Al-Wahed (Unity) Rule: a Theological, Philosophical, and Interpretational Appraisal

Islamic theologians and philosophers  are disagree on the subject of issuing plurality from unity which is followed in Islamic philosophy under the title of the Al-Wahed or unity rule that says “no more than one is issued from the one”. Islamic theologians based on theological criteria and the contents of narrated documents reject this rule. However, most of Islamic philosophers believe in the originality and correctness of this rule. In this article, first, the contents of the rule have been introduced and then the arguments of both sides debated. Two important theological arguments against the rule discussed more profoundly. First, the claim that this rule entails the denial of the will of God; second, this rule entails the denial of the power of God. Then, in evaluating the second argument, about twenty verses of the Holy Qur'an are categorized in four groups and it has been proved that the rule of unity, whether true or false, does not contradict the verses of the Holy Qur'an.