The Unity of Existence and the Unity of Intuition

The basis of true knowledge of monotheism and mysticism is established on the reality of existence and its unity, which is divided into the unity of existence, on the one hand, and the unity of essence, attributes and actions, on the other hand. They result in annihilation in the Divine dwelling in the Light of His Existence.In confirmation of this heavenly meaning, the believers in ‘the unity of intuition’ are of the opinion that as the seekers of divine truth reach this stage of dignity, they will see all the divine qualities and attributes dissolve into the unity of essence of the Lord, and any observation other than that unity of essence will refrain from their souls. Anything else disappears, whereas pure monotheism comes into existence. It is at this stage of dignity that they will utter ‘There is no one but Him.’The believers in ‘the unity of existence’ hold that as the conjoined mystic and the passionate devotee, after reaching this stage of dignity, find that there is nothing but the united existence of the Lord Almighty, which is reflected in the mirror of existential manifestations. The true monotheist is the one who believes in the unity of plurality and singularity while conjoining the higher position of collective dimension.Admitting that both of these ranks belong to the conjoined mystic, the present study examines the difference between these two approaches, namely whether it is a single rank with two names or two separate ranks. To arrive at a conclusion one has to, first, briefly consider the meaning of unity, existence, plurality, intuition, and theosis, i.e. the annihilation in the Divine, then examine the grounds that give rise to such approaches. Finally, the study provides responses to the questions posed.