hated the latter, rewarded the former, and punished the latter. He therefore loves what Allah and His Messenger love, hates what Allah and His Messenger hate, and witnesses distinction (1) within comprehensive unity and comprehensive unity within distinction. He does not (2) witness pure comprehensive unity or pure distinction (3).
As for his statement, “and draws one toward the affirmation of divine oneness attained by the masters of comprehensive unity,” this will be discussed below. These people drank from the same spring as those who denied divine decree. Those who said, “Matters arise anew,” argued:
“If His knowledge and decree concerning something had already been established, it would be impossible for Him to command the contrary, and that thing would necessarily exist.”
This, they claimed, would nullify divine commands and prohibitions. Yet those people held commands and prohibitions in high esteem (4), so they assumed that affirming pre-existing knowledge and decree was incompatible with them. They therefore affirmed revealed law and denied divine decree.
These people likewise held the same belief, but they affirmed divine decree and denied that anyone who witnessed it could regard a good deed as good and command it, or regard an evil deed as reprehensible and prohibit it. Thus, they affirmed divine decree but nullified revealed law for anyone who witnessed the decree. This doctrine is even more contrary to the religion of Islam than the doctrine of those who deny divine decree.
He said:
“As for the third affirmation of divine oneness, it is an affirmation that the Real reserved exclusively for Himself and merited by virtue of His own greatness . . .” to the end of his statement.
This has already been quoted. These are the very people whom the leading authorities on the path, such as Junayd and others, condemned, for they made no distinction between the Eternal and the originated. The essence of their doctrine is union and particular indwelling, akin to the Christian doctrine concerning Christ: that the one who affirms divine oneness is himself the One whose oneness is affirmed, and that no one affirms the oneness of