Dispute B/W 2 Great Sunni Imams Over Whdatul Wujud 0r Unicity (Uniqueness) 0f Existance

(Imam IBN TAIMAH & Imam SHAH ISMAIL SHAHID DAHLAWI)

According to Imam Ibn Taimah (R.D), Salafies,and Majority of Ahlul Hadith in Subcontinent
South Asia the word ''EXISTENCE (ESSE)'' is Expressed as
follow:-
'' TheQuiddities of Created Existance are them selves Created and Existence of a Created
Quddity is some thing that is Identical to ('Ain) the Created Quddity''.
The stated above Existance (ESSE/ WUJUD) IS NOT some thing that is Additional (ZAID)to the
Created Quiddity of the Created Existent but Identical to the Quddity.
According to these subsects of SUNNIITES (SUNNI/AHLUSSUNNAH WAL JAMA'AH) the only
difference b/w the 2 terms Existence/Esse and Quddity is as follow:
''The Former Term Means Mental Existence ,and the Latter Term Means External Existence 0f
The Essence (0USIA/DHAT) of a Created Existent''.
Wuju:d/Existence/ Esse is Afffirmation or Posativity (THUBU:T)
IF THE WORD EXISTENCE IS TAKEN IN THIS SENCE OR MEANING IT IS PURE SHIRK TO
SAY '' '' THE EXISTENCE OF EACH AND EVERY CREATED EXISTENT
IS IDENTICAL TO THE EXISTENCE OF GOD THAT IS DIVINE ESSENCE (OUSIA) '' ''.
An other Great Sunni Imam Mujaddid Alf Thani who agree with Imam Ibn Taimah against Unicity
Of Esse and combat WhdatulWujud like Imam Ibn Taimah disagree
on the Issue Of Addition.
According to Mujaddid of Ahlussunnah '' '' To Each and Every Existent (That is Not an Existence)
There Is An Existence That Exists And Is Additional to the Existent
(That Is Not Existence)''.
Now we come to study the Third Great Sunni Imam Shah Ismail Shahi:d , the common Imam Of
Ahlu Hadith , and Ahlussunah Deoband in Subcontinent South Asia.
According to Shah Shhi:d. Deobandi Sunnis, And a minority of Ahlul Hadi:th Existence is NOT
THAT,THAT have been stated above.
According to the excogitation of Imam Shah Shahi:d '' '' EXISTENCE/ESSE IS THAT,BY THAT
CREATED EXISTENTS DO EXIST'' ''.
This Existence is an Essential ATTRIBUTE (S-FH/QUALITY) Of G-D,(I.E It is a Divine Attribute
,not a relative Attribute 0f G-D)
This Existence is oft termed as REAL EXISTENCE (AL-WUJ:D AL-HAQI:QI:) or even (PURE)
REALITY.
According to Imam Shahi:d it is Self Absurd (MUHA:L BIDH DHAT) FOR ANY CREATED
EXISTENT THAT IT EXISTS BY IT SELF OR BY ANY ONE OF ITS
ATTRIBUTE/QUALITY/PROPERTY OR BOTH.
IT CAN ONLY EXIST BY THE DIVINE EXISTENCE ( stated above).
This Divine existence is Beyond All Created Existents That DO Exist by That Existence.
Thus Imam Ibe Taimah and Imam Shahi:d differ from each other over the sense and meaning of
the WORD EXISTENCE.
That is why Unicity of Esse is Kufr according to former and Not Kufr RATHER Iman according to
Latter.
According to Imam Shahi:d This Divine Attribute ie Existence is:-
a)ESTIBLISHER OF CREATED EXISTENTS.
b)ORIGINATOR OF CREATED EXISTENTS.
c)STABLIZER OF CREATED EXISTENTS.
d)SUSTAINOR OF CREATED EXISTENTS.
e)CAUSE OF CREATED EXISTENTS.
f)THAT THAT MAKES CREATED EXISTENTS TO SUBSIST I.E SUBSISTOR OF CREATED
EXISTENTS
g)THAT MAKES THE CREATED EXISTENTS TO CONTINUE.
h)CAUSE OF EXISTENCENESS (AL MAUJU:DIAH)
Thus This Divine Esse Is the Esse of each and every temporal existent.BUT Only in the sense or
in the meaning That It make each and every Created Existent to Exist.
This Divine Existence is NOT An A ttribute Of Any One Of The Created Existent That Is Made To
Exist by IT.
God Is Beyond Each and Every Created Existent ,But The Existence 0f Each And Every Created
Existent IS IDENTICAL TO THIS DIVINE ATTRIBUTE KNOWN AS EXISTENCE.ButThis Implies
THAT THE EXISTENCE OF EACH AND EVERY CREATED EXISTENT IS DISTINCT AND
BEYOND FROM THE RESPECTIVE CREATED EXISTENT.FAs Cosmos /UNIVERSE/WORLD
is nothing but a Set of Individual Created Existents the existence of the Cosmos is Identical to
the Existence of GOD AND SEPERATE from the COSMOS ITSELF.The DIVINE EXISTENCE
does NOT frow in any one of the Created Existent nor in their set (which is the WORLD)
From the point of view of Imam Ibe Taimah (RAHMATULLAH 'ALAIH) IF A PERSON SAYS a)The
Existence Of God and The Created Existent are Identical. b)
A Created Existent and God are Isentical With Respect to Existence; THEN IT means nothing But
'' '' The QUIDDITY Of the Created Existent is Identical To Divine ESSE''
This is pure SHIRK AND worst form of Polythiesm.
But From the point of view of IMAM SHAH ISMAIL SHAHI:D (RAHMATULLAH 'ALAIH) it only
means that ''The Attribute 0f God That By That Created Existents Exist,
Subsist,Sustain,Remain Stable,and Continue Is Identical To The Existence 0f the Created
Existents ( both Individually and collectively) whether they be
Subsistents,Substances,Quaddities,Accidents,PropertiesQuallities,Relations.But this Attribute Of
GOD is Seperate,Distinct ,Alien,Beyond,Transedent, to each and every
Created Existent Whether It be An Entity (sing. 'AUN/'ain pl,A'YA:N) or a Non Entitius existent.
Thus the Esse of a Created Existent is Identical To the Divine Existence BUT the Essence of A
Created Existent Is Sepetrate From the ESSENCE OF God (That may be termed as the Divine
Suppositum), further the Divine Existent is Seperate from Each and every Created Existent ( and
Created Suppositum).So the Expression that '' '' there is Identity b/w God and Created Existents
(both collectively and individually) with respect to Existence and Seperation between the fromer
and the latter with respect to Essence '' '' does not mean that Created Existents are God with
Respect to Existence and Not GOD with respect to Essence.'' '' According to a number of
Philosophers tosat '' A IS IDENTICAL TO B means A IS B, but Sufies do not use this term
IDENTITY/IDENTICAL TO in this sense.They may mean that the Eistence of A is Identical to
Existence of B,WHIT OUT ANY IMPLICATION whether THAT Existence of B is Not Seperate
form B OR SEPERATE FROM B'' ''
.
As the word Identity is not used in Qur'a:n and Hadith Sufies have used them different from
Philosophers.
In a nut shell Imam Shah Shahi:d does not use the term Existence in the sense taken by Imam
Ibn Taimah.