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Al-Insān al-Kāmil

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In Islamic theology, al-Insān al-Kāmil (Arabic: الإنسان الكامل), also rendered as Insān-i Kāmil (Persian/Urdu: انسان کامل) and İnsan-ı Kâmil (Turkish), is an honorific title to describe the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The phrase means "the person who has reached perfection",[1] literally "the complete person". 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 their senses and materialism. The term was originally used by Sunni Sufis and is still used by them, but it is also used by Alawis and Alevis.[2] This idea is based upon a hadith,[2] which was used by Ibn Arabi, that states about Muhammad: "I was a prophet when Adam was between water and clay."[3]

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.[4]

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Persian language

Persian language

Persian, also known by its endonym Farsi, is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken and used officially within Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan in three mutually intelligible standard varieties, namely Iranian Persian, Dari Persian and Tajiki Persian. It is also spoken natively in the Tajik variety by a significant population within Uzbekistan, as well as within other regions with a Persianate history in the cultural sphere of Greater Iran. It is written officially within Iran and Afghanistan in the Persian alphabet, a derivation of the Arabic script, and within Tajikistan in the Tajik alphabet, a derivation of the Cyrillic script.

Muhammad

Muhammad

Muhammad was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. He is believed to be the Seal of the Prophets within Islam. Muhammad united Arabia into a single Muslim polity, with the Quran as well as his teachings and practices forming the basis of Islamic religious belief.

Prototype

Prototype

A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to evaluate a new design to enhance precision by system analysts and users. Prototyping serves to provide specifications for a real, working system rather than a theoretical one. In some design workflow models, creating a prototype is the step between the formalization and the evaluation of an idea.

Consciousness

Consciousness

Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, its nature has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguists, and scientists. Opinions differ about what exactly needs to be studied or even considered consciousness. In some explanations, it is synonymous with the mind, and at other times, an aspect of mind. In the past, it was one's "inner life", the world of introspection, of private thought, imagination and volition. Today, it often includes any kind of cognition, experience, feeling or perception. It may be awareness, awareness of awareness, or self-awareness either continuously changing or not. The disparate range of research, notions and speculations raises a curiosity about whether the right questions are being asked.

Sunni Islam

Sunni Islam

Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word Sunnah, referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagreement over the succession to Muhammad and subsequently acquired broader political significance, as well as theological and juridical dimensions. According to Sunni traditions, Muhammad left no successor and the participants of the Saqifah event appointed Abu Bakr as the next-in-line. This contrasts with the Shia view, which holds that Muhammad appointed his son-in-law and cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor.

Sufism

Sufism

Sufism, also known as Tasawwuf, is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ritualism, asceticism and esotericism. It has been variously defined as "Islamic mysticism", "the mystical expression of Islamic faith", "the inward dimension of Islam", "the phenomenon of mysticism within Islam", the "main manifestation and the most important and central crystallization" of mystical practice in Islam, and "the interiorization and intensification of Islamic faith and practice".

Alawites

Alawites

The Alawites, or pejoratively Nusayris are an ethnoreligious group that lives primarily in the Levant and follows Alawism, a sect of Islam that originated from Shia Islam. The Alawites venerate Ali ibn Abi Talib, revered as the first Imam in the Twelver school, as the physical manifestation of God. The group is believed to have been founded by Ibn Nusayr during the 9th century. Ibn Nusayr was a disciple of the tenth Twelver Imam, Ali al-Hadi and of the eleventh Twelver Imam, Hasan al-Askari. For this reason, Alawites are also called Nusayris.

Alevism

Alevism

Alevism, Anatolian Alevism or Qizilbashism is a local Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Islamic teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, who is supposed to have taught the teachings of the Twelve Imams. Differing from Sunnism and Usuli Twelver Shia, Alevis have no binding religious dogmas, and teachings are passed on by a spiritual leader as with sufi orders. They acknowledge the six articles of faith of Islam, but may differ regarding their interpretation. Adherents of Alevism are found primarily in Turkey and estimates of the percentage of Turkey's population that are Alevi include between 4% and 25%.

Ibn Arabi

Ibn Arabi

Ibn ʿArabī, nicknamed al-Qushayrī and Sulṭān al-ʿĀrifīn, was an Arab Andalusian Muslim scholar, mystic, poet, and philosopher, extremely influential within Islamic thought. Out of the 850 works attributed to him, some 700 are authentic while over 400 are still extant. His cosmological teachings became the dominant worldview in many parts of the Muslim world.

Prophetic biography

Prophetic biography

Al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya, commonly shortened to Sīrah and translated as prophetic biography, are the traditional Muslim biographies of Muhammad from which, in addition to the Quran and Hadiths, most historical information about his life and the early period of Islam is derived.

Isma'ilism

Isma'ilism

Isma'ilism is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept Musa al-Kadhim, the younger brother of Isma'il, as the true Imām.

Imamate in Ismaili doctrine

Imamate in Ismaili doctrine

The doctrine of the Imamate in Isma'ilism differs from that of the Twelvers because the Isma'ilis had living Imams for centuries after the last Twelver Imam went into concealment. They followed Isma'il ibn Ja'far, elder brother of Musa al-Kadhim, as the rightful Imam after his father, Ja'far al-Sadiq. The Ismailis believe that whether Imam Ismail did or did not die before Imam Ja'far, he had passed on the mantle of the imamate to his son Muhammad ibn Isma'il as the next imam.

The origin of al-insān al-kāmil

Mansur al-Hallaj and Al-Biruni expressed the idea within their works.[5][6] The concept is evident in the works of Ahmad Yasawi (1093–1166) whose influence spread Sufism across Central Asia.[7] The concept was also applied by ibn Arabi, a well-respected and influential Islamic thinker. The origin of this concept is derived from the Quran and hadith, as mentioned in Ibn Arabi's Fusus Al-Hikam:

Muhammad's wisdom is uniqueness (fardiya) because he is the most perfect existent creature of this human species. For this reason, the command began with him and was sealed with him. He was a Prophet while Adam was between water and clay, and his elemental structure is the Seal of the Prophets.[8]

In the Quran, man's hierarchical status above all beings is seen, as it states that God created humans in the fairest stature.[9] 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.[9]

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Al-Hallaj

Al-Hallaj

Al-Hallaj or Mansour Hallaj was a Persian mystic, poet, and teacher of Sufism. He is best known for his saying: "I am the Truth" (Ana'l-Ḥaqq), which many saw as a claim to divinity, while others interpreted it as an instance of annihilation of the ego, allowing God to speak through him. Al-Hallaj gained a wide following as a preacher before he became implicated in power struggles of the Abbasid court and was executed after a long period of confinement on religious and political charges. Although most of his Sufi contemporaries disapproved of his actions, Hallaj later became a major figure in the Sufi tradition.

Al-Biruni

Al-Biruni

Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni known as al-Biruni, was a Khwarazmian Iranian scholar and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age. He has been called variously the "founder of Indology", "Father of Comparative Religion","Father of modern geodesy", and the first anthropologist.

Ahmad Yasawi

Ahmad Yasawi

Ahmad Yasawi was a Turkic poet and Sufi, an early mystic who exerted a powerful influence on the development of Sufi orders throughout the Turkic-speaking world. Yasawi is the earliest known Turkic poet who composed poetry in Middle Turkic. He was a pioneer of popular mysticism, founded the first Turkic Sufi order, the Yasawiyya or Yeseviye, which very quickly spread over Turkic-speaking areas. He was a Hanafi scholar like his murshid, Yusuf Hamadani.

Sufism

Sufism

Sufism, also known as Tasawwuf, is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ritualism, asceticism and esotericism. It has been variously defined as "Islamic mysticism", "the mystical expression of Islamic faith", "the inward dimension of Islam", "the phenomenon of mysticism within Islam", the "main manifestation and the most important and central crystallization" of mystical practice in Islam, and "the interiorization and intensification of Islamic faith and practice".

Ibn Arabi

Ibn Arabi

Ibn ʿArabī, nicknamed al-Qushayrī and Sulṭān al-ʿĀrifīn, was an Arab Andalusian Muslim scholar, mystic, poet, and philosopher, extremely influential within Islamic thought. Out of the 850 works attributed to him, some 700 are authentic while over 400 are still extant. His cosmological teachings became the dominant worldview in many parts of the Muslim world.

Quran

Quran

The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters, which consist of verses. In addition to its religious significance, it is widely regarded as the finest work in Arabic literature, and has significantly influenced the Arabic language.

Hadith

Hadith

Ḥadīth or Athar refers to what most Muslims and the mainstream schools of Islamic thought, believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Islamic prophet Muhammad as transmitted through chains of narrators. In other words, the ḥadīth are transmitted reports attributed to what Muhammad said and did.

Al-Insān al-kāmil and Ibn al-Arabi

Al-Insan al-kamil, or the perfect being, was first deeply discussed in written form by Ibn Arabi in one of his most prolific works entitled Fusus al-Hikam.[10] Taking an idea already common within Sufi culture, Ibn 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.[11] 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 or separation between the two and without God the creatures would be non-existent.[11] When an individual understands 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.[11]

The Perfect Human through this developed self-consciousness and self-realization prompts divine self-manifestation.[11] 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.[11] Additionally through self manifestation one acquires divine knowledge, which is the primordial spirit of Muhammad and all its perfection.[11] Al- Arabi details that the perfect human is of the cosmos to the divine and conveys the divine spirit to the cosmos.[11]

The contribution of al-Jili

Abd al-Karim b. Ibrahim al-Jili was born in 1365 and was a Sunni Sufi who spent much of his life in Yemen being taught by the Shaiyk Sharaf al-Din al-Jabarti.[12]

Source: "Al-Insān al-Kāmil", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, February 28th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Insān_al-Kāmil.

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References
  1. ^ Leaman, Oliver (2006). The Qur'an: An encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 302. ISBN 0-415-32639-7.
  2. ^ a b Glassé, Cyril; Huston Smith (2003). The New Encyclopedia of Islam. Rowman Altamira. p. 216. ISBN 0-7591-0190-6.
  3. ^ Ibn al-'Arabi, Muhyi al-Din (1164–1240), The 'perfect human' and the Muhammadan reality.
  4. ^ Corbin, Henry; translated by Liadain Sherrard; Philip Sherrard (1993). History of Islamic Philosophy (PDF). London; Kegan Paul International in association with Islamic Publications for The Institute of Ismaili Studies. pp. 97–98. ISBN 0-7103-0416-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 May 2008.
  5. ^ Mansur Al-Hallaj, Translated by Aisha Bewley (1974), The Tawasin, Diwan Press, pp. 1–3.
  6. ^ Mario Kozah (2015), The Birth of Indology as an Islamic Science, BRILL, p. 13, ISBN 978-90-04-30554-0.
  7. ^ Telebayev, Gaziz, and Khoja Ahmed Yasawi. "Turkic elements in the Sufi philosophical tradition: Khoja Ahmed Yasawi." Cross Cultural Studies: Education and Science 2 (2019): 100-107.
  8. ^ THE SEALS OF WISDOM, Aisha Bewley{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link).
  9. ^ a b Bowering, Gerhard. "Ensan-e-Kamel." Encyclopedia Iranica (1998): Web. 3 April 2011. http://iranica.com/articles/ensan-e-kamel Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ^ Chittick, William C. "Ebn al-'Arabi Mohyi-al- Din Abu 'Abd-Allah Mohammad Ta’I Hatemi." Encyclopedia Iranica (1996): Web. 3 April 2011. http://iranica.com/articles/ebn-al-arabi Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Little, John T. "Al-Insan al-Kamil: the perfect man according to Ibn al-'Arabi." Muslim World 77.1 (1987): 43–54.
  12. ^ Ritter, H. "ʿAbdal-Karīm, Ḳuṭb al-Dīn b. Ibrāhīm al-ḎJ̲īlī." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. Bearman; Th. Bianquis; C.E. Bosworth; E. van Donzel; and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2011. Brill Online. Augustana.
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