Tenth intellect
The tenth intellect (Aashir Mudabbir or Aql al-Aashir),[a] also known as Spiritual Adam (Adam al-Ruhani), is a primordial being present primarily in the cosmological doctrine of the Tayyibi Isma'ilism. The Tenth Intellect is the last in a series of celestial immaterial Intellects—comprising a spiritual cosmos—that governs and sustains the physical cosmos.
Cosmogony: Drama in Heaven
In the Tayyibi Ismaili cosmogony, known as the "drama in heaven", the transcendent Originator (al-mubdi) originated a number of primordial originated beings equal in rank and capacity. One of these originated beings realized it had been created by God and began to worship its originator, and was thus called the First Intellect (al-mubda al-awwal) reigning over the spiritual cosmos. Other originated beings were ranked by how quickly they followed the example of this First Intellect, and the second and third Intellects competed for the second rank. The second originated being succeeded and emerged as the Second Intellect. The third originated being refused to accept this prioritization of the Second Intellect and committed the first "sin," thus falling from third rank to tenth rank in the hierarchy of archangelic Intellects. After realizing its error and repenting, this Tenth Intellect emerged to govern and sustain a physical cosmos filled with its own spiritual members—other fallen souls—that had equally failed to recognize the preeminence of the Second Intellect.
To regain its original position, the Tenth Intellect attempts to convince other fallen beings to repent and begins the
Historical origins: Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani, Ibraham al-Hamidi and non-Islamic influences
The Tayyibi system of ten Intellects is adopted from the ten Intellects of the Fatimid da’i Hamid al-Din al-Kirmani, in a departure from Fatimid cosmological Neoplatonism. However, in Kirmani's system, the First Intellect emanates two beings: the Second Intellect and the Potential Intellect, which is primordial Matter and Form. The Second Intellect emanates eight other Intellects in successive emanation, while the nine spheres of the Aristotelian cosmos proceed from the activities of each of the Intellects upon the Potential Intellect. The Potential Intellect—an emanation of the First Intellect subordinate in rank to the Second Intellect—is responsible for the physical world. Tatsuya Kikuchi suggests that this Potential Intellect is probably not equivalent to the Tayyibi Tenth Intellect, and the Tenth Intellect in Kirmani's system does not maintain any special significance above the other separate intellects.[2] The second Tayyibi da’i mutlaq, Ibrahim al-Hamidi, introduced a more mythical, gnostic, mystical “drama in heaven” into Tayyibi doctrine. He launched a new stage of medieval Tayyibi and Ismaili cosmology wherein the Tenth Intellect takes on special significance, although he is not singularly responsible for this evolution- he did not introduce or utilize the terms “Universal Adam” and “Partial Adam,” for example.
In addition to the influences of Kirmani and Hamidi, there are also traces of earlier
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Sufis believe that Allah created intellects (uqul) and then asked them to accept His godhood (uluhiyyah). One intellect declared faith in His uluhiyyah and came to be designated as aql-e-awwal, next who accepted came to be called as aql-i-thani and so on until aql-i-'ashir (10th intellect) and remaining turned into black heavy matter from pure light and now it is for the 10th intellect to turn those who refused to accept godhood back into pure light. Thus it is 10th intellect also called ashir-e-mudabbir (the 10th intellect who manages) who created this universe and human beings into it to turn them back into pure light and in every cycled some souls will be turned into pure light those who successfully resist evil and do good deeds.[1]
Sources
- ^ Engineer, Asghar Ali. "Islam and philosophy". Institute of Ismaili Studies. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- ^ Kikuchi, Tatsuya (1999). "Some Problems in D. De. Smet's Understanding of the Development of Ismailism—a Re-Examination of the Fallen Existent in al-Kirmani's Cosmology". Orient: report of the Society for near Eastern Studies in Japan. 34: 106–120.
- ISBN 9780710300478.
Further reading
- Corbin, Henry. Cyclical Time and Ismaili Gnosis. Islamic Texts and Contexts. London; Boston: Kegan Paul International in Association with Islamic Publications, 1983.
- Daftary, Farhad. The Ismailis: Their History and Doctrines. 2nd ed. Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
- Kikuchi, Tatsuya. “The Resurrection of Ismā‘īlī Myth in Twelfth Century Yemen.” Ishraq Islamic Philosophy Yearbook 4 (2013): 345–359.
- Kikuchi, Tatsuya. “Some Problems in D. De. Smet’s Understanding of the Development of Ismailism—a Re-Examination of the Fallen Existent in al-Kirmani’s Cosmology.” Orient: report of the Society for near Eastern Studies in Japan 34 (1999): 106–120.