The Doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujud and Its Ontological Status in Turkic Classical Literature

Abstract

Background: The theological and metaphysical doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujud (the Unity of Being), systematically initiated by the Andalusian-born master Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, serves as the primary conceptual substrate for classical Islamic Eastern literature. Understanding the profound creative output of classical Eastern thinkers is non-viable without deciphering this framework. Methods: This study utilizes a qualitative methodology encompassing structural hermeneutics, historical-comparative analysis, and textual exegesis of critical Sufi poetry and hagiographical treatises. It establishes a rigorous boundary between Wahdat al-Wujud and Western pantheism, tracing the historical transmission of unity paradigms through early gnostics (Bistami, Hallaj, Shibli) to later literary giants (Sanai, Attar, Rumi, Jami). Results: The research structurally validates how Alisher Navoiy synthesized scriptural foundations (Quran and Hadith) and preceding Persian poetic legacies in his works Nasayim al-Muhabbat and Lisan ut-Tayr. Furthermore, it defines the operational differences between Wahdat al-Wujud and Wahdat ash-Shuhud as depicted in regional classical thought. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that Wahdat al-Wujud was not a superficial ornamentation within Turkic belles-lettres, but the foundational architecture animating the "Perfect Man" (Al-Insan al-Kamil) discourse, proving that human consciousness serves as the ultimate mirror for Divine manifestation.