Lawlaaka lawlaaka lamaa khalaqtu al-aflaak, walawlaaka lamaa azhhartu ilaahi rububiyyati. (al-hadith al-Qudsi)
A. His Short Biography
Abd al-Karīm Qutbuddin ibn Ibrāhīm al-Jīlī was born in 1365/1366 AD, and perhaps he was dead about 1406 till 1417AD, but some sources said he passed away in 1424AD. He was also Syeikh, a descendant of Abdul Qadir Al-Gilani. He studied in Yaman from 1393 to 1403 and wrote more than thirty works. His writing is greatly influenced by Ibn al-Araby, the Spanish mystic of the 13th century. Jili’s writings had influenced many people in the Muslim world including Allama Iqbal, a muslim poet from India. The most famous of his opus is Insan al Kamil Fima’rifat al Awakhir wa al Awail. Actually, Insan Kamil (the Perfect Man) is a continuity of Ibnu al-Arabi’s teaching on the structure of reality and human perfection despite the age of this idea as old as tasawwuf itself . It’s held to be one of masterpieces of Sufi literature in its own right.
In his book, more than once he called ‘Abd al-Qadir as the “our master” (Syaikhuna). This indicates that Al-Jili is one of the members of his thariqah. The Muslim biography writers give no much attention for him, but he said he live in Zabid, Yaman together with his master, Syaraf al-Din Isma’il ibn Ibrahim al-Jabarti, and before that he was visited India.
As a writer, he hasn’t nothing talent, although his works more similar with mysticism than belles letters. Beside some poems which he likes, he also introduces maqaamas in lyric prose and parable (mitsaal) about Platonic mythology.
B. The Concept of Insan Kamil (The Perfect Man)
1. Definition
The Prophet said “Khalaqa al-Rahmanu adama bishuratihi.” God made Adam (human) in his own image.” And the universe is created in human image. This statement is the argumentation for the existent of Perfect Man. The word Insan is variously derived. Some derive it from uns, love; some derive it from nas, forgetfulness, because life in earth begins in forgetfulness and ends in forgetfulness. Some say the word comes from ‘ayn san, “Like the eye.” Man is the eye with which God beholds His sifat and asma’ in limitation; Insan al-Kamil is thus the mirror in which God’s sifat and asma’ are fully reflected. Easily, Insan Kamil is a man who represent all of God’s names and His attributes in all of his life aspects.
The more explanation
Al-Jili is included into whom has thought and belief that existent is one (wihdatul wujud), and all visible variation are mode, aspect and actualization of reality, even phenomenon is external expression of real existent. He defined essence as something which attribute and name refer to, it could be being (maujud) or non-being (mumtani’ al-maujud) that’s only exist in its name like bird al-Anqa’. Then, the essence which has an existent is divided into two kinds. The first is pure being (wajib al-maujud), that’s God, and the second is being that mingled with nothingness (mumkin al-maujud), that’s world of creature.
Al-Jili almost repeats what al-Hallaj and Ibnu al’Arabi said, the core essence of God is Love. Before creation, God love Himself in an absolute unity and through love He made Himself visible from nothingness (al-‘Amaa) without asma’ and sifat. This process is what al-Jili calls it by Ahadiyyah/ the first step of tajalliyatuLlah. Then, because of His wish to see that love in alones doesn’t need otherness and duality as external subject, He emerge His own image from nothingness which He give it all of His attributes and His names (Huwiyyah/ the second step). God show His asma’ and sifat to all His creatures. Among His entire creature, the best God’s image is Adam (human) that is place and medium of God manifestation. The divine is being objected in humanity. Nevertheless, His tajalli to human is variation, and the perfect of tajalliyatuLlah is Insan al-Kamil (Aniyah/ the last step).
All the creatures are mirror, the place to reflect the Absolute Beauty. What we call the world is nothing but manifestation of God. Just as God was present in eternity (‘azali) in the Dark Mist (‘Amaa’) which is also called by Reality of realities, Hidden treasure and White (Pure) Chrysolite, so is He present now in all things without incarnation (hulul) and mixture (imtizaj). He is manifested in the parts and atoms of phenomenal world without becaming many.
Bad thing has same place in existence structure as beautiful, both of them in divine perfection. Thereby, the crime is also relative. Infidel and sin are effect of God’s activity and something strength His perfection. Even, the devil also glorifies God, because his rebellion is under God’s authority. However, God show Himself imperfectly in some aspects in Satan like the Glory and the Angriness against with other aspects like the Beauty and the Affection.
Al-Jili called The Perfect Man as universe guardian, Quthb or axis on which sphere of existent revolves from first to last. He is the main cause of creation; he is God’s medium to see Him, because divine names (asma’) and attributes (sifat) couldn’t be seen totally except in The Perfect Man. Because of that, he became mediator and cosmic power who unite between The Plural and The One. Therefore the viability of nature existent is depended on him. Thus, he became the real khalifatuLlah fi al-ardh who controls the balance of world. If there is not Insan al-Kamil in the world, that’s time to the end of this world history.
Everyone potentially is perfect, but little of them are actually perfect. They who perfect in actualization are prophets and holy man (wali). However, because of their perfect variation, they have different capabilities to accept brightness. So, one of them must be higher than others. And The Absolute Perfect Man for Al-Jili is the Prophet Muhammad SAW. He also explain that Insan al-Kamil forever is external manifestation of Muhammad essence (haqiqah al-Muhammadiyyah) that has power to have whatever shape he wish conditionally in every time. Al-Jili admits that he ever met the Prophet in the shape of his teacher Syaraf al-Din Isma’il al-Jabarti.
3. The way to reach Insan al-Kamil
For Al-Jili, human can reach the real of himself to be the Perfect Man by doing spiritual training and mystical climbing. And in the same time, The Absolute will go down in himself through some levels. There are four levels that Sufi have to through it to be Insan Kamil:
1. Meditation in action (action brightness). At this stage, he feels that God permeates all object of the world. It’s He who moves them and is ultimately responsible for their rest.
2. Meditation in names (names brightness). The Sufi receives mystery delivered by every name of God, and he extremely unites into those names, therefore he responds every people’s prayers by calling that name.
3. Meditation in attributes (attributes brightness). He fused in them, in divine essence which has some attributes: life, knowledge, power, wish and etc.
4. Essential brightness. In this step he became absolute perfect. All attributes were disappeared, and then The Absolute comes down into himself. Then his eye is God’s eye, his words are God’s words, his life is God’s life. He trully became a Perfect Man.
C. Closing
After all, to Insan al-Kamil God isn’t a screen from His creator, and creature isn’t a screen from the Creator. It’s only our knowledge that we are Him and He is us. It’s not equation and incarnation. God is God and slave is slave. God never became slave and slave never became God. Even, Insan al-Kamil is just a reality (haqq) not the real of Reality (Al-Haqq). But, he shows himself in his consciousness mirror as God and Human.
D. End notes
Because almost Sufi has certain concept about Insan al-Kamil such as Abu Yazid al-Busthami, Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani and etc. See: R.A. Nicholson, Tasawuf Cinta, Studi atas Ttga Sufi: Ibn Abi Al-Khair, Al-Jili dan Ibn Al-Faridh. Terjemahan atas Study in Islamic Mysticism. Bandung: 2003 Mizan. p: 115.
Ibid. p: 161.
Studies in Tasawwuf, Khan Sahib Khaja Khan. Delhi, Idarah-I Adabiyat-I Delli: 1978. p: 78.
Al-Anqa’ is the Arabian mythos bird. Some people said it’s the king of entire bird. The other said al-Anqa’ often abducts children to eat them. We could compare it with something like Buto Ijo or Nyi Roro Kidul in Javanese culture.
This reason –in my opinion- is contradictive with other source that taken from hadith, God is “burried treasure” and He wants to be known therefore he created creature as screen from Himself.
A History of Muslim Philosophy, p:845.
Perhaps, from this view appears the concept of wihdatul adyan. Al-Jili said that idolate (paganist people) in the fact also glorify God because they didn’t find the god of their idol except themselves, so they are the “real god” for themselves. However, Al-Jili still believes that the perfect adoration is Islamic worship and then other samawi religions.
From this statement it’s clearly declare the difference of wihdatul wujud concept from materialism and naturalism that consider the God is universe itself.
E. References
- Khaja Khan, Khan Sahib. Studies in Tasawwuf, Delhi, Idarah-I Adabiyat-I Delli: 1978.
- Nicholson, R.A. Tasawuf Cinta, Studi atas Ttga Sufi: Ibn Abi Al-Khair, Al-Jili dan Ibn Al-Faridh. Terjemahan atas Study in Islamic Mysticism. Bandung, Mizan: 2003.
- A History of Muslim Philosophy. Tweet Follow @tirtanirwana
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar