Page 25 - Chapter
Two: "The theologians assert that God is utterly ‘incomparable’ (tanzih)
with all things in the universe, and the Sufis respond that all things are
‘similar’ (tashbih) to Him, because they derive all their reality from Him.
Sometimes the balance between these two standpoints has been broken by a stern and
exclusivist legal-mindedness on the one hand or an excessively emotional religiosity on
the other."
Commentary: Those
who maintain that God is ‘incomparable’ have a number of problems to solve such
as: ‘what is the universe’, ‘how did it come into being’, and where
does the universe leave off, and Divinity begin, as well as what is meant by Quranic
verses such as: "God embraces all things in Mercy and Knowledge" (40:7)?
Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "Do not
curse time, for time is one of the Attributes of God", and, on another occasion, the
Prophet also is reported to have said: "Do not curse the wind, for it derives from
the Breath of the All-Merciful", and, consequently, if God is completely
‘incomparable’ with all things in the Universe, then, just what did the Prophet
mean by such statements?
Similarly, those who
claim that all things are ‘similar’ to God also are confronted by a variety of
challenges which arise out of, among other sources, the Qur’an. For example, there
are many references in this Book of Revelation to a variety of Names and Attributes of
Divinity which are totally transcendent, unique, independent, and incomparable with
respect to anything in the created realm (for example, Kabir - No comparison with anything that is manifest; Wahid - The unique One; the solitary One; the Incomparable; Samad - Absolute independence).
To claim that created
things "derive all their reality from" Divinity is one thing. To claim that
Divinity is similar to all things because of this relationship of dependence is quite
another matter.
In any event, no Sufi,
who has any spiritual discernment, would argue as the author suggests is the case in the
foregoing quote. More specifically, Sufis do not claim that "all things are
‘similar’ to Divinity" - although all things do reflect various dimensions
of some of the Divine Names and Attributes, since nothing in creation could
exist without the Presence of those Names and Attributes.
Indeed, the
‘things’ of the world are, in reality, but manifestations of different
combinations of Divine Names and Attributes. However, to give expression to a Name or
Attribute in manifest form, is not equivalent to saying that all things are similar to
Divinity, and, more importantly, it is not the same as saying that Divinity is similar to
all things.
All Names and Attributes
are made possible by God, but Divinity is more than the sum total of a series of Names and
Attributes. Names and Attributes make their appearance only in differentiated reality, and
one needs to keep in mind that even while differentiated reality is being manifested,
ultimately, the Essence of Divinity is non-manifest.
There is a Hadith Qudsi
which states: "In the beginning I was alone." Implicit in this Divine
declaration is the fact that the ‘beginning’ continues on in the present, and,
therefore, Divinity is still alone.
In a manner of speaking,
Names and Attributes constitute expressions of relationship between Divine Essence and the
manifest realms. Where there is no manifestation, there are no relationships between the
manifest and the non-manifest, and, consequently, Divine Names and Attributes are not
present, per se - although Divinity remains the One Who is capable of bringing forth such
relationships whenever Divinity wishes and, thereby, giving expression to manifest
reality.
Divine Essence, as
non-manifest Reality, is a ‘Reality without a Name ... or Attribute’. We may use
the term "Dhat" to allude to the Essence of Divinity, but the term is just a
conceptual place holder which, for all practical purposes, is devoid of any meaningful
content except as a way of referring to ‘that’ which is absolutely transcendent,
inaccessible and unknowable.
The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "Reflect on all things, but do not
reflect on God’s Essence." There can be nothing but error which will ensue from
trying to reflect on that dimension of the Real which cannot be experienced, known, or
conceptualized.
Sufis do not say that the
things of the world are similar to Divinity, nor do they argue that Divinity is
incomparable. Instead, they submit to the teachings of the Qur’an which confirm that:
"Nothing is like Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing (42:11).
There are dimensions of
similarity, and creation exists by virtue of, and is rooted in, these similarities.
Simultaneously, there also are dimensions of incomparability.
The Qur’an states:
"And if all the trees in the earth were pens, and the sea, with seven more seas to
help it (were ink), the words of Allah could not be exhausted." (31:27) Divine words
belong to the realm of the manifest, and if the ability to record these words is beyond
the capacity of the resources of the created world, then, the understanding - even in the
case of spiritual imagination - completely fails in relation to the non-manifest realm
which is beyond "the words of Allah" since Divine words give expression to
differentiated reality or manifested existence.
The Qur’an indicates
that "God taught Adam all the Names" (2:31), and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) is reported to have said: "I have been given all the Names and have been
sent to perfect good character." Just as the angels could not give back to God what
God had not vouchsafed to them in the first place ( i.e., the Names), so, too, we only can
know, if God wishes, the Divine Words, Names or Attributes for which Divinity has given us
the capacity to know through our fitra.
Indeed, as Abu Bakr
Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), a close Companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him), is reported to have said: "Even the awareness of our own inability to
know Divinity, is, itself, wisdom. A Sufi perspective is one which recognizes the
existence of the ‘incomparable’ dimensions of Divinity that cannot be known even
while these unknowable dimensions leave their mark upon us in the way they shape our
understanding of ourselves, the universe and our relationship with Divinity. At the same
time, a Sufi perspective is one which also recognizes the existence of the
‘similar’ dimensions of Divinity that can be known, to varying degrees, even
while such dimensions never can be exhausted.
While there are
theological thinkers who may have given preference to the ‘incomparable’
standpoint over the ‘similar’ perspective - and vice versa, and while there may
have been individuals who tried to settle this matter by adopting either a "stern and
exclusivist legal-mindedness on the one hand or an excessively emotional religiosity on
the other", none of this has anything to do with the Sufi approach to the issue. In
fact, by exploring such irrelevancies, the author of Sufism - A Short Introduction
lost a valuable opportunity to provide a clear explanation about what Sufis actually hold
to be true in this matter.
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