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Aḥmad Sirhindī and the unity of witnessing

Aḥmad SirhindīShāh Walī Allāh

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For everyone

Aḥmad Sirhindī (1564–1624), who lived in India, is known by the titles "Imām-i Rabbānī" and "renewer of the second millennium". He founded the Mujaddidī branch of the Naqshbandiyya. Against the unity of being (waḥdat al-wujūd) attributed to Ibn ʿArabī he developed the view of the unity of witnessing (waḥdat al-shuhūd). His letters, the Maktūbāt, had wide influence in the Ottoman world as well.

For specialists

For Sirhindī, the Sufi's experience of oneness shows not that being is really one but that nothing but God is seen in the wayfarer's eyes; at the level of being the distinction between Creator and created remains. The unity of being is therefore a stage to be surpassed at a higher station. Adherence to the sharia and criticism of the religious policies of the Mughal court were also part of his teaching.

Claims

Positions

Proponents of the unity of being
True being belongs to God alone; the world is the manifestation of His names and attributes, and the experience of unity reflects this reality.[1]
Shāh Walī Allāh of Delhi
The difference between the unity of being and the unity of witnessing is largely one of expression; the two views can be reconciled.[2]

Connections

Parent

Sufism (taṣawwuf)

Argues against

Ibn ʿArabī and the unity of being

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Sources

  1. Encyclopediaİmâm-ı Rabbânî. TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisiislamansiklopedisi.org.trarchive
  2. BookFriedmann, Y. (1971). Shaykh Aḥmad Sirhindī: An Outline of His Thought and a Study of His Image in the Eyes of Posterity. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal

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Cite this page

APA

Athena contributors. (2026). Aḥmad Sirhindī and the unity of witnessing. Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/imam-rabbani/

BibTeX
@misc{athena_imam_rabbani,
  title        = {Aḥmad Sirhindī and the unity of witnessing},
  author       = {{Athena contributors}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://latifkedi.github.io/athena/en/d/imam-rabbani/}},
  note         = {Athena: The tree of human knowledge. Accessed: 2026-11-01}
}

Added: September 28, 2026 · Last changed: September 28, 2026 · Page history

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