Allah’s OnenessA brief introduction

Three kinds of ‘oneness’There are three inter-related concepts that all

describe the ‘oneness’ of Allah

Ahadiyah

Wahidiyah

Ferdiyah

AhadiyahRelates to Allah’s Name of Ahad:

Ahad: Allah as ‘The One and Only’; the Unique, Unrivalled, Indivisible…

Who is manifested together with His unique Names and attributes, in each thing…

Through the placement of ‘stamps of ahadiyah’ (or ‘oneness’) on them.

Each ‘stamp’ shows that Allah is unique; peerless; unrivalled in His Excellence and Perfection.

AhadiyahEach thing points to ‘The One’ – al Adad, through its

excellence and through its individuality

WahidiyahRelates to Allah’s Name of Wahid:

Wahid: Allah as One without any partner; the One Source…

Who is alone and without partner – in His Essence, Names, Attributes and acts…

To Whose Unity each thing, and the multiplicity of things in the universe, all point.

Who places stamps of Wahidiyah (or unity) on each thing, each set of things, and all things altogether

WahidiyahAll things point to a Single One of Unity, through their

similarity, resemblance, co-operation, interdependence, inter-relatedness, etc. All things, individually and altogether, show their Creator to be One, not more than one

Some examples of ‘stamps’Stamps of Ahadiyah:

Our unique facial features

Our unique DNA and fingerprints

The peerless beauty in each thing, living or non-living

The stamps of Mercy, Compassion, Wisdom, Power, order, Justice etc, visible on each thing

Example of stampsStamps of Wahidiyah:

All living things all having DNA

All humans all having fingerprints

All things, everywhere, being made with the same excellence, the same beauty, same mercy, same balance, same wisdom, etc, despite being separated in time and space

The co-operation, harmony, interdependence between all things, living and non-living (recall fine-tuning of the universe)

The homogeneity of the laws (what applies here applies everywhere)

FerdiyahRelates to Allah’s Name of Ferd

Allah as The One, Who is totally unlike anything else

Who places stamps of Ahadiyah and Wahidiyah on all things

‘Ferd’ encapsulates both Wahid and Ahad

Seen as an Ismi Azam by Bediuzzaman

ReadingsThe Thirtieth Flash, Fourth Point: The Divine Name ‘Ferd’

Note: Ferd is translated too narrowly as Single in the English translation

Key point to keep in mind: When trying to see and understand Allah’s Oneness, just focus on the manifestations of uniqueness and unity that can be seen on things. Don’t get too hung up on the names of all the different concepts at first…