Sufi cosmology

Emanation

Islamic Sufis describe the Divine Descent and the creation of the universe and humankind in stages called Tanzalat-e-Satta, which occur when Noor-e-Ahadi (Light of One) emerges from self-isolated oneness to manifest in multiplicity. These stages are explained in works such as Tohfa Mursala by Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi and the exegesis of Fusoos-ul-Hikam by Ibn Arabi. The first stage is Alam-i-HaHoot, the Realm of He-ness, which pertains to HaHooiyat, the Unknowable and Incomparable world.

This level concerns the Divine's Essence prior to manifestation, and its spiritual stage is called Ahdiyat (Alonehood). It is a realm of pre-existence and non-creation, incapable of being conceived or interpreted, beyond all logical bounds. At this stage Allah is alone and hidden in His own veil, with nothing existing—neither the universe nor creation—and neither the Divine essence nor His attributes are revealed or manifested. The second stage is Alam-i-Yahoot, the Realm of First Manifestation, whose spiritual stage is Wahdat (Oneness).

This is the first level of manifestation of 'Hoo'. When the Divine Essence desired to manifest, it manifested as Noor-e-Mohammad (Light of Muhammad). Because YaHoot is a world of Oneness, the Noor of Mohammad is a manifestation of God's Essence and not a separate entity. This is the first step toward Divine descent, though creation has not yet started.

Here Hoo is called Allah, meaning 'He', because there is a being in the form of Noor of Mohammad who worships Allah, and the level is called YaHoot because an entity addresses Hoo as YaHoo (O'Hoo). The third stage is Alam-i-LaHoot, the Realm of Absolute Unity, related to the level of Wahdiyat (Unity). Here the soul of Mohammad is manifested from the Noor of Mohammad. Since this is a world of Unity, the Noor of Allah and the Noor of Mohammad are in the same form, so the soul of Mohammad is the soul of Allah, called Rooh-e-Qudsi (The Divine Soul). At this level the whole universe and its creation are hidden in Noor-e-Mohammad and anxious to manifest themselves.