The Concept of the Perfect Man in Islamic Mysticism

Introduction

Attention to human beings and to their status in Muslim tradition has its roots in Islamic teachings. Many verses of the Qur’an and quite a large number of hadith have touched on the status of the human being in general and the perfect man in particular. Muslim mystics (Sufis, ‘urafa ), perhaps more than any other groups, have focused on this aspect of Islamic teachings and dealt with its different aspects. Since the ultimate goal of mysticism is to achieve the highest stages of perfection through purification of the heart, knowing the real nature of man, his dimensions, and ultimate perfection, has fundamental importance. Hence, anthropology and mystical psychology enjoy a focal attention in Islamic mystical literature. Knowing the status of the perfect man, in so far as he shows the direction of the mystical journey and the ultimate goal of mystical life, is particularly significant.

The expression “perfect man” (al-insan al-kamil ) can be seen in the works of ‘Attar Nishabury, and Ibn Arabi in the seventh Islamic century. Ibn Arabi, more than anyone else, has systematically discussed the status of the perfect man in his theoretical mysticism (al-’irfan al-nadari ) in different places especially in the first chapter of his Fusus al-hikam. All commentators of the Fusus have elaborated on the nature of the perfect man in the interpretation of this chapter. After Ibn Arabi his followers such as Sadr al-Din Qunawi, Fanari, Shabistari, Nasafi, Jilli, Ibn Turkah, Tabataba’i, Imam Khomeini and Mutahhari have discussed different aspects of the perfect man in their works.

Discussions related to the human being in Islamic literature are of various kinds:

1- philosophical psychology discusses the nature of man in general as a species;

2- theoretical mysticism discusses the idea of perfect man;

3- practical mysticism as a discipline deals with the soul in so far as it has an impact on one’s behavior and life;

4- an individual’s self- knowledge as the gate for purification of heart is emphasized in actual mystical training.

This paper focuses on the second type of Islamic anthropology, which elaborates the status of the perfect man from the view point of Islamic mysticism.