edition of abd-al-ali ansari's unity of being treatise with an introduction

unity of being (wahdat al-wujud) is the highest form of theunity of god (tawhid) and the fundamental principle oftheoretical mysticism. it was since ibn al-arabi's time in 7thcentury that theoretical mysticism was consistently developed.since then the concept of unity of being has continued toreceive attention and many scholars have written books andtreatises both in proving and rejecting it. abd-al-alimohammad ibn nezam-al-din mohammd ansari, a leading 12thcentury indian theologian of the hanafī school, is one of thesescholars. following ibn al-arabi's point of views, he has tried torationalize the unity of being and to justify its multiplicities andstatus. explicating themes running through the treatise, thisarticle attempts to edit it as a reference in mysticism, especiallyin the pivotal subject of unity of being.