Elements of the human being; composition of the human being
According to the verifiers (muḥaqqiqūn), the composition of a perfect human being consists of three realities: the first is the rūḥ (spirit), the second is the nafs (the lower self), and the third is the body. Each of these three realities is maintained by a particular attribute. The attribute of the rūḥ is intellect, the attribute of the nafs is desire (hawā), and the attribute of the body is sensation. (Hujwīrī, 238)
According to us, the human being consists of two copies: one outward (ẓāhir) and the other inward (bāṭin). The outward copy entirely resembles the world, while the inward copy resembles the Divine Presence (Ḥaḍra Ilāhiyya). In the ḥāl (spiritual state), the human being is, in meaning and in ḥaqīqa (inner reality), a universal being, for the human is the counterpart of all existents. (Inshāʾ, 21)
The circles of tanzīh (transcendence) and tashbīh (immanence) we have described: the white circles surrounded by two black lines are examples of the circles of tanzīh of the Divine Presence. Allah, Exalted is He, expresses His encompassing of all things as follows: "Indeed, He encompasses all things." (al-Baqara 2:115) In another verse: "Allah encompasses all things in knowledge." (al-Ṭalāq 65:12) The white circle separated by a round line in the center is the human circle. The part from the small round single line toward the Divine Presence is an example of the human's resemblance to the Divine Presence. The part from the smallest line to the smallest circle is an example of the human's resemblance to the world of creation. The section divided into four within it is to enumerate the worlds as a whole. The small circle surrounding the center is the circle of the world given to the human as khalīfa (vicegerent). The four lines outside the center, up to the area encompassed by the divisions among the worlds, are examples of the realization of the secret we have set forth. (Inshāʾ, 24)
The elements within the human are a trust
Form was given therein
to fire, to light, and to clay
The human is self-subsisting, with itself and by itself
corporeal and self-subsisting, not like other substances
corporeal, separated (mufāriq)
Subsisting by itself or by other than itself
subsisting by other than itself, not subsisting,
corporeal, non-existent,
corporeal like accidents that do not subsist,
There is no existent that you know of
that lies outside His measure
Whoever attains it by intellect
does not go beyond this measure in its judgments
Its name is human
Its form is the kāmil (perfection) possessor in the cosmos
Its existence bears witness to religion
It must contain the measure, if you have measured
Nothing is lacking, nor is there any excess
So hold fast to it
do not be deceived by appearances
Denial and forgetfulness dominate appearances
When the signs of obligation appear
command and prohibition emerge
human and shayṭān (satan)
From every attribute our share can be understood
the perfection of my existence
even if you find a deficiency in denial
you may attain perfection
The human being has many states in which the two ḥāl (spiritual states) called qabḍ (constriction) and basṭ (expansion) come together. Whether you call these khawf (fear) and rajāʾ (hope), or waḥsha (estrangement) and uns (intimacy), or hayba (awe) and taʾannus (familiarity), or something else. Whether the human is an ʿārif (gnostic), a murīd (aspirant, disciple) of tamkīn (steadfastness), or of talwīn (changeability), it is impossible for him not to be characterized by these states at any time, for any reason or necessity. (Rūḥ, 39)
Not every human is a khalīfa (vicegerent). For, according to us, the animalistic human (who is human only in form) cannot be a khalīfa. Likewise, masculinity is not a specific characteristic of the khalīfa. Thus, the complete form of our statement is that the khalīfa is both male and female, for being human includes both male and female. Masculinity and femininity are accidents (aʿrāḍ). Even if they entail other realities, since all animals possess masculinity and femininity, these two accidents are not among the specificities of being human.
Whatever reality exists in the cosmos also exists in the human. The word insān encompasses all realities and is an honorable epitome (the human is the essence of existence). The creation of the divine realities directed toward the creation of the cosmos, entrusted to the human, is entirely oriented toward the creation of this exemplary humanity.
There has been disagreement about the meaning of the word insān. One group has said it is Lāṭīf (subtle), another has said it is corporeal, and another has said it is all of these. The appropriate definition is this: the word insān has been used in all the senses stated by each group.
We also differ regarding the nobility of the human: Is this nobility intrinsic to its essence, or is it a rank attained after manifesting in His very being (does it come from creation, or is it acquired after reaching the Real)? As for the insāniyya (humanity) of the human, its full acceptance is either due to the knowledge or to the vicegerency and