Page 802 - Atlas of Creation Volume 3

Nothing but God exists on the outside… Perhaps all of Almighty God's creation finds constancy on the
sphere of perception… In the same way that matter has no existence in the outside world, it appears on the out-
side in a colorless form… If it does have a fixed appearance, that is again only on the perceptual level. It only
has permanency thanks to God's artistry on that one level. In short, it only has permanency and appearance on

one level. It does not have existence on one plane and appearance on another… It contains no sign on the out-
side that might allow it to be seen there… 47

As a result, as we can see from Imam Rabbani's clear exposition,either by referring to science or by
thinking with our powers of reason, we reach the conclusion that we can never know whether there is an
actual physical counterpart corresponding to what we perceive. All we can see is the image presented to
us in our minds. It is God, the Lord of all the Worlds, who creates this image and presents it to us.

The great Islamic scholar Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi also believes that the only thing that has definitive
existence is God, Who has created the whole universe only on the perceptual level. He is known as "The
Greatest Master" (Shaykh al-Akbar) on account of the depth of his knowledge, and in his work The Essence
of Wisdom (Fusûs al-Hikam), he reveals that the universe is but a shadow existence consisting of what is

manifested by God:

I say that you must know that apart from God, all that exists, or everything in the universe, stands in the same
relation to God as a shadow to a man. That being the case, everything apart from God is but His shadow…
There is no doubt that the shadow exists in perception. 48

Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi offers a clear reply to those who see themselves as having an existence inde-
pendent of God, who believe that they enjoy a separate existence:

As I have explained to you, the world is a concept. It has no real existence. That is what illusion means. You have

thought to yourselves that the world is something that intrinsically exists: That its existence depends on itself,
and that it exists independent of God. However, that is not the case. Do you not see that the shadow derives
from its owner and since it is connected to him, it is seemingly impossible for it to separate it from its owner…
This being so, you must know that you are but a dream. All that you perceive, and all that which you say is

"separate from the Lord" or "it is not me" is also but a dream. All that exists does so within a dream. God is
the only One to possess true existence in its very essence. 49

As Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi's words demonstrate, man is something that possesses the soul God has
breathed into him, a manifestation of God. God is all that really exists, whereas man is a dream. This is a
most important truth, and we would be making a grave error to believe the opposite.

Alongside these two, Mawlana Jami also expresses this astonishing truth, that he came by from signs in
the Qur’an and by using his own powers of reason, in the words; "Whatever exists in the universe is but a
perception. It is like a reflection in a mirror, or a shadow".
As we have seen, great Islamic thinkers have made this truth perfectly clear, and for this reason it is not
credible to claim that it conflicts with the Qur’an and the Sunnah, or that it is rejected by the world of Islam.

What is more, it must not be forgotten that it is a scientifically proven fact, which nobody can deny, that we
see all that we do in our brains. Because this was not scientifically known in past times, it is quite natural
that some Islamic scholars should not have referred to it. Furthermore, the fact that matter is an illusion has

been described in a perverted way by some circles, who have tried to do away with the rules and laws of re-
ligion in this way. On account of these twisted and dishonest views, some Islamic scholars have issued
warnings against these dangers. However, these comments have deviated from the truth. They should not
be compared with the comments we have seen above.
In fact, Imam Rabbani mentions those philosophers who depart from the truth when discussing the

subject of matter. He stresses that what he says is very different to their twisted views. He says the follow-
ing in his Letters:

When I refer to the world as "imaginary," I do not mean that it is made and shaped by the imagination… Of
course, what it really means is that God has created the world on the perceptual level… An imaginary thing

has no true appearance or body… This can be likened to a circle created by the fast cycling of a point. It also has

800 Atlas of Creation Vol. 3