An Analysis and Investigation of Annihilation of Self and Subsistence in God in the First and Second Islamic Theosophical Traditions

Annihilation of Self and Subsistence in God are of the most significant common themes in both first and second Islamic theosophical traditions، which have been investigated by two different approaches. The first theosophy believed that annihilation was cleansing from any evil deeds and subsistence was achieving good deeds. In this tradition، Human and God had two essences different from one another، which one''s nature، characteristics and deeds (human) are annihilated in the other''s (God). However، Ibn Arabi is of the thought that belief in God is the same as paganism. In his opinion، believing in beings other than God as well as considering human being''s nature dispensable from God is a false conception and this conception would be annihilated by realization journey of initiatic and faith in oneness of being. In this procedure، individual''s ignorance is annihilated not individual himself. Ibn Arabi feels that it should not be thought that in annihilation، characteristics are put aside because there are no characteristics let alone putting them aside. Furthermore، God is the same as characteristics attributed to human beings. Differentiation of special servants from common ones is for making this issue clear. In the current paper، we seek to analyze and compare annihilation and subsistence from the viewpoints of first and second Islamic theosophical traditions.