RAS question
The Sufi concept of 'Wahdat-ul-Wujud' (Unity of Being) was propounded by:
Correct answer: (B) Ibn al-Arabi (and popularized in India by Muhiyuddin Ibn Arabi's followers).
Wahdat-ul-Wujud, the Sufi doctrine of the oneness of being, is attributed to Ibn al-Arabi.
Explanation
Wahdat-ul-Wujud means the oneness of being or existence. The doctrine is attributed to the Sufi philosopher Ibn al-Arabi, whose writings developed the idea that only the Real, Allah, has absolute existence, while created things exist through Him and not independently. Later Muslim scholars associated the phrase with him, and his works repeatedly develop related ideas: apparent multiplicity belongs to creation, but existence in its essence is one. Ibn al-Arabi is therefore the relevant proponent of Wahdat-ul-Wujud. In the Indian Sufi setting, the Chishti order embraced this view, in contrast to Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi's Wahdat-ul-Shuhud, which maintained a clearer separation between God and creation.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Al-Ghazali is not the figure to whom Wahdat-ul-Wujud is attributed.
- (C) Prophet Muhammad belongs to the foundational period of Islam, while Wahdat-ul-Wujud is a later Sufi metaphysical doctrine attributed to Ibn al-Arabi.
- (D) Rumi is a major Sufi poet, but Wahdat-ul-Wujud is attributed to Ibn al-Arabi, not to Rumi.
Concept
Medieval Indian history includes Sufi metaphysics, especially the movement of doctrines into Indian Sufi orders. RAS often asks such ideas because they connect religious movements, terminology and intellectual debates rather than only names and dates.