Sufism and the Perfect Human

<p>Studying the history of the notion of the 'Perfect Human' (al-insān al-kāmil) this book investigates a key idea in the history of Sufism. First discussed by Ibn 'Arabī and later treated in greater depth by al-Jīlī the idea left its mark on later Islamic mystical metaphysical and political thought from North Africa to Southeast Asia up until modern times.</p><p>The research tells the story of the development of that idea from Ibn 'Arabī to al-Jīlī and beyond. It does so through a thematic study based on close reading of primary sources in Arabic and Persian of the key elements of the idea including the idea that the Perfect Human is a locus of divine manifestation (maẓhar) the concept of the 'Pole' (quṭb) and the 'Muhammadan Reality' (al-ḥaqīqah al-Muhammadiyyah) and the identity of the Perfect Human. By setting the work of al-Jīlī against the background of earlier Ibn 'Arabian treatments of the idea it demonstrates that al-Jīlī took the idea of the Perfect Human in several new directions with major consequences for how the Prophet Muhammad - the archetypal Perfect Human - was viewed in later Islamic thought. </p><p>Introducing readers to the key Sufi idea of the Perfect Human (al-insān al-kāmil) this volume will be of interest to scholars and students interested in Sufism Islam religion and philosophy.</p>