A Comparative Study of the Unity of Perception (Wahdat al-Shuhud) and the Unity of Being (Wahdat al-Wujud) in Jām-e Jam by Awhadi, Gulshan-e Rāz by Shabestari, and Asrār al-Shuhud by Asiri Lahiji

Abstract

Among the central discussions in the evolution of language and thought within Islamic mysticism is the perceptual and ontological perspective of Islamic mystics, which has received extensive attention in the works of mystics and Sufis. From the perspective of the Sufis, wahdat al-shuhud (the unity of perception) signifies the perception and affirmation of divine unity. According to this viewpoint, divine unity is proven solely through the mystical unveiling (kashf) and perception (shuhud) of the spiritual wayfarer (sālik). Adherents of wahdat al-shuhud believe that the essence of the Divine is beyond all similitude and likeness. In contrast, followers of wahdat al-wujud (the unity of being) consider nothing to be real or true except being, which is identical to the Divine Essence. Awhad al-Din Maraghe’i was a mystic of the late 13th and early 14th centuries CE. In his poetic work Jām-e Jam, he addresses the characteristics of the human being. The aim of the present study is to examine Awhadi Maraghe’i’s perceptual perspective in comparison with the ontological views of Sheikh Mahmoud Shabestari in Gulshan-e Rāz and Asiri Lahiji in Asrār al-Shuhud, conducted through a descriptive-analytical approach. Awhadi Maraghe’i emphasizes wahdat al-shuhud, whereby the sālik, through unveiling and perception, reaches annihilation (fanā) in the One Reality. In contrast, Shabestari and Asiri Lahiji focus on wahdat al-wujud in their works and believe that all beings are manifestations of a single Reality, namely God. This research demonstrates that in the works of these mystics, there is a consistent emphasis on the unity of reality, divine manifestations, and the negation of dualities in the cosmos.