The essential unity of the necessary being, according to Mulla Abdullah Zanuzi: A logical analysis of Zanuzi's argument for essential monotheism

Abstract

In his works on Islamic philosophy, the divine sage, Mulla Abdullah Zanuzi presented many new arguments for ancient philosophical theories. One of these is his argument for the unity of the essence of the Essentially Necessary Being. This argument rests upon the idea that the Essentially Necessary Being is meta-complete and that there is no necessary connection between multiple instances of the Necessary Being. It is possible to formulate this argument in the following manner: If it were possible for there to be more than one instance for the Essentially Necessary Being, then none of the instances of the Essentially Necessary Being would be meta-complete. However, every instance of the Essentially Necessary Being is meta-complete. In conclusion, it is not possible for there to be more than one instance of the Essentially Necessary Being. Sometimes, in place of the concept, "meta-complete", this sage uses Divine Names, the "Light of lights", the "Secret of secrets" and the "Highest Source" of the universe. Each of these concepts indicates a distinct quality of the Essentially Necessary Being. According to Mulla Abdullah Zanuzi, the objections of ibn Kamunah are incapable of being leveled against his version of the argument or the essential unity of the Essentially Necessary Being.

Keywords

• essential unity
• meta-complete
• mulla abdullah zanuzi
• light of lights
• secret of secrets
• highest source