Maktubat (Letters)
Comprising letters written by Imam al-Rabbani Ahmed Sirhindi, recognized as the renovator (mujaddid) of the second millennium Hijri to his students, statesmen, and scholars, the Maktubat is a monumental work that re-established the balance between Sharia and Tariqa in the Indian subcontinent and throughout the Islamic world. The primary aim of this work was to rectify the Islamic creed disrupted during the reign of Emperor Akbar, eradicate innovations (bid’ah), and bring Sufism into complete harmony with the tenets of the Ahl al-Sunna creed.
From Unity of Existence to Unity of Witness
The most philosophical and revolutionary aspect of the Maktubat is Imam al-Rabbani’s critique of Ibn Arabi’s concept of ‘Unity of Existence’ (Wahdat al-Wujud) and his systematization of the concept of ‘Unity of Witness’ (Wahdat ash-Shuhud). According to Imam al-Rabbani, the spiritual seeker (salik) may perceive everything as God during moments of ecstatic intoxication (sukr) – a witnessing (shuhud), but this is not an ontological reality (wujud). The Creator and the created (Halik and Makhluq) are absolutely distinct. This distinction protected Sufism from the danger of pantheism, preserving Islamic Tawhid.
Following the Sunna and the Supremacy of Sharia
Imam al-Rabbani vehemently asserted that no discovery or spiritual inspiration can supersede the outward rulings (zahir) of the Sharia. According to him, Sufism and Tariqa are servants of the Sharia. In his letters, he stated, “Reviving a Sunna is superior to thousands of discoveries and karamat [miracles],” thereby bringing back the dervish order, which had begun to decay in Islamic lands, within the framework of the Quran and Sunna.