In truth, Tawhid (Unity) and Ahadiyya (Absolute Oneness) are distinct. The Ahadiyya, in its essence, does not accept any addition. Even when our Lord, glorified and exalted is He, informed us about Ahadiyya and described Himself with Oneness, He said: "Say," commanding you—bound as you are to restate the message—"Say: He is Allah, the One." When you hear "Say: He is Allah, the One," you are simply repeating these same words.

The Oneness of Allah existed when nothing existed alongside it. When this Oneness descended and transformed into Wahdaniyya (Unity), it became receptive to addition through the name of "the Lord" (al-Rabb). For without the Lord, there would be no servant; without the Creator, there would be no creation.

The difference is that when you study Allah or seek to recognize the name of Allah through the quality of Ahadiyya, He existed when nothing existed with Him. Even the station of Ihsan (spiritual excellence) is built upon nothing except witnessing (mushahada). As stated in the hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him."

The phrase "as if" (ka'annaka) introduces the similitude that contains divine attributes of Lordship. This is why we say the letter kāf (ك) in "ka'annaka" equals twenty in the abjad numerological system¹, connected to twenty divine attributes of al-Bari, glorified and exalted is He.

So what does it mean to "worship Allah as if you see Him"? It means seeing Him through His attributes, as the qualities of Lordship of al-Bari (the Originator), glorified and exalted is He, manifest themselves. But how can I see Him? Society has come to deny this vision, questioning: "How can I see my Lord?" or "Is my Lord not unseen?" But I see Him through His attributes.

Consider Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, when he saw a star and said, "This is my Lord."² He wasn't pointing to an ordinary star but to luminous divine attributes that appeared to him in his spiritual seclusion (khalwa), appearing as a brilliant star. He didn't say, "This is a star," but "This is my Lord," because ordinary stars are seen in the sky, while what one sees in spiritual solitude is the light of al-Mawla (the Master).

Then he moved to a second, closer, brighter, and clearer stage to verify what he had witnessed. Here, he wasn't confirming the Absolute Oneness, but rather the similitude of the manifest divine Lordship. When he saw the moon, he said, "This is my Lord," meaning this is clearer, greater, with more radiant light, more confirming.

And when it set, he said, "I do not love things that set." He was saying: "I do not wish for these attributes to disappear from me, or for me to become heedless of them. As long as my Lord is with me, wherever I am, these attributes should be with me through witnessing."

This differs from what others consider the divine companionship (ma'iyya) to be. Some merely imagine this companionship, but true companionship is knowing that al-Mawla is with us wherever and however we are—whether we see or don't see, whether we sense or don't sense. The companionship of al-Bari is always with us.

But how is our companionship with al-Bari? Our companionship with al-Bari is through the "as if"—through witnessing. Whoever claims to be among the people of the station of Ihsan must experience this. If one is content with merely the station of Islam, then one is with al-Bari through servitude ('ubudiyya)—through following the law (shari'a) and fulfilling its commands and prohibitions. We find no fault with this.

But we speak of those who journey to higher, closer, and clearer stations, so that their hearts find peace and their faith in their Lord increases. This is what Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, experienced. It was not that Ibrahim, before seeing the brilliant star or the light of al-Mawla, was associating partners with Allah—God forbid! He was a prophet and messenger, one of the firmly resolved messengers (ūlū al-'azm) who cannot be described as having any imperfection whatsoever.

This was a journey of spiritual unveiling (kashf) and exposition (bayan) for him. He desired to know the nature of his closeness and companionship with his Lord. Allah showed him this witnessing through three stages: star, moon, and sun. The sun, moon, and star serve as sensory examples (amthāl hissiyya) of the divine attributes. Their place is in the heavens, not on earth, for the manifestations of the Lord to the servant come through what is celestial (ulwi), not through what is earthly (dunuwi).

The Divine manifests through what is celestial. As Allah says in the Quran: "When the sky splits open and becomes like a rose colored oil"³—at that moment, "neither man nor jinn will be questioned about their sins." When will one not be questioned about their sins? When will one know they are forgiven? When the sky—not the earth—splits open for them and becomes like a rose-colored oil. This is a sign and indication that they are among those forgiven and those to whom Allah has turned in mercy.

Similarly, regarding conquest (fath), Allah, glorified and exalted is He, says: "Indeed, We have given you a clear conquest."⁴ This is not merely a spiritual or emotional conquest, but a clear (mubīn) conquest. Clarity in language requires a complete and evident sign.

This is what Prophet Ibrahim sought—clarity on his spiritual journey, clarity in his path toward recognizing al-Mawla. So he traveled through the similitude from star to moon to sun, which brought him to the highest witnessing, the closest proximity, to the true orientation. Then he said: "I have turned my face to the One who originated (fatara) the heavens and the earth."⁵

He didn't say "the One who created (khalaqa)" because creation implies transformation from one thing to another, whereas origination (fatr) brings forth from nothing to something. At this point, he had reached the annihilation of annihilation ('adamiyyat al-'adam), the greatest extinction (fana' al-fana' al-akbar)—not through language, but through unveiling, witnessing, and demonstration. Language has its limits when describing the spiritual states of prophets and messengers. Instead, witnessing, unveiling, and demonstration become the true measure.

This is why Ibrahim, peace be upon him, said, "Arinī—Show me, my Lord, how You give life to the dead."⁶ He didn't simply ask how it happens; he sought the vision, the unveiling, the demonstration. And Allah, glorified and exalted is He, did not disappoint him in his request, but described to him the sensory process that would prove his connection to his Lord.

Similarly, the servant progresses and is effaced through worship, drawing closer to al-Mawla. For one who worships, worships Rabbi (my Lord), glorified and exalted is He. Why does one worship Him? For closeness—to reach and touch this closeness in one's heart. When one truly feels this closeness in the heart, they enter the stage of faith (iman). And when they reach this stage of faith, al-Bari bestows upon them the status of divine friendship (wilaya), making them one of His awliya (friends).

As the Glorious One says: "Allah is the protecting friend of those who believe."⁷ He doesn't say "Allah is the protecting friend of those who submit." The wilaya is not given to Muslims; wilaya has no relationship with Muslims according to al-Bari's words: "Allah is the protecting friend of those who believe, bringing them out from darkness into light."

They [the Muslims] are believers, yet still in darkness because their faith is transmitted faith (īmān khabarī) rather than faith through unveiling and witnessing (kashf wa mushāhada). Allah blesses them when He finds them among the people of excellence and elevated station, after they have served the law of the Lord through devoted worship. He draws them to faith and teaches them transmitted faith at first, then brings them out from the darkness of their souls into the light of their Lord, transitioning them from faith based on information to faith based on direct vision ('iyān).

When asked about faith in the well-known hadith, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, described the pillars of faith - to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, and so forth.⁸ But in another narration, he also said: "Faith is a light that Allah casts into the heart of the believing servant, increasing and decreasing through righteous actions."⁹

The first condition for this light is the heart, followed by action. The purpose of action is to lead you to the expansion and increase of light in the heart. This is what Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, did—working on righteous action, certainty (yaqin), and drawing near to al-Bari, not because he was lacking, but as a sign for us who are commanded to follow the prophets and messengers.

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¹ The abjad system assigns numerical values to Arabic letters; the letter kāf (ك) equals 20.

² Reference to Quran 6:76-79, describing Ibrahim's spiritual journey.

³ Quran 55:37-39.

⁴ Quran 48:1.

⁵ Quran 6:79.

⁶ Quran 2:260.

⁷ Quran 2:257.

⁸ Referring to the Hadith of Jibril, in which the Prophet defined faith as believing in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree.

⁹ A separate hadith describing the experiential dimension of faith.