Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj used to say: “I am the truth”

 It is commonly heard that the concept of Wahdat al-Wujud was presented by Ibn Arabi, but in reality this is not the case. In fact, the belief in Wahdat al-Wujud was first adopted by Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj, who lived at the beginning of the fourth century AH.

Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj believed in halul. This was the period of the Abbasid Caliphate, and it was during the time of the Abbasid Caliphs that the case of Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj occurred. During this period, there were Hanafi jurists, who were students of the students of the students of Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him), and held the position of qadi in various regions.

Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj used to say:

“I am the truth”

that is, “I am the truth”, and thus he called himself the lord of the people. For this reason, he was killed and martyred.

 All the scholars of that time, whether they were scholars of Hadith or scholars of other schools of thought, were all in agreement on his killing, and it is proven with a sound chain of transmission that Hallaj also said:

“These people are killing me, they will kill me, after that I will come again, and if I do not come again, then I am a liar.”

So he did not come again after his death, and because of this claim he himself was proven to be a liar.

He is the first person in the history of Sufism who adopted the belief in the unity of existence and spread it among the people. Later, Ibn Arabi, who lived in the sixth century AH, adopted the same belief of Husayn ibn Mansur Hallaj and spread it further, and even began to praise it.

Even in our time, some people wrote books in his defense. Most of the misguided Sufis who came after the eighth century AH began to praise him and support him.

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Reference:

Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah have mercy on him)

Edited and compiled by: Danish Ibn Masood