Recognition of Perfect Human Being According to Ibn-e Arabi and Attar

Examining ideas of some other sufists, this research seeks to compare attitudes of Ibn-e Arabi and Attar regarding the concept of Perfect Human Being and cast light on the differences and similarities between the two thinker’s ideas and even their way of expression and assess the degree to which Attar is affected by Ibn-e Arabi. In Ibn-e Arabi and Attar’s Sufism, the perfect human being maintains the highest degree of intellect which is called “Al-Haqiqah Al-Muhammadiyyah” (The Muhammadan Reality) by Ibn-e Arabi, but he clarifies the fact that by Muhammad, he does not mean the real personality of the prophet Muhammad (SAW), but the being who is parallel with the first intellect. Attar, on the other hand, emphasizes the necessity of the perfect human being’s existence covertly or overtly but we finally grasp that the both Sufis tend toward the prophet as the most perfect human being that Ibn-e Arabi considers him as the milestone of the unseen men. Affected by Ibn-e Arabi, Attar considers prophet Muhammad as the main axis of being and after him, Imam Ali (AS) is the axis of Al-e Yasin. However, in most of the terms of reaching to this status, the two believe the same, except hulul (reincarnation) phase about which Attar believes that He can become part of us, but cannot become us.