Recently l reconsidered the concept of existence and read some work of Ibn Arabi. I think we face a lot of problems establishing a relation between God and universe in terms of existence, given the Islamic belief of Oneness of God. God is transcendental and nothing resembles him. He is above all comparisons. The universe cannot be said to be a part of God as that would constitute Shirk. The other alternative is to regard the universe as being apart from God but that puts a limit on the being of God , which is also contrary to Islamic belief. I think the only concept that can explain relation between God and universe in terms of existence would have to regard the universe as non existent in reality when compared to God and only existent in relation to absolute non existence ,ie square circles, unicorns etc. The universe acquires existence due to being a part of the unlimited knowledge of God. It can also be said to exist in relation to God as a manifestation of his command, " Be " . We can give different names to this relation but the essential aspect remains the same. Is this concept acceptable and does it go against the mainstream belief of Ahle sunnah wal Jamah ? Further more, l think it could be a philosophical issue and not a matter of creed, or is it not ?

Ibn al-Arabi in his *Bezels of Wisdom* writes: >God unites the polarity of qualities only in Adam, to confer a distinction on him ... His outer form He composed of the cosmic realities and forms, while his inner form He composed to match His Own form. Thus He says in the Sacred Tradition, "I am his hearing and his sight," and not, "I am his eye and his ear," in order to show the distinction between the two forms [the imperceptible and the perceptible]. Likewise He is [implicit] in every cosmic being according as the essential reality [manifested] in that being requires it, providing it is understood that no other being enjoys the Synthesis [of divine realities] possessed by the Regent. It is only by virtue of this Synthesis that he is superior [to all other beings]. Although, generally we would think of hearing and the ear and the sight and the eye to be more or less synonymous in ordinary, conventional language; why is Ibn al-Arabi drawing a distinction here and how does it link in with his distinction between the perceptible and the imperceptible? After all the ear, is a physical and therefore perceptible object, but what we hear by it, by that very fact, is perceptible.