The Essence of Man and His States of Perfection from Ayn-al-Qużāt Hamadānī’s Viewpoint

The present article is concerned with the essence of man and his states of perfection from Ayn-al-Qużāt Hamadānī’s viewpoint. His anthropology, like that of other mystics, is based on the theory of manifestation, according to which the whole universe, including man, is the ‘manifestation’ of the existence of God. According to mystics, man is the perfect manifestation of God and therefore has the utmost similarity and consistency with His being. According to Ayn-al-Qużāt, man is a two-dimensional being composed of soul and body, but his essence originates from his spiritual dimension. Like philosophers, he considers the soul as an abstract being and as a result he has raised objections against theologians who deny the abstract nature of the soul. He considers their views blasphemous and contrary to the Qur'an and Tradition; At the same time, he rejects the philosophers’ view that man is a ‘rational animal’. He considers ‘insight’, perceived by intuitive knowledge and spiritual vision, as the most important human characteristic. In addition, he believes in the heavenly nature of man that has been imparted to him from the higher world. He highlights the mediatory function of the existence of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and asserts that "after a person becomes intoxicated with the wine of knowledge, when he reaches the perfection of intoxication and reaches his highest state, the soul of Muhammad (PBUH) will appear to him." His view of the Prophet of Islam stems from the same view based on the manifestation that reveals the knowledge of God to the wayfarer man. Our findings show that whatever Ayn-al-Qużāt has mentioned about human beings and existential perfection is taken from the Qur'an and Tradition, and that he was a true Muslim believer who adhered to the Shari'a and he himself practiced it. The method adopted in this study is descriptive-analytical.