The Concept of the Perfect Man in Islamic Mysticism

Value and Dignity of the Human Being

No doubt, from the Qur’ānic view, the human being has a special status in the world. This is the human being that has a different creation, enjoys reason and free will, is the most perfect creature, and is created in the image of God. Thus, the human has the highest value, honor and dignity among all creatures. The Qur’ān states: “Certainly We have honored the Children of Adam, and carried them over land and sea, and provided them with all good things, and given them an advantage over many of those We have created with a complete preference ” (17/70). The human being enjoys such a noble status that God commands the angles to prostrate before him. Because he has a divine soul, he deserved to be honored: “So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My Spirit, then fall down in prostration before him” (15/29).

As we can see, from the Islamic perspective, the human’s value totally depends on his relation to God, not autonomously and on his own. Because he is the best manifestation of God, has a divine soul, and is created in the image of God, he has the highest value among the creatures. For God is the only source of value, dignity and honor. At the same time, we can say that human dignity is essential, not accidental, for his relation to God is in his very essence and existence. And this is the difference between Islam and Humanism, Liberalism and other secular schools of thought with regard to human value. We must also add that since human value has its roots in human existence itself, the value of individuals is genuine and not dependent on their status in the society.

In this view, the value of the human being is not only static and predetermined; rather he has of two types of values: first the essential value of the human species, which has its root in his creation and, therefore, is common to all individual humans; and second, the dynamic dimension of value and perfection that each individual acquires by his/her own free will. This value depends on each individual’s knowledge/faith and practice/piety and therefore, is different from one to another. The Qur’ān says: “O mankind! Indeed We created you form a male and a female, and made you nations and tribes that you may identify with one another. Indeed the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most Godvary among you” (46/13).

The first part of the verse refers to the common value of all people; and the second part refers to the acquired and therefore different values of individuals. This value depends solely on piety (taqwā ) which is the natural combination of faith and good deeds. Knowing God, loving God and obeying God are three essential elements of the way to perfection. Whoever goes further along this way reaches the higher stages of perfection.

It must be noted that according to Islamic mysticism, there is no ending point in human perfection. Whatever stage one reaches he/she can go further and further toward the infinite. And this is another advantage for human beings among other creatures.