The Metaphysics of Tawhid & Wilaya

The Divine Essence at the level or station of Essential Unity (Maqam al Ahadiyat) is absolutely transcendent, completely unknown, inaccessible to all and sundry, too distant to be approached by anyone. At this level the Essence (Dhat) and the Attributes (Sifat) are one, meaning that the Attributes are identical to the Essence (Ain al Dhat) without there being any distinction between the two, because therein is no duality but only unity. It is this Essential Unity at the station of “Ahadiyat” that is the subject of the Quranic Chapter of Al-Ikhlas in the verse “قُل هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ”. The Essence is absolutely concealed & hidden such that it cannot even be apprehended by the most perceptive intellects, as is explained by the Prince of the Monotheists Imam Ali (as) “ يَا هُوَ يَا مَنْ لاَ يَعْلَمُ مَا هُوَ”, translation: “ O He Whom none knows what He is”(Dua-e-Mashlul). This Essential Unity has no manifestation since nothing can manifest the Divine Essence, but the first reality to emanate from the Essence is the Holiest Emanation (AlFaydh al Aqdas); it is this Holiest Emanation or “Faydh al Aqdas” that acts as the Greatest Veil (Hijab al Akbar) for the Divine Essence. The Essence discloses or manifests itself through and from behind this veil which is the Holiest Emanation, and communicates from behind this reality.

This Holiest Emanation manifests or discloses itself in the form of the Divine Names & Attributes (Asma wa Sifat al Ilahiya) at the level or station of Attributive Unity (Maqam al Wahdaniya) where the first form to emanate from it is that of the Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” (Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) from which in turn emanate all the other Divine Names & Attributes. All the Divine Names & Attributes are manifestations of the Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” (Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) which in its turn is the manifestation of the Holiest Emanation (AlFaydh al Aqdas). The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” (Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) in its inner aspect (Batin) is identical to the Holiest Emanation (AlFaydh al Aqdas) but in its external form it is The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” (Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah). Similarly all the other Divine Names & Attributes can be seen in an integrated, unified and undifferentiated manner in the form of The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” (Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah). At the level or station of the Divine Names & Attributes The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” (Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) acts as the Lord or “Rabb” of all the other Divine Names & Attributes that are emanations of The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name. The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name acts as the source form (Masdar) for all the other Divine Names & Attributes, and all the Divine Names & Attributes including The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” in their entirety are manifestations or disclosures of the Holiest Emanation (AlFaydh al Aqdas).

The next station or level is the station of the Primal Entifications ( Ta’yunnat al Awwaliya) that heralds the dawn of Creation as it is from this level that creation begins to appear in the Realm of Being (Alam al Wujud). This is the station of the Immutable Source Forms (A’yan al Thabita) which are identical to Plato’s Ideal Forms or Universals. Just as the Holiest Emanation (AlFaydh al Aqdas) acts as the source form for The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” (Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) similarly The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” acts as the source form for the Immutable Source Form of the Muhammadan Reality (Haqiqat al Muhammadiya) which is the First Creation (Makhluq al Awwal) and the First Entification ( Ta’yunn al Awwal). This first immutable source form to appear at the level of the Primal Entifications and Immutable Source Forms, is a manifestation (mazhar) of The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” (Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) just as The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” (Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) is a manifestation of the Holiest Emanation (AlFaydh al Aqdas). This Muhammadan Reality constitutes the essences or lights of the Prophet (as) and his Vicegerents (awsiya), the Twelve Divine Guides (Aimma al Ithna Ashr) and from here onwards the term Muhammadan Reality, would refer to the sacred essences & lights of The Prophet (as) and the Twelve Divine Guides; this fact can be evidenced by a tradition reported on the authority of Imam Abu Abdullah (as) wherein he states “وَهُوَ نُورِالَّذِي خَلَقَ مِنْهُ مُحَمَّدٌ وَعَلِيٌّ ”, translation: “That is the light from which He created Muhammad (as) & Ali (as)” (Al-Kafi), as is apparent from the Imams (as) words that The Prophet (as) & The Imams (as) are from the same Light. Just as the Muhammadan Reality (Haqiqat al Muhammadiya), which is the first Immutable Source Form, emanates (sudur) from The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” similarly all the other Immutable Source Forms emanate from the Muhammadan Reality, in other words just as the Muhammadan Reality is a manifestation (mazhar) of The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” similarly the other immutable source forms and entifications act as manifestations of the Muhammadan Reality, which is the first immutable source form and also the First Entification (Ta’yunn al Awwal). The Muhammadan Reality in its hidden and inner aspect is identical to the The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” which is the source of the Muhammadan Reality, just as the The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” in its inner aspect is identical to the Holiest Emanation (AlFaydh al Aqdas) which is the source of The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah), however the First Entification in its external and outward aspect (zahir) is the Muhammadan Reality (Haqiqat al Muhammadiya). It is due to the fact that the Muhammadan Reality (Haqiqat al Muhammadiya) acts as a manifestation of The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) that it holds the august and most elevated station of being its Vicegerent (Khalifa) in the Realm of Being, because by being a manifestation of the The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” it acts as a reflection and manifestation of all the Divine Names & Attributes because all the other Divine Names & Attributes are to be found within the The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” in an integrated, unified, simple and undifferentiated manner. As a result of being a manifestation of the The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” the Muhammadan Reality itself is the Greatest Divine Name (Al Ism al Azam) at the level or station of entifications (Ta’yunnat). All the other Primal Entifications ( Ta’yunnat al Awwaliya) or Immutable Source Forms emanate from and are manifestations of the First Entification or the Muhammadan Reality which acts as the “Imam” or Vicegerent (Khalifa) over all the other Immutable Source Forms (A’yan al Thabita). Just as the Muhammadan Reality is a manifestation of The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”, similarly the other entifications or immutable source forms are manifestations of all the other Divine Names & Attributes. Just as all the other Divine Names & Attributes are to be found within their source The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) in an integrated, unified, simple and an undifferentiated manner similarly all the other immutable source forms or entifications can be found in an integrated, unified, simple and an undifferentiated manner within their source the Muhammadan Reality.

The Immutable Source Forms or Primal Entifications are all Immaterial Intellects (Uqul al Mujarred) and hence the level or station of the Immutable Source Forms or Primal Entifications is the Intelligible World (Alam al Aql), and therefore the First Immutable Source Form which is also the First Entification, namely the Muhammadan Reality is also known as the First Intellect (Al Aql al Awwal). The First Intellect is the first existent to have been created by the Divine as is stated in a famous tradition of Imam As Sadiq (as) wherein the Divine Guide is reported to have said “ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ خَلَقَ عْقِلُ وَهُوَ أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ مِنْ رُوحانينَ عَنْيَمِينِالْعَرْشِمِنْنُورِهِ ”, translation:“ Verily God created the Intellect from his light from the right side of the throne and it was the first creation from among the spiritual beings” (hadith#14, Al-Kafi,Kitab al Aql wa Jahl). As is apparent from the words of the Imam (as) that the First Intellect is luminous in essence by reason of having been created from the Divine Light (Nur-al-Ilahiya), therefore it can be inferred easily that the World of Intellects is a Luminous Realm. The First Intellect mentioned in the above mentioned tradition is identical to the Muhammadan Reality as The Prophet (as) is reported to have stated “ أوَّلُ مَا خَلَقَ الَّلهٌ نُورِي”, translation: “The First Existent created by God was my Light” (Awali al-La’ali, 99/4, H. 140). Studying the two traditions side by side it is easy to ascertain that the First Intellect & the Muhammadan Light (Nur al Muhammadiya) are simply two different names of the same Reality called “Haqiqat al Muhammadiya”. According to Mulla Sadra’s Principle of the Contingency of the Noblest (Usul al Imkan al Ashraf) the procession of contingent beings (mumkin ul wujud) progresses or flows in a descending fashion from the existentially highest or noblest to the lowest or inferior through the arc of descent (qaus al nuzuli), such that the existentially perfect beings hold causal priority and precedence over the inferior ones; in light of this principle it is apparent that the First Intellect or the Muhammadan Reality is the Noblest Creation of God in an existential sense; this can also be ascertained from the Prophetic tradition reported by Imam Al Reza (as) in which he reports the Prophet (as) as having stated “ مَا خَلَقَ الَّلهٌخَلْقًا أَ فَضْلُ مِنِّي” , translation: “ God has not created any existent more exalted than Me”(Uyun Akhbar al-Reza). The Muhammadan Reality is the simplest (basit) existent at the station of the Immutable Source Forms or Primal Entifications by reason of the presence therein of all the other immutable source forms in an integrated, unified and an undifferentiated manner just as The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) is the simplest reality at the level of the Divine Names & Attributes. The simplicity of The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” lies in its encompassing all the other Divine Names & Attributes in the sense of possessing all their perfections, similarly the simplicity of the Muhammadan Reality lies in its encompassing all the other immutable source forms or primal entifications in the sense of possessing all their existential perfections.

Existentially speaking the Divine Vicegerent (khalifa) is a reality the qualities of which are a manifestation of the Divine Names & Attributes (Asma wa Sifat al Ilahiya) to the greatest extent; in other words a vicegerent of God in a purely ontological sense is one whose qualities are a reflection of the Divine Names & Attributes, this may also be referred to as “Assimilation with the Divine” (Tashabbuh bil Bari). It is this utmost likeness to God in terms of attributes or qualities (sifat) by virtue of being a manifestation of The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) that entitles the Muhammadan Reality to be declared as God’s Vicegerent (khalifatullah) in the Realm of Being. Concerning this criterion of assimilation with the Divine Attributes Allama Tabatabai states “ On the other hand, they (the angels) knew that vicegerency – setting one thing in place of another – was unthinkable unless the vicegerent was a true copy of his predecessor in all the characteristics, traits and intrinsic abilities. The proposed earthly creature was to be made vicegerent of Allah in the earth. Allah has got for Himself the best names, the sublime attributes; His mercy and power are beyond the comprehension of His creatures; He, in His person, is untouched by any defect; and, in his actions, is free from all kinds of evil and disorder. How could an earthly vicegerent, with all his defects and deficiencies, represent the majesty and splendor of Allah in the earth? Well, could a lowly creature of earth be a mirror of divine beauty and sublimity?” (Al-Mizan Fi Tafseer al Quran, commentary of verse 30, Chapter Al-Baqarah). As is obvious from the words of Allama Tabatabai (ra) that the angels considered a Divine Vicegerent (khalifa) to be a true copy or a mirror of the divine traits and qualities, failing which requirement one cannot act as a true Vicegerent of God. Therefore the Muhammadan Reality (Haqiqat al Muhammadiya) at the existential station of Divine Vicegerency & Authority (Khilafa wa Wilaya) acts as a perfect mirror or copy of the Divine Names & Attributes. The First Intellect (Al Aql al Awwal) or the Muhammadan Reality is the most beloved creation of God which fact is mentioned by Imam Al Baqar (as) in a tradition wherein he states the Divine declaration in the following words “ ثُمَّقَالَ وَعِزّتِيَ وَ جَلَا لِي مَا خَلَقْتَ خَلْقًا هُوَ احِبُّ إِلَيَّمِنْكَ ” , translation: “ Then God said : I swear by my honour and glory that I have not created any being more beloved to Me than you”(Al-Kafi, Kitab al Aqal wa Jahl, hadith#01), therefore the First Intellect or the Muhammadan Reality is the most beloved creation of God, but the nature of this love is not emotional or sentimental but purely existential or ontological in that the First Intellect is the greatest beloved by reason of being existentially the Noblest Existent and the most Exalted of all the contingent beings, because it is the greatest and most perfect manifestation or reflection of the Divine Names & Attributes, specifically The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah). This Divine Vicegerency & Authority (Khilafa wa Wilaya) of the Muhammadan Reality is the Immutable Source Form for all the other immutable source forms subsisting at the level or station of the Primal Entifications, the World of Intellects, as it is by reason of the mediation (wasita) of the Muhammadan Reality that the other immutable source forms and primal entifications are brought into the light of existence (wujud) from the darkness of non-existence (adum) as is stated in the Quran “ يُخرِجُهُم مِنَ الظُّلُماتِ إِلَى النّورِ”, translation: “ He brings them out of darkness into light”(Surah Al-Baqra,verse#257). It is through the mediation of this Divine Vicegerent namely the Muhammadan Reality that Divine Grace (alfaydh al ilahi) effuses itself and flows towards the other immutable source forms and primal entifications ( Ta’yunnat al Awwaliya) and through them it flows towards the Celestial (malakut) and the Material (mulk) Worlds.

The World of Intellects (alam al uqul) or Immutable Source Forms is an immaterial realm pure from the darkness of sensible matter (madda); it is a realm that is absolutely perfect and the noblest in existential status in comparison to the worlds lower or inferior than it, such as the Celestial (malakut) and the Material (mulk) Realms. It is the world of beauty & sublimity. Just as the immutable source forms emanate from and are manifestations of, the First Intellect or the First Entification namely, the Muhammadan Reality, similarly the lower realms, which are also the secondary entifications (Ta’yunat al Thaniya), emanate from and are manifestations of the immutable source forms (A’yan al Thabita). Whatever exists in the sensible and celestial worlds is a manifestation (mazhar) and a reflection of the immutable source forms subsisting in the World of Intellects and Primal Entifications. The immutable source forms in turn are manifestations and self-disclosures of the Muhammadan Reality, which in its turn is the manifestation of The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah), and finally The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) is the manifestation of the Holiest Emanation (AlFaydh al Aqdas). It can also be said that the lower worlds are manifestations of the immutable source forms, which in turn are the manifestations of the Divine Names & Attributes, and finally the Divine Names & Attributes are manifestations of the Holiest Emanation (AlFaydh al Aqdas). The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) illuminates the essence of the First Intellect or the Muhammadan Reality with its own light as is also apparent from the words of Imam As Sadiq (as) “ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ خَلَقَ عْقِلُ وَهُوَ أَوَّلَ خَلْقٍ مِنْ رُوحانينَ عَنْيَمِينِالْعَرْشِمِنْنُورِهِ ”,translation:“ Verily God created the Intellect from his light from the right side of the throne and it was the first creation from among the spiritual beings” (hadith#14, Al-Kafi,Kitab al Aql wa Jahl), the phrase “ مِنْنُورِهِ” inthe above tradition indicates the purported meaning. It is the Sun of Divine Vicegerency & Authority (khilafa wa wilaya) which in its turn illumines and enlightens the other immutable source forms and through them the lower realms (alamin) of the “malakut” and the “mulk”, and perhaps it is due to this reason that the Quran states “ وَما أَرسَلناكَ إِلّا رَحمَةً لِلعالَمينَ” , translation: “ We did not send you but as a mercy to all the worlds”(Sura Al-Anbiya,verse#107). This brings us to the ontological or existential reality of Prophecy (nubuwwat wa risalat), after all what is Prophecy (nubuwwat) but the receiving of revelation (wahy) from God and the transmission thereof to His creation, in other words Prophecy is an intermediary between the Creator (khaliq) and the Created (makhluq). The First Intellect or the Muhammadan Reality receives creative revelation (al wahy al takwini) from The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) and transmits it to the immutable source forms and the inferior worlds; this is the existential or ontological (wujudi) meaning of Prophecy (nubuwwat wa risalat).

The Immutable Source Forms that subsist under the Divine Vicegerency & Authority of the Muhammadan Reality are God’s treasuries or sources for all that exists in the lower worlds as is stated in the Quran “ وَإِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا عِنْدَنَا خَزَائِنُهُ وَمَا نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلَّا بِقَدَرٍ مَعْلُومٍ”, translation: “ And there is not a thing but that with Us are its depositories, and We do not send it down except according to a known measure” (Sura Al-Hijr, verse#21).According to this verse every particular existent in the lower worlds has an unlimited and an unbounded source with God, and that whatever exists in the inferior levels of being descends from those unbounded and unlimited treasures or immutable source forms through the arc or descent (qaus al nuzuli). It can also be inferred from the use of the term “نُنَزِّلُهُ” that the treasuries subsist at a higher plane of existence and are ontologically nobler than the things that exist in the lower realms. As long as the realities subsist in the higher plane of existence they remain unbounded and unlimited, without measure, however as soon as they are made to descend to the lower plane of being they become limited and measured as is indicated by the term “بِقَدَرٍ”. The descent particularizes the Universals. The secret of the ontological perfection and existential nobility of the unbounded treasuries or immutable source forms is indicated by the term “عِنْدَنَا” in the above verse, which indicates proximity or nearness to God, who is the ultimate source of all goodness, perfection and beauty. Therefore the nearer an existent is to God, both in an ontological & ethical sense, the more perfect and nobler it is, and the farther an existent happens to be from God the more imperfect, ignoble and evil it is, and it has already been made abundantly clear that the Muhammadan Reality is the most proximate existent to the Divine. The Immutable Source Forms act as the Lord of the Species (Rabb al Naww) existing in the lower worlds, and the Muhammadan Reality is Lord over these Immutable Source Forms.

Everything that exists in the lower worlds has an Intelligible Reality in the higher world namely The World of Intellects (Al Alam Al Aqal), the World of Lights (Alam al Nur), which is the level or station of the immutable source forms; it means that every worldly species has an intelligible reality in the higher world which acts as its immutable source form, so for instance for all the particular horses in the lower world there is an intelligible horse (al faras al aqli) in the Realm of Intellects, that acts as their source form or universal, or for all the particular trees existing in the world there is an intelligible tree (al shajar al aqli) in that higher world; now this intelligible horse and the intelligible tree represents the reality (haqiqa) of all the particular earthly horses and trees because these intelligible realities or source forms represent a horse or a tree in all its perfection (kamal) and actuality (bil f’il) without blemish or imperfection. This universal horse or tree is lord of species (Rabb al Naww) for all the particular horses and trees respectively, and the Muhammadan Reality is lord over all such universals or intelligible immutable source forms. As we proceed through the arc of descent commencing from the The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah) to the Muhammadan Reality, and through it to the other immutable source forms, and finally through them to the celestial and the material realms we realize that existence becomes more particularized, differentiated and experiences multiplicity and diversity. Moving up the cosmic hierarchy we realize that the higher up we go the more unified, integrated and simple existence becomes. The arc of descent denotes causality such that The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah” emanates from the Holiest Emanation (AlFaydh al Aqdas), and the Muhammadan Reality emanates from the The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah); God causes the all the other entifications to emanate from the Muhammadan Reality; in other words He causes all the other essences to emerge from non-existence via the mediation (wasatat) of the Muhammadan Reality; therefore everything that comes into being does so through the mediation of the Muhammadan Reality. It is God who creates the world and not the Muhammadan Reality; the Muhammadan Reality merely acts as an intermediary in accordance with the Divine Will. This mediation of the Muhammadan Reality cannot even be compared to instrumentality because a craftsman or maker is dependent upon his instrument or tool for the manifestation of his skill or art; but the Divine is absolutely independent and far above relying on another entity. Therefore everything that exists in the Realm of Contingency (alam al imkan) from the immutable source forms to the realms of the “mulk” and “malakut” are nothing but self-disclosures or manifestations of the Muhammadan Reality, which in its turn is the manifestation of The Greatest and All Comprehensive Divine Name “Allah”(Al Ism al Azam al Jam’i Allah); therefore at the level or station of the Primal Entifications ( Ta’yunnat al Awwaliya) creation begins with the Muhammadan Reality.