The First Theoritician of the Unity of Existence (Wahdat Wojoud)? Hallāj or Ibn  Arabi?

The unity of existence is one of the most important and complex mystical subjects on which many scholars، especially after Ibn ‘Arabi have always pondered. At a lower level، the Unity of Witness، -Wahdat-i Shohūd-، a spiritual station in which mystic under the spell of Divine love and rapture see nothing save God was presented، which can be identified with the Station of Combination- Maqām-i Jam‘-in Sufi texts. The present paper tries to answer this important question that if we can track the Unity of Existence and the Unity of Witness in the mystical ontology of Hallāj، the great mystic of third century، how will it be possible to prove these theories according to Hallāj’s words and deeds? Although sometimes Hallāj’s thoughts and ideas have been identified with Incarnation and Unification- Holūl va Ettehād- or said that there is no trace of the concept of Unity of Existence among mystics prior to Ibn ‘Arabi، but with regard to his words and states mentioned as Essence of Union- ‘Eyn al-Jam‘- by himself and relation between the principle of unity of Essence with Hallāj’s world- view، we can say that in addition to understanding of the Unity of Witness، he realized the Unity of Essence as well; as far as his Divinly Ecstasy Utterance- Shath-، ‘I am the Truth’- Ana al-Haq- may be figured as the most explicit manifestation of the Unity of Existence idea.