lies beyond
the horizons of this Divine Himma or Aspiration is unknown and unknowable, except to
Divinity.
Similarly, the author is
not quite accurate when he says that: "The tremendous diversity of creation discloses
the unlimitedness of God’s creative power." More specifically, no matter how
diverse creation may be, it can never ‘disclose’ the
"unlimitedness of God’s creative power", although such diversity may suggest
such unlimitedness.
What is unlimited, or
infinite, can never be disclosed, for to do so would be to render that which is unlimited,
limited, in the form of a disclosure which circumscribes the unlimited - therefore,
becoming a contradiction in terms. The diversity of creation is what it is, but we do not
know what lies beyond this diversity within the possibilities of the ‘Hidden
Treasure’.
The Qur’an indicates
that even if one were to use all the trees of the earth as pens, and one were to use all
the seas as ink, the resulting description would not be able to exhaust (31:27) the
possibilities inherent in the ‘Hidden Treasure’. This Quranic boundary marker
alludes to the upper limit of the capacity of manifestation to disclose the
Divine Bounty, as well as constitutes the horizons of the Divine Himma with
respect to what is selected for disclosure.
According to the author
of Sufism - A Short Introduction,: "All opposition and strife express
the boundless range of God’s perfections and the fact that the richness of the divine
reality can only appear outside of itself in a domain of infinite differentiation and
dispersion. The contrasting and conflicting things of the world can never achieve the
peace and stillness of the divine, which alone is the coincidence of opposites."
The author’s way of
stating things at this juncture is somewhat oblique. For example, one has difficulty
understanding how "opposition and strife express the boundless range of God’s
perfections". His statement stands in need of some elaboration.
All manifestation gives
perfect expression to the principle of tawhid which is at the heart of the Divine Himma
that loved for the ‘Hidden Treasure’ to be known through Creation. Consequently,
both the ‘dynamic of opposites’, as well as the strife and conflict that are
manifested in ‘appearances, also give perfect expression to the principle of tawhid.
The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) is reported to have said that "striving is the ordinance of God
and whatever God hath ordained can only be ordained through striving". Striving in
the midst of opposites, conflict and strife has been ordained by God.
Every opposite, every
instance of strife, or of conflict, has a role to play at the behest of the Original
Divine Himma. For through the presence of opposites, strife and conflict, one engages the
Divine Purpose.
The field of life which
contains the seed of ‘fitra’ must be tilled and worked. The forces which
threaten the growth and development of ‘fitra’ must be resisted and countered.
One must learn how to
work with the elements of nature in order to protect and nurture the seed which has been
planted by the Divine Himma or Aspiration. One must learn the art and science of balancing
all factors or forces so that they may be brought together in the kind of harmonious
arrangement which is necessary, God willing, for the potential of the seed of
‘fitra’ to be brought forth.
The lower soul, or
‘nafsi amaara’, which, in its unredeemed form, is the seat of rebellion against
the realization of ‘fitra’, serves the Divine Purpose perfectly through its very
‘imperfections’. For, these rebellious features constitute a primary source of
the forces against which one must strive in order to unlock the secrets of one’s
primordial, original nature (i.e., fitra) - through striving, and by the Grace of Allah:
dispersion is replaced by gathering; separation gives way to union; subtlety is manifested
rather than density; contraction leads to expansion; darkness is removed by light;
ignorance gives way to knowledge; doubt prostrates before belief; and falsehood perishes
in the face of Truth.
The nafs has been
perfectly designed to fulfill a particular purpose. Indeed, ‘nafsi amaara’, is
the prototype for how, eventually - given sufficient striving through the Grace of God,
harmony arises out of opposites and conflict. More specifically, when ‘nafsi
amaara’ becomes redeemed through a striving that is properly guided, then, the
qualities of nafs are redirected and re-dedicated, becoming, in the process, allies in the
quest for spiritual realization.
Similarly, all opposites
have been designed to induce human beings - at least those individuals who are receptive
to this process, to work toward coming to understand the Purpose underlying, and
manifested through, Creation. For instance, one cannot begin to appreciate the nature of
‘light’ and, thereby, have a reason to search for it, without knowing something
of ‘darkness’; or, one cannot really appreciate the nature of peace, and,
thereby, have a motive for seeking it, without knowing something of discord and conflict;
or, one cannot appreciate the nature of knowledge, and, therefore, have occasion to strive
for it, without having experienced something of ignorance, and so on.
Whatever the qualities of
something may be, those qualities - however imperfect and problematic they may be, in and
of themselves - give perfect expression to the principle of tawhid which is at the heart
of the Divine Himma which loves for the ‘Hidden Treasure’ to be known in
accordance with the nature of that Divine Himma or Aspiration. The appearance of
opposition and conflict within the realm of the manifest are just that -
‘appearances’ ... appearances which are rooted in, and give expression, to the
Divine Himma that sets Its Purpose in ‘motion’ in a way that perfectly manifests
the Niyat or Intention of that Aspiration.
The author of Sufism
- A Short Introduction states that "the contrasting and conflicting things of
the world can never achieve the peace and stillness of the divine, which alone is the
coincidence of opposites". In truth, the ‘conflicting things of the world’
are at peace with their Divinely-given role as conflicting things. There is a
‘stillness’ in the ‘Eye of the Hurricane’ of conflicting forces.
The Qur’an informs
us: "The seven heavens and the earth and all that is therein praise God and there is
nothing that does not glorify God in praise, but ye understand not their manner of
praise." (17:44) On the basis of the foregoing, one may conclude that conflict and
strife also are preoccupied with praising God, but in our veiled condition, we do not see
the manner of praise which is present there or how such conflict and strife are
expressions of the principle of tawhid.
The author is also
incorrect when he maintains that: "the richness of the divine reality can only appear
outside (my emphasis) of itself in a domain of infinite differentiation and
dispersion." There can be no "outside", and this is made quite evident in
the Qur’an when, for example, we are told that "God is the First and the Last,
the Outwardly Manifest and the Inwardly Hidden." (57:3)
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