Inner and Outer Levels

مراتب داخلیہ و خارجیہ

The levels (marātib) of being are of two kinds: Inner Levels (Maratib Dakhiliyya) and Outer Levels (Maratib Kharijiyya). The Inner Levels are those dimensions of being that are internal to the Divine Self — they are not external to God but are modes of His own self-disclosure. The Outer Levels are those that have a degree of externality, culminating in the sensory world.

The Inner Levels, in descending order, are: (1) Ahadiyya — Absolute Oneness, the maqam of pure undifferentiated Being where no name or attribute is yet distinguished; (2) Wahdat — Unity, where the Divine Self becomes aware of Its own nature as containing all possibilities; (3) Wahidiyya — Singular Unity, the level of the Divine Names and Attributes in their distinctness.