Man Status in the Universe from the Point of View of Agha Najafi Ghouhani

Agha Najafi is among those scholars who have commented on one of the most significant philosophical and Gnostic issues, i.e. human status in the universe and his relation with Allah. Since he was a follower of Plato and Molla Sadra, he believes in originality, unity and gradation of being. He ascribes theomorphic attributes to man except for majesty and pride which are specific to God. He believes in God as the ultimate representation of perfection for human beings and considers happiness and perfection inseparable from one another. He contends that man is superior to all creatures and angels (even in worship) and considers man as the Caliph and substitution of Allah on Earth. He regards the believers’ broken heart as the very abode of Allah. In fact, he believes that Allah is a perfect human being. Yet, he does not ignore the influence of environment and heredity. He attributes the chief role to instinct and will and considers human volition in the same direction as divine will. He maintains that knowledge consists of divine inspirations and inwardly blessings which emanate from exalted active intellect infusing the faithful hearts. He considers man as capable of promoting his faculty of contemplation through exploration and intuition. As a pacifist philosopher he advocates the application of religious beliefs in settling social issues in an active cultural domain within society.