My Dear Brother!
A Summary of Your Second Question: Muhyiddin al‑‘Arabi said: “The spirit’s createdness consists of its unfolding.” With this question you are compelling a powerless wretch like me to contest an awesomely brilliant scholar of reality and genius of the occult sciences like Muhyiddin al‑‘Arabi. However, relying on the teachings of the Qur’an I can attempt the discussion; even if I am only a fly, I can fly higher than that eagle.
My brother! You should understand that Muhyiddin would not deceive, but he could be deceived. He was rightly‑guided, but could not act as a guide in all his works. What he saw was correct, but it was not reality. The reality of man’s spirit, about which you ask, is explained in the Twenty-Ninth Word, the discussion about the spirit.
Yes, in respect of its nature, the spirit is a law proceeding from the divine command, but it is a living law clothed in external existence and possessing external existence. Muhyiddin thought of it only from the point of view of its essential nature. His way of the Unity of Existence considers the existence of things to be imaginary. He had wondrous visions and unveiled the realities, but since his was a prominent way and he had chosen an independent path, he was compelled to apply, artificially and with weak, forced interpretations, certain Qur’anic verses to his way and observations, thus marring the clarity of the verses. In others of his treatises he expounds the straight highway of the Qur’an and of the Sunnis. He was a holy man who held a position all his own, and he was one of the well‑accepted, but he exceeded the mark in his unbalanced disclosures and in many matters opposed the majority of the learned authorities.
It is because of this that although he was such an elevated and wondrous spiritual pole, unequalled down the ages, it is as though his particular way was very short and restricted to Sadruddin al‑Qunawi. His works are only rarely benefited from by those on the straight path. Many of the authoritive scholars do not encourage study of those valuable works and some of them even prevent it.
Lengthy study and a very lofty, broad view is needed to show the fundamental differences together with their sources between Muhyiddin’s way and that of the exacting scholars. Yes, the differences are so fine and profound and the sources, so elevated and extensive that Muhyiddin has not been censured and has continued to be accepted. For if in regard to thought, scholarship, and illumination the difference and sources had become apparent, it would have been very humiliating for him, and he would have been seen to be in serious error. Since the difference is so profound, we shall try to show it and the sources briefly by means of a comparison, and Muhyiddin’s errors in the matter.
For example, the sun appears in a mirror. The mirror both contains the sun and is qualified by it. That is to say, in one respect the sun is present in the mirror, and in another it adorns the mirror, becoming a brilliant colour, attribute and quality of it. If the mirror had been a camera, it would have fixed the sun’s image on photographic paper. In these cases, the sun in the mirror, and its semblance on the photographic paper, and its aspect that adorns the mirror and becomes like a quality of the mirror, are other than the actual sun. They are not the sun, but the sun’s manifestation which has taken on another existence. As for the existence of the sun that is visible in the mirror, even if it is not identical with the sun that is visible outside, since it is tied to it and points to it, it has been supposed to have the same existence.
In consequence of this, it may be said: “There is nothing apart from the actual sun in the mirror,” meaning that the mirror contains it and intending the sun’s external existence in the mirror. But if it is said that the sun’s extended reflection, which has become like an attribute or quality of the mirror, and its image which has been transposed to the photographic paper is the sun, it is wrong; it is an error to say: “There is nothing in them other than the sun.” For there is the reflection on the mirror’s shining face and the image formed on its back, and these have their own separate existences. For sure those existences are from the sun’s manifestation, but they are not the sun. The human mind and imagination resemble this example of the mirror, as follows:
The information in the mirror of man’s thought also has two faces: in one respect it is knowledge, in another, it is known. If we suppose the mind to contain what is known, then the known thing becomes something known by the mind; its existence is something different to the mind. If we suppose the mind to be qualified by the thing occurring, it becomes an attribute or quality of the mind; then the thing becomes knowledge and has an external existence. Even if the existence of the thing known is essential (jawharī), it has an accidental external existence as knowledge.
Thus, according to these two comparisons, the universe is a mirror. In reality, all beings are mirrors; they are subject to divine creation through pre‑eternal power. In one respect, each being is a sort of mirror to one of the names of the Pre-Eternal Sun, displaying its embroideries. The followers of Muhyiddin’s way unveiled them only in respect of being mirrors and containers, revealing the similitude of their existence in the mirror, from the point of view of denial. Supposing the reflection to be identical with the thing reflected, they did not think of other levels. They said: “There is no existent but He,” and were in error. They almost went as far as denying the fundamental rule: “The real essences of things exist in reality.”
As for the people of reality, they have seen through the mystery of the legacy of prophethood and the definite statements of the Qur’an that the embroideries and inscriptions that come into being in the mirrors of things through divine power and will are His works. They are “all from Him;” they are not “all Him.” Things have an existence and their existence is real to a degree. For sure it is weak compared to that of the Necessary Existence, like an illusion or imagining, but through the Pre‑Eternal All-Powerful One’s creation, will, and power, it exists.
In the comparison, the sun in the mirror has an existence through its similitude apart from its external existence.
And its expanded reflection also, which gives colour to and adorns the mirror, has an accidental and separate external existence, an existence which is also real to a degree. And the sun’s image which is depicted on the photographic paper on the back of the mirror also has a separate and accidental external existence. Similarly, the inscriptions of beings, which appear through the manifestations of the sacred divine names – occurring through will, choice, and power – in the mirror of the universe and mirrors of the quintessential natures of things, have a created existence separate from the Necessary Existence. And this existence has been given a permanence through pre‑eternal power. But if the connection were to be severed, all things would at once cease to be. Because for their continued existence, all things are every instant in need of their Creator’s preserving them. “The real essences of things exist in reality,” but but have a real existence only through His making it so.
Thus, Muhyiddin’s saying: “Spirit is not created; it is a reality proceeding from the world of the divine command and from the attribute of will,” is contrary to many clear statements of the Qur’an and Hadiths, and according to the investigation above, he was confused, deceived, and had not seen the weak existences of things.
The places of manifestation of such divine names as Creator and Provider cannot be illusory or imaginary. Since the names have a reality, their places of manifestation also have an external reality.