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AlInsnalKmilWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

AlInsnalKmil
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

InIslamictheology,alInsnalKmil(Arabic:)alsorenderedasInsniKmil(Persian/Urdu:
)andnsanKmil(Turkish),isatermusedasanhonorifictitletodescribeMuhammad.Thephrase
means"thepersonwhohasreachedperfection."[1]ItisanimportantconceptinIslamiccultureoftheprototype
humanbeing,pureconsciousness,one'strueidentity,tobecontrastedwiththematerialhumanwhoisboundby
one'ssensesandmaterialism.ThetermwasoriginallyusedbySunniSufisandisstillusedbythem,howeverit
isalsousedbyAlawisandAlevis.[2]Thisideaisbaseduponahadith,[2]whichwasusedbyIbnArabi,that
statesaboutProphetMuhammad,'IwasaprophetwhenAdamwasbetweenwaterandclay'.[3]
TheSunniIslamicscholarMuhammadAlawialMaliki,haspublishedaSirahonMuhammadasalInsnal
Kmil.AlJiliwastheauthorofanArabictextentitledalInsnalKmil.IsmailisbelievethateachImamisa
perfectman.[4]
ThisconceptisoftenexplainedastheesotericmeaningbehindpracticingtheSharia,aswellasexplainingthe
Qur'anicconceptofhumanbeingsnothavingoriginalsin,becausethecentreofconsciousnessispureand
perfect.However,esotericexplanations(knownasBatiniTa'wil)arecommonplaceandvariedamongAlevis
duetothepluralityofmeanings.

Contents
1
2
3
4
5

Theoriginofalinsnalkmil
AlInsnalkmilandIbnalArabi
ThecontributionofalJili
References
Externallinks

Theoriginofalinsnalkmil
MansuralHallajandAlBiruniexpressedtheideawithintheirworks.[5][6]TheconceptwasalsoappliedbyIbn
Arabi,awellrespectedandinfluentialIslamicthinker.TheoriginofthisconceptisderivedfromtheQuranand
Hadith.AsmentionedinIbnArabi'sFususAlHikam,"Muhammad'swisdomisuniqueness(fardiya)because
heisthemostperfectexistentcreatureofthishumanspecies.Forthisreason,thecommandbeganwithhimand
wassealedwithhim.HewasaProphetwhileAdamwasbetweenwaterandclay,andhiselementalstructureis
theSealoftheProphets."[7]
IntheQuran,manshierarchicalstatusaboveallbeingsisseen,asitstatesthatGodcreatedhumansinthe
faireststature.[8]DuetothisoccurrencethehumanisfavoredbyGodandissaidtobegivenGodslightwhich
leadsthroughthemtocompleteperfection.Theprevioussayingilluminatestheideathatbehindthetrue
objectivebehindcreationisGodsdesiretobeknown.whichisfulfilledthroughtheperfecthumanbeing.[8]

AlInsnalkmilandIbnalArabi
AlInsanalkamilortheperfectbeingwasfirstdeeplydiscussedinwrittenformbyIbnArabiinoneofhis
mostprolificworksentitledFususalHikam.[9]TakinganideaalreadycommonwithinSuficulture,Ibnal
ArabiapplieddeepanalysisandreflectionontheissueofthePerfectHumanandonespursuitinfulfillingthis
goal.IndevelopinghisexplanationoftheperfectbeingalArabifirstdiscussestheissueofonenessthroughthe
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metaphorofthemirror.[10]InthismetaphoralArabicomparesanobjectbeingreflectedincountlessmirrorsto
therelationshipbetweenGodandhiscreatures..Godsessenceisseenintheexistenthumanbeing,asGodis
theobjectandhumansbeingthemirrors.Meaningtwothings,thatsincehumansaremerereflectionsofGod
therecanbenodistinctionorseparationbetweenthetwoandwithoutGodthecreatureswouldbenon
existent.[10]WhenanindividualunderstandthatthereisnoseparationbetweenhumanandGodtheybeginon
thepathofultimateoneness.Theonewhodecidestowalkinthisonenesspursuesthetruerealityandresponds
toGodslongingtobeknown.[10]ThesearchwithinforthisRealityofonenesscausesonetobereunitedwith
God,aswellas,improveselfconsciousness.
ThePerfectHumanthroughthisdevelopedselfconsciousnessandselfrealizationpromptsdivineself
manifestation.[10]ThiscausesthePerfectHumantobeofbothdivineandearthlyorigin,alArabicallshimthe
Isthmus.BeingtheIsthmusbetweenheavenandEarththeperfecthumanfulfillsGodsdesiretobeknownand
Godspresencecanberealizedthroughhimbyothers.[10]Additionallythroughselfmanifestationoneacquires
divineknowledge,whichistheprimordialspiritofMuhammadandallitsperfection.[10]AlArabidetailsthat
theperfecthumanisofthecosmostothedivineandconveysthedivinespirittothecosmos.[10]

ThecontributionofalJili
AbdalKarimb.IbrahimalJiliwasbornin1365andwasaSunniSufiwhospentmuchofhislifeinYemen
beingtaughtbytheShaiykSharafalDinalJabarti.[11]AlJiliswritingalInsanalKamilfiMarifatalAwakhir
walAwailexpoundeduponthefoundationlaidbyAlArabibydiscussingthestepsinwhicharerequiredafter
becomingtheperfectbeing.AlJiliinsistedthattherearethreestagesfortheperfectman.Thefirstentitled
(badaah)orbeginningiswhenthemanisgivenhisdivineattributes.Thenthereisthestageknownas
(tawassut)whentheperfectmanbeing,whoisbothhumananddivine,cancomprehendbothrealitiesand
eventuallyreceiveallknowledgebothseenandunseen.Lastly,thePerfectbeingisgivenpowerthatcanbe
usedinthenaturalworldandgiveshimpoweroveranyotherbeing.

References
1.Leaman,Oliver(2006).TheQur'an:Anencyclopedia.Routledge.p.302.ISBN0415326397.
2.Glass,CyrilHustonSmith(2003).TheNewEncyclopediaofIslam.RowmanAltamira.p.216.ISBN075910190
6.
3.Ibnal'Arabi,MuhyialDin(11641240),The'perfecthuman'andtheMuhammadanreality(http://www.muslimphilo
sophy.com/ip/rep/H022.htm#H022SECT4)
4.Corbin,HenrytranslatedbyLiadainSherrardPhilipSherrard(1993,originalFrench1964).HistoryofIslamic
Philosophy(PDF).LondonKeganPaulInternationalinassociationwithIslamicPublicationsforTheInstituteof
IsmailiStudies.pp.9798.ISBN0710304161.Checkdatevaluesin:|date=(help)
5.MansurAlHallaj,TranslatedbyAishaBewley(1974),TheTawasin,DiwanPress,pp.13
6.MarioKozah(2015),TheBirthofIndologyasanIslamicScience,BRILL,p.13,ISBN9789004305540
7.THESEALSOFWISDOM,AishaBewley
8.Bowering,Gerhard."EnsaneKamel."EncyclopediaIranica(1998):Web.3Apr2011.
<http://iranica.com/articles/ensanekamel>
9.Chittick,WilliamC."EbnalArabiMohyialDinAbuAbdAllahMohammadTaIHatemi."EncyclopediaIranica
(1996):Web.3Apr2011.<http://iranica.com/articles/ebnalarabi>
10.Little,JohnT."AlInsanalKamil:theperfectmanaccordingtoIbnalArabi."MuslimWorld77.1(1987):4354.
11.Ritter,H."AbdalKarm,ubalDnb.IbrhmalJ
l."EncyclopaediaofIslam,SecondEdition.Editedby:P.
Bearman,Th.Bianquis,C.E.Bosworth,E.vanDonzelandW.P.Heinrichs.Brill,2011.BrillOnline.
Augustana.7April2011<http://www.brillonline.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_SIM0099>

Externallinks
PerfectMan(http://www.alislam.org/perfectman/)byAyatullahMurtadaMutahhari
GodandthePerfectManintheExperienceof'AbdalQdiralJaza'iri(http://www.ibnarabisociety.org/ar
ticles/weismann.html)
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TopicsinIslamicReligion:SufiTextsContestationandCompetition:SufismandOppositiontoSufism
ReligiousStudies545(http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~bvon/pages/sufi_texts_contest.html)
RadicalIslamicAnthropology:KeytoChristianTheologizingintheContextofIslam,byDavid
EmmanuelSingh(http://www.religiononline.org/showarticle.asp?title=1633)
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