The Concept of the Perfect Man in Islamic Mysticism

Man as Vicegerent of God

As mentioned above, the human being is the best manifestation of God and the closest of creatures to Him. Because of this status God has chosen the human as His vicegerent in the world. We can understand from the Qur’ān that God created the human being in order to be His vicegerent.

“When your Lord said to the angles, ‘Indeed I am going to set a viceroy on the earth,’ they said, ‘Will You set in it someone who will cause corruption in it, and shed blood, while we celebrate Your praise and proclaim Your sanctity?’ He said ‘Indeed I know what you do not know.’ And He taught Adam the Names, all of them; then presented them to the angles and said, Tell me the names of these, if you are truthful.’ They said, Immaculate are You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed You are the All-knowing, the All-wise.’ He said ‘O Adam, inform them of their names,’ and when he had informed them of their names, He said ‘Did I not tell you that I indeed know the Unseen in the heaven and the earth, and that I know whatever you disclose and whatever you were concealing?’” (2/ 30-33).

According to these verses, the position of vicegerency is related to man’s knowledge of names. It is explicitly mentioned that since Adam knows the names, he is chosen as God’s vicegerent. He knows all names because he is the manifestation of all names. When he knows himself he knows all names. But other creatures, even angles, do not reflect in themselves all names; therefore, they do not know them. Consequently, they cannot have the position of vicgerency and must prostrate before Adam. And so they did: “And when We said to the angles, ‘Prostrate before Adam,’ they prostrated, except Iblis: he refused and acted arrogantly, and he was one of the faithless’” (2/34).

In the same line, the Qur’ān talks about a trust that all creatures refused to carry but the human being. “Indeed We presented the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to bear it; and were apprehensive of it; but man undertook it” (33/72).

Perfect Man as the Mediator for Creation and Sustainment of the World

The perfect man is the first creature emanated from God and the mediator for the creation of the rest of the world. God’s grace reaches the world via the perfect man. He is the isthmus between necessity and contingency, a mediator between the creator and creatures. He is the guardian and cause of the continuity of the world. Without him the world cannot receive the grace of God and thus could not exist.[^14] As Qaysari states; “The perfect man is the intermediary cause of the world’s creation, sustention and perfection.”[^15] Therefore, although formally and apparently he is posterior to all; however, spiritually he has priority to all.

It must be emphasized that this position of the perfect man does not mean that he is as a partner of God. The perfect man achieves this position through obedience to God. According to Islamic mysticism, the perfect man par excellence is the prophet Muhammad (s) whose most distinguished quality is “the servant” (al-’abd). The human being through obedience and purification of the soul can reach a point to become the mediator between God and the world, God’s vicegerent and lord of the world.[^16] His lordship is the shadow of God’s lordship, and his intervention is by the permission of God (bi idhnillah). He is God’s agent. In fact, his heart is the mirror of God and reflects His lordship.