Al-Insan al-Kamil
Encyclopedia
In Islamic theology, al-Insān al-Kāmil (الإنسان الكامل, also rendered as İnsan-ı Kamil انسانِ كامل - in Persian and Turkish), is a term used as an honorific title to describe Muhammad
. It is an Arabic
phrase meaning "the person who has reached perfection." It is an important concept in Islamic culture of the prototype
human being, pure consciousness
, one's true identity, to be contrasted with the material human who is bound by one's senses and materialism. The term is particularly used by Sufis
, such as Ibn Arabi
, who based this on the Hadith
.
The Sunni Islamic scholar Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki, has published a Sirah on Muhammad as al-Insān al-Kāmil. Al-Jili
was the author of an Arabic text entitled al-Insān al-Kāmil. Ismailis believe that each Imam
is a perfect man.
This concept is often explained as the esoteric meaning behind practicing the Sharia
, as well as explaining the Qur'an
ic concept of human beings not having original sin, because the centre of consciousness is pure and perfect. However, esoteric explanations (known as Batini
Ta'wil) are commonplace and varied among Alevi
s due to the plurality of meanings.
Alternatively, the origin of the perfect being is heavily derived from the Islamic tradition through referring to the hadiths and in-depth interpretation of the Quran. In the Quran, man’s hierarchical status above all beings is seen, as it states that God created humans in the fairest stature. Due to this occurrence the human is favored by God and is said to be given God’s light which leads through them to complete perfection. The previous saying illuminates the idea that behind the true objective behind creation is God’s desire to be known, which is fulfilled through the perfect human being. This perfect human being is reflective of the “pre-existing entity of Muhammad”, which is not the prophet Muhammad but rather the divine light created before the beginning. The pre-existing entity is the reflection of God‘s nature in its purest form.
The Perfect Human trough this developed self-consciousness and self-realization prompts divine self-manifestation. This causes the Perfect Human to be of both divine and earthly origin, al-Arabi calls him the Isthmus. Being the Isthmus between heaven and Earth the perfect human fulfills God’s desire to be known and God’s presence can be realized through him by others. Additionally through self manifestation one acquires divine knowledge, which is the primordial spirit of Muhammad and all its perfection. Al- Arabi details that the perfect human is of the cosmos to the divine and conveys the divine spirit to the cosmos.
The Qutb is an unknown individual who contains the essence of the spirit of Muhammad and is the head of the prophets and saints. He serves as the ultimate pole between the divine and the physical world. The Qutb knowledge is not taught via prophet but rather directly from the divine. The qutb connection and awareness of God is unparalled by any prophet, saint, or teacher.
Al-Jili insisted that there are three stages for the perfect man. The first entitled (bada’ah) or beginning is when the man is given his divine attributes.Then there is the stage known as (tawassut) when the perfect man being, who is both human and divine, can comprehend both realities and eventually receive all knowledge both seen and unseen. . Lastly, the Perfect being is given power that can be used in the natural world and gives him power over any other being.
of Samkhya
Hinduism
and the Adam Kadmon
of Lurianic
Kabbalah
. It also has similarities with the Anthropos
of Gnosticism
and Manichaeism
.
Elucidation of Objectives
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. It is an Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
phrase meaning "the person who has reached perfection." It is an important concept in Islamic culture of the prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
human being, pure consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness is a term that refers to the relationship between the mind and the world with which it interacts. It has been defined as: subjectivity, awareness, the ability to experience or to feel, wakefulness, having a sense of selfhood, and the executive control system of the mind...
, one's true identity, to be contrasted with the material human who is bound by one's senses and materialism. The term is particularly used by Sufis
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
, such as Ibn Arabi
Ibn Arabi
Ibn ʿArabī was an Andalusian Moorish Sufi mystic and philosopher. His full name was Abū 'Abdillāh Muḥammad ibn 'Alī ibn Muḥammad ibn `Arabī .-Biography:...
, who based this on the Hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
.
The Sunni Islamic scholar Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki, has published a Sirah on Muhammad as al-Insān al-Kāmil. Al-Jili
Abd-al-karim Jili
Abd al-Karīm al-Jīlī, or Abdul Karim Jili, was a Muslim sufi saint and mystic who was born in 1366 at Jil in Baghdad. He is famous in Muslim mysticism as the author of Universal Man....
was the author of an Arabic text entitled al-Insān al-Kāmil. Ismailis believe that each Imam
Imamah (Shi'a Ismaili doctrine)
The Ismaili view on the Imamah differs from the Twelver Shi'a view, in particular because the Imam in Ismailism is the Noor of God . Ismailis believe that the Noor of God is present in the Imam, and that there is only a Ẓāhirī difference between each one...
is a perfect man.
This concept is often explained as the esoteric meaning behind practicing the Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
, as well as explaining the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
ic concept of human beings not having original sin, because the centre of consciousness is pure and perfect. However, esoteric explanations (known as Batini
Batiniyya
Batiniyya is a pejorative term to refer to those groups, such as Alevism, Ismailism, and often Sufism, which distinguish between an inner, esoteric level of meaning in the Qur'an, in addition to the outer, exoteric level of meaning Zahiri...
Ta'wil) are commonplace and varied among Alevi
Alevi
The Alevi are a religious and cultural community, primarily in Turkey, constituting probably more than 15 million people....
s due to the plurality of meanings.
The origin of al-insān al-kāmil
Al-Insān Al-kāmil in the Islamic Theology has its origin in both non-Islamic tradition, as well as, methodology central to Islam. When examining the non-Islamic influence on the concept of the Perfect being, the two most influential trains of thought are that of the primordial man of the Manichean doctrine and the “first man” belief of the Hellenist. These two ideas established the possibility of a being that existed before the beginning and resembled the perfection of God . In explaining the conception of this “first man” the Islamic methodology is somewhat reminiscent of Jewish mysticism. This concept dealt with the issue of the transference of light from the divine to the man, who in turn shines this newly acquired light through the world.Alternatively, the origin of the perfect being is heavily derived from the Islamic tradition through referring to the hadiths and in-depth interpretation of the Quran. In the Quran, man’s hierarchical status above all beings is seen, as it states that God created humans in the fairest stature. Due to this occurrence the human is favored by God and is said to be given God’s light which leads through them to complete perfection. The previous saying illuminates the idea that behind the true objective behind creation is God’s desire to be known, which is fulfilled through the perfect human being. This perfect human being is reflective of the “pre-existing entity of Muhammad”, which is not the prophet Muhammad but rather the divine light created before the beginning. The pre-existing entity is the reflection of God‘s nature in its purest form.
Al-Insān al-kāmil and Ibn al-Arabi
Al-Insan al-kamil or the perfect being was first deeply discussed in written form by Ebn al-Arabi in one of his most prolific works entitled Fosus al-hekam . Taking an idea already common within Sufi culture, Ebn al-Arabi applied deep analysis and reflection on the issue of the Perfect Human and one’s pursuit in fulfilling this goal. In developing his explanation of the perfect being al-Arabi first discusses the issue of oneness through the metaphor of the mirror. In this metaphor al-Arabi compares an object being reflected in countless mirrors to the relationship between God and his creatures.. God’s essence is seen in the existent human being, as God is the object and humans being the mirrors. Meaning two things, that since humans are mere reflections of God there can be no distinction ore separation between the two and without God the creatures would be non- existent. When an individual understand that there is no separation between human and God they begin on the path of ultimate oneness. The one who decides to walk in this oneness pursues the true reality and responds to God’s longing to be known. The search within for this Reality of oneness causes one to be reunited with God, as well as, improve self-consciousness.The Perfect Human trough this developed self-consciousness and self-realization prompts divine self-manifestation. This causes the Perfect Human to be of both divine and earthly origin, al-Arabi calls him the Isthmus. Being the Isthmus between heaven and Earth the perfect human fulfills God’s desire to be known and God’s presence can be realized through him by others. Additionally through self manifestation one acquires divine knowledge, which is the primordial spirit of Muhammad and all its perfection. Al- Arabi details that the perfect human is of the cosmos to the divine and conveys the divine spirit to the cosmos.
The prophets and the Qutb
Every being is equipped with a divine name, yet the manifestation or realization is up to the individual to pursue. Prophets and saints pursue this goal and are prime examples of the perfect being and reflection of the Spirit of Muhammad. This perfect reflection of the Spirit of Muhammad does not mean that the prophet or saint house all of the attributes of God like that of the spirit of Muhammad. Rather there is perfect manifestation of a single attribute or name.The Qutb is an unknown individual who contains the essence of the spirit of Muhammad and is the head of the prophets and saints. He serves as the ultimate pole between the divine and the physical world. The Qutb knowledge is not taught via prophet but rather directly from the divine. The qutb connection and awareness of God is unparalled by any prophet, saint, or teacher.
The contribution of al-Jili
Abd al-Karin b. Ibrahim al-Jili was born in 1365 and was a Sufi Pantheist who spent much of his life in Yemen being taught by the Shaiyk Sharaf al-Din al-Jabarti. Al-Jili’s writing al-Insan al-Kamil fi Ma’rifat al Awakhir w-al-Awa’il expounded upon the foundation laid by Al-Arabi by discussing the steps in which are required after becoming the perfect being.Al-Jili insisted that there are three stages for the perfect man. The first entitled (bada’ah) or beginning is when the man is given his divine attributes.Then there is the stage known as (tawassut) when the perfect man being, who is both human and divine, can comprehend both realities and eventually receive all knowledge both seen and unseen. . Lastly, the Perfect being is given power that can be used in the natural world and gives him power over any other being.
See also
The concept of al-Insān al-Kāmil is somewhat comparable to the PurushaPurusha
In some lineages of Hinduism, Purusha is the "Self" which pervades the universe. The Vedic divinities are interpretations of the many facets of Purusha...
of Samkhya
Samkhya
Samkhya, also Sankhya, Sāṃkhya, or Sāṅkhya is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy and classical Indian philosophy. Sage Kapila is traditionally considered as the founder of the Samkhya school, although no historical verification is possible...
Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and the Adam Kadmon
Adam Kadmon
In the religious writings of Kabbalah, Adam Kadmon is a phrase meaning "Primal Man". The oldest rabbinical source for the term "Adam ha-Ḳadmoni" is Num. R. x., where Adam is styled, not as usually, "Ha-Rishon" , "Ha-Kadmoni" ....
of Lurianic
Isaac Luria
Isaac Luria , also called Yitzhak Ben Shlomo Ashkenazi acronym "The Ari" "Ari-Hakadosh", or "Arizal", meaning "The Lion", was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Palestine...
Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
. It also has similarities with the Anthropos
Anthropos
Anthropos Greek. 1. a human being, whether male or female 1. generically, to include all human individuals 2. to distinguish man from beings of a different order 1. of animals and plants...
of Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
and Manichaeism
Manichaeism
Manichaeism in Modern Persian Āyin e Māni; ) was one of the major Iranian Gnostic religions, originating in Sassanid Persia.Although most of the original writings of the founding prophet Mani have been lost, numerous translations and fragmentary texts have survived...
.
Elucidation of Objectives
External links
- Perfect Man by Ayatullah Murtada MutahhariMorteza MotahhariAyatollah Murtaza Motahhari was an Iranian scholar, cleric, lecturer, and politician.Motahhari is considered among the important influences on the ideologies of the Islamic Republic, and was a co-founder of Hosseiniye Ershad and the Combatant Clergy Association...
- God and the Perfect Man in the Experience of 'Abd al-Qâdir al-Jaza'iri
- Topics in Islamic Religion: Sufi Texts Contestation and Competition: Sufism and Opposition to Sufism Religious Studies 545
- Radical Islamic Anthropology: Key to Christian Theologizing in the Context of Islam, by David Emmanuel Singh