University of Qom
Abstract: (17 Views)
Sa'id al-Din Farghani, as one of the most prominent representatives of the Ibn 'Arabi school, ascribes an important role to the imaginal world (ʿālam al-mithāl) in the human journey through the descending arc and depicts the primordial covenant world (ʿālam al-dharr) within this realm. He identifies aspects of the imaginal world through which he attempts to provide a systematic and novel analysis of how humans are present in the imaginal world during the descending arc. From Farghani's perspective, the imaginal world has two aspects: one aspect that brings spirits and intellects into an imaginal form, and another aspect that transforms material beings into imaginal entities. According to Farghani, Adam's clay form at the beginning of his creation contained the particles of his progeny, and based on the second aspect of the imaginal world, both Adam and his descendants became imaginal beings and acquired souls. The emergence of individual human souls occurred at this stage, before birth and before the embryonic stage. This study demonstrates that the rational objections commonly raised against the soul's precedence over the material body do not apply to Farghani's viewpoint, and there exist narrative evidences from the Ahl al-Bayt confirming Farghani's perspective in general terms.
Keywords: Imaginal World, Descending Arc, Primordial Covenant World, Clay Nature, Sa'id al-Din Farghani.
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