Sufism and the Perfect Human: From Ibn 'Arabī to al-Jīlī

Studying the history of the notion of the 'Perfect Human' (al-insā
n al-kā
mil), this book investigates a key idea in the history of Sufism. First discussed by Ibn 'Arabī
and later treated in greater depth by al-Jī
lī
, the idea left its mark on later Islamic mystical, metaphysical, and political thought, from North Africa to Southeast Asia, up until modern times.

The research tells the story of the development of that idea from Ibn 'Arabī
to al-Jī
lī
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 (maẓ
har), the concept of the 'Pole' (quṭ
b) and the 'Muhammadan Reality' (al-ḥ
aqī
qah al-Muhammadiyyah), and the identity of the Perfect Human. By setting the work of al-Jī
lī
against the background of earlier Ibn 'Arabian treatments of the idea, it demonstrates that al-Jī
lī
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.

Introducing readers to the key Sufi idea of the Perfect Human (al-insā
n al-kā
mil), this volume will be of interest to scholars and students interested in Sufism, Islam, religion and philosophy.