Shah Waliullah Synthesis of Pantheism and Apparentism

Abstract

Shah Waliullah’s chief mission in the field of practical mysticism was the reconciliation of shariah and tariqar. The followers of one each claimed themselves to be right and as such never hesitated to condemn each other and even their founders. Shah Waliullah bridged the gulf between the two antagonistic parties and proved that all orders were on the right and the mystic of each order were equal before God. He himself was a great sufi and brought about convergence between the two theories. This article is an attempt toward substantiating that shah waluiullah unlike the common pantheist’s believed in the transcendental nature of God, but at the same time he had firm belief in his immanence through in a different way from other pantheists.