Dr.

)raj Bashiri
The University of Minnesota

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Jāmī's

Perfect Man

In 1979, in relation to understanding the poetry of Shams al-Dīn Mu ammad, known

as āfiẓ-i Shīrāzī, I proposed that in the ūfic sonnets of āfiz, form was as important as
meaning. I also added that when interpreting those pieces one needs more than a mere
knowledge of Persian and assistance from medieval and modern dictionaries. Those
poems need to be interpreted in the philosophical and/or ūfic contexts in which they
have been composed. In that article, and another one called "Hafiz and the Sufic Ghazal,"
I analyzed four sonnets, each dealing with a particular aspect of the ūfic way of life. 2 In
2008, I used the same technic and argument in presenting an analysis of Jalāl al-Dīn
Rūmī's "Az jamādī mordamu nāmī shodam." 3
In the analysis of the ūfic poem of ʿAbd al-Ra mān Jāmī that follows, I intend to
follow the same line of argument as in the previous articles and show that like āfiz and
Rūmī, Jāmī, too, expresses his sublime thoughts using powerful ūfic imagery. There is,
however, a major difference. In Jāmī content supersedes form. In other words, Jāmī pays
more attention to the correct development of the idea that he presents than to the way in
which the idea is presented. Thus, while āfiz's ghazals are memorized and recited as
exemplary pieces of poetry by almost everyone in the Persian-speaking world, Jāmī's
poetry does not evoke similar reactions. It does, however, leave an indelible mark on the
reader who can follow his thoughts.
With that said, Mawlānā ʿAbd al‐Raḥmān Jāmī, "one of the most remarkable
geniuses who Persia ever produced," was born in the village of Kharjerd of the
district of Jām in . (e died in (erāt, in present‐day Afghanistan, in . Before

1
See Bashiri, 1979a, pp. 178-197 and pp. 248-268.
2
Bashiri, 1979b, pp. 34-69.
3
Bashiri 2008, pp. 35-39.
4
Browne, vol. 3, p. 507; Safa, vol. 4, p. 348; Arberry, p. 426.
 Jami's Perfect Man

leaving Jām, like most of his peers, he learned the basics, including morphology and
syntax of Arabic, at home from his father. (e also memorized the entire text of the
holy Qurʾān at that time.
When he was sixteen, Jāmī submitted an essay on the subject of astronomy to the
Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarqand. The essay received very high marks. )n fact,
the director of the observatory, Qāḍizāda Rūmī ‐ , invited Jāmī to visit
the observatory, which he did in . By , after completing his studies at the
two major centers of (erāt and Samarqand, Jāmī had mastered a vast knowledge of
Qurʾānic texts and their interpretation, as well as ahādīth, theology, jurisprudence,
logic, mathematics, and astronomy.
Jāmī is one of the most well known figures of the literary history of the )ranian
peoples. (is Haft Awrang seven thrones and Bahārestān abode of spring) are
among the most cited works. Jāmī's odes are not only simple, but also easy to grasp.
They are devoted to theology and Ṣūfic meditation. )n the composition of his
masterpiece, the Haft Awrang, Jāmī emulates the Khamsas quintet of Niẓāmī
Ganjavī and Amīr Khosrau Dehlavī. The first awrang is called Silsilat al‐Dhahab the
chain of gold, . )t is a long mathnavī in three daftars books devoted to gnostic
ideas. The other awrangs include Salmān va Absāl Salman and Absal, , Tuḥfat
al‐Aḥrār the gift of the free, , Sabḥat al‐Abrār the rosary of the pious, ,
Yusif va Dhulaykhā Joseph and Zulaykha, Potiphar's wife, , Laylī va Majnūn
Layli and Majnun, , and Kheradnāme‐i Eskandarī the wisdom of Alexander
the Great .
A good example of Jāmī's prose work is found in his Lavāyeḥ (shafts of light, 1465),
also referred to as Risāla-i Lavāyeḥ dar Bayān-i Ma āref wa Ma ānī (treatise explaining
Sufic thought and meaning). In it Jāmī, in the manner of Saʿdī's Gulistān (rose garden),
mixes Persian prose with Persian poetry and adds explanatory Arabic phrases, either from
the Qur ān or from the aḥādīth. The work begins with a prologue, followed by thirty-
three lāyeḥes (shafts), and ends with a Khātimah (closure). 11 The short articles, centered
on tawḥīd, illustrate Jāmī's belief that God is present in everything. 12 Lavāyeḥ is
particularly significant for this study because, as we shall see, many of the explanations
for theological, philosophical, and ūfic concepts in the poem that is being analyzed
come from that work.
Jāmī was a member of the Naqshbandiyyeh order. He received his khirqa (cloak)
from his murshid Sa'd al-Dīn Kāshgharī. After the death of Kāshgharī, he was honored
with the leadership of the order. As a murshid, Jāmī believed strongly in the roles of
tradition and consensus in moving the social and spiritual affairs of the individual and the
community. He also believed in observance of the Sharī a, the dictates of the Prophet,
and continuous prayer.

5
Safa, vol. 4, p. 349.
6
Afsahzad, vol. 8, p. 495.
7
Safa, vol. 4, p. 350.
8
For a detailed discussion of Jāmī's works, see Bashiri 2014b.
9
Note that each of the khamsas mentioned contains five stories. Bahārestān contains seven.
10
Safa, vol. 4, p. 360; see also Jāmī's Mathnawī: Haft Awrang, for a complete list and the stories.
11
See Arberry, pp. 429-432 for a translation of Flash XXI.
12
Cf., Schimmel, p. 283.

 Jami's Perfect Man

Jāmī incorporated the principles of the Naqshbandiyyeh order in his works, itself
encompassing almost all the genres. Additionally, he revived many of the forms that had
become obsolete and gave them new life, proving that poetic works rely more on their
content than on their form. The principle underlying that thought brings to mind the many
other ūfic orders during Jāmī's time that, rather than on essence, concentrated their
efforts on rituals. 13
Jāmī wrote Haft Awrang towards the end of his productive career (around 1472-1485).
The volume is also referred to as the seven brethren and the seven stars. Jāmī himself
says the following about it:
‫گھ ھ س گ ن‬ ‫وين ھ ت خ ي ه‬ ‫س ن يک نگ ن‬ ‫ين ھ ت س ي ه‬
‫مين بھ ت و نگ ن‬ ‫ن می ش‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ب ين چ‬ ‫چو ھ ت ب‬

In speech, these seven vessels share the same color

In essence, they are seven treasures of the same weight
In the firmament, they are called the seven brethren
Here below they are known as the seven thrones (awrang).
The poem selected for analysis in this article is from the beginning of the Silsilat al-
Dhahab or the first awrang, written around 1472. The themes developed in the volume as
a whole deal with Islam and the Ashʿarī theology. As mentioned, the volume also
includes a number of other lengthy stories including the story of Joseph, Salmān and
Absāl, Laylī and Majnūn, and others. The title of the poem is unusually long. Here we
shall refer to it simply as "The Station of the Perfect Man." 14
The theme of the poem is centered on two most sublime levels of divine observation,
pinpointing the place of the perfect man in the scheme of creation. Here is the opening
bayt:
‫تعين ول‬ ‫م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫بو ج ه ش و حق‬

From the start, all the affairs of the Almighty

Were recorded in the first divine observation
"The first divine observation" is the translation for ta ayyun-i awwal, which will be
discussed shortly. The next three bayts explain the circumstances of the first divine
observation, especially the unique unity that exists among the various constituents of the
first divine observation, especially the way they are intermingled and intermixed.
‫ض ن يک يگ م غم‬ ‫ھه‬ ‫ب ھم‬ ‫ھ ه ب ل ت مت‬

They were all united instinctively

And amalgamated one unto the other

13
Cf., Rypka, p. 287.
14
The full title of the poem is "An explanation of the existence and the amalgamation of affairs in the
highest level so that they are not distinct scientifically or visually, followed by distinction among them in
the second level scientifically but not visually, and their emergence into the hierarchy of existence in
diverse forms and their appearance as the perfect man as a unity as was the case at the highest level and
that is the purpose of all purposes and the end of all ends".

 Jami's Perfect Man

The phrase ba al-dhāt muttaḥid describes a particular type of unity, one that is
achieved within the essence. The ordinary unities are generally collectives, although
some have very tiny ingredients as constitutive elements. The word mudghim amplifies
the density achieved under ba al-dhāt. Jāmī describes this unity in Lavāyeḥ in this way.
"The amalgamation of the affairs of the Almighty in creating a unified dhāt is not of the
physical type, i.e., the part is smaller than the whole. Rather, it is the type of relation that
obtains between the number one and its fractions, one-half, one-third, and the like. It is a
relationship that is understood mathematically only. The power of the Almighty over his
creatures is also of this type." 15
‫و حکم و ع ی‬ ‫ف‬ ‫ھه‬ ‫ست ج ع متو ی‬ ‫ھه‬
‫ني‬ ‫خ ج متیوع‬ ‫تع و ت يي‬ ‫مي ن‬

They were scattered under the cover of unity,

Heedless of His distinctions and decrees.
Divisions existed among them
But were hidden, even from knowledge

As can be seen, unity in the first divine observation is a unity only in the eyes of the
outside observer. Within the observation itself, there are distinctions. In Lavāyeḥ, Jāmī
describes this intriguing duality in this way. "The reality (ḥaqīqat) of everything is its
ta ayyun before ilm (read aql), on the strength of that thing's presence. So, as a rule,
affairs are always hidden in the innermost of wujūd and only traces of them are visible on
the outside. Put differently, wujūd has an inner core reality that is invisible and eternal
and an outer appearance that is visible and ephemeral." 16
In the opening bayts, Jāmī states that the affairs of the Almighty that are hidden and
eternal are summarized in the first divine observation. Then he describes the manner by
which the affairs of the Almighty are formed as a solid unity, and the way in which,
under the cover of the collective, they roam freely irrespective of a lack of formal
division and decree. In other words, even in the first divine observation, multiplicity and
distinction exist; but they are beyond the capability of human intellect, even beyond the
reach of knowledge ( ilm), to be grasped.
‫ش م صل ش و پ ھ نی‬ ‫تعين ث نی‬ ‫آ‬ ‫بع‬

Then, in the second divine observation,

The Almighty's hidden affairs were disclosed
The reason for the inability of intelligence and knowledge to delve into the mysteries
of the first observation is because the Almighty does not allow such intrusion. But when
He decides to reveal His magnificence, He allows the affairs to be less mysterious,
although not altogether visible.
‫و پ ۀ‬ ‫متي ی‬ ‫ش حق يق يک گ م ت‬

15
Jāmī's Lavāyeḥ, pp. 36-37.
16
Jāmī's Lavāyeḥ, p. 42.

 Jami's Perfect Man

‫متي ت خ جی م ط‬ ‫وی ع م فقط‬ ‫متي ی‬

But the affairs, although distinct from each other
Remained within the curtain of mystery
A distinction detectable by knowledge
Shorn of normal physical dimensions
In the second divine observation, it is the curtain of mystery that prevents the un-
trained eye from seeing the affairs of the Almighty. The reason is that the distinctions are
'aql (Jāmī's ilm) oriented. As we shall see, ʿAql is a capacity that is accessible only to the
most accomplished nafs.
‫مو ن ب و بظھو‬ ‫آم‬ ‫پی آ حق يق م کو‬
‫ت بو چو م أت‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫ت‬ ‫گ چه بو ن ب ن ن‬
‫ست‬ ‫وجو‬ ‫گ ت مک‬ ‫ھ‬ ‫عکس ب ن ن و‬

Following the affairs as they were,

The innermost mysteries were exposed.
The innermost mysteries, in real form,
Appeared as essence on a mirror.
When inner reality showed itself,
It caused imkān to mask wujūb.
Eventually, in the second observation, the innermost mysteries are revealed. This
process brings imkān, or the world of natural realities, face to face with wujūb, or the
world of the divine.
‫م ص غ ش بص غ ھ م کن‬ ‫عکس صو ت ب ن‬ ‫و جب‬
‫متع به پيش چ م شھو‬ ‫بو و ح ب ت ليک ن و‬
‫ش م تب عو لم م ھو‬ ‫ختاف ت وع ت ھو‬

The reflection of the innermost reality

Added color to every shade of being
Although in essence still a unity
A multiplicity in the eyes of others
The diversity among the shapes
Brought about the known worlds
As can be seen, in the second divine observation, the solid unity outlined in the first
divine observation unravels and becomes disunited so that individual elements in it
assume distinct shapes. More importantly, the revelations go beyond the outer shell of the
dhāt of each individual (shakhs) and reach the very core (essence) of the dhāt. All those
changes, Jāmī says, seem to be reflected on a mirror. Then he explains that the reflection

 Jami's Perfect Man

in the mirror is nothing but the projection of the delicate dhāt of the wajib al-wujūd onto
the concrete existence of the mumkin al-wujūd. Thus, while in the first divine observation
unity was the cause for the opacity of "all the recorded affairs of the Almighty," in the
second divine observation the multiplicity of the affairs, i.e., the many colors that adorn
and distinguish the constituents from each other, masks their reality, which necessarily
has remained the same. In other words, in the second emanation, the exposure of the dhāt
of the Almighty reveals a multiplicity of essences that are reflected in a mirror that itself
is masked, keeping everything behind a curtain of mystery.
Jāmī then speculates on the nature of the hidden worlds that now have become
disunited and reflected in a mirror. His speculation brings philosophy and ta awuuf
together and makes it necessary for the reader to understand the constituent elements of
those worlds. 17 What is in the nature of those constituents and, more importantly, what is
the lynchpin that brings the Almighty and His creatures closer to each other? Here is
Jāmī's explanation:
‫و پی آ م ل پس م سو‬ ‫وا ع لم عقول و ن و‬

First there were the worlds of intellect and spirits,

Followed by the worlds of imagination and senses,
Now we reach a very complex subject but, as usual, Jāmī dexterously makes it easy. In
fact, he presents it in a single bayt. Needless to say that without an understanding of the
hierarchy formed out of the four worlds, the way those worlds are interconnected, and the
impact of one over the other, it would be difficult to understand the full meaning of the
poem (see below).
‫ا ج ج پي‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ين عو لم ب س ھ س ء‬
‫ين عو لم ب سم يگ خ‬ ‫ش‬ ‫بو ھ ش ص ش ص‬
‫جی‬ ‫ھ چو آئي ۀ نک‬ ‫آم آئي ه ج ه کو ولی‬

From these worlds all the names

Came into existence one after the other
Each individual from among the individuals
Received a particular name in each particular world
The whole creation came pictured in a mirror
A mirror, however, devoid of polish
By referring to the world of the names and attributes of the Almighty, Jāmī moves us
in the direction of the perfect man (insān-i kāmil), his capabilities, and his role in the
scheme of things. 18 The role of the perfect man, however, will not fully come to light
until we investigate the nature of these hidden worlds in the second observation. The

17
For a thorough study of ūfism in Khorāsān, where Jāmī studied and was a master, see Olimov 2014, pp.
180-201. See also Trimingham, 1998, for a comprehensive study of the ūfī orders, including the
Naqshbandiyyeh.
18
For a definition of the perfect man, see Bashiri 2014a, p. 228; see also ūsī, pp. 13-15.

 Jami's Perfect Man

reason is that the device that is supposed to reflect them is only potentially a mirror.
Something has to bring the reflection in the mirror from potentiality to reality and action.
Regarding this stage of the development of the dhāt, Jāmī says in Lavāyeḥ, "Dhāt as dhāt,
is devoid of names and attributes, or any additions. If there is a relation, it is in
conjunction with the dhāt's attention to the world of revelation in the first tajallī, as it
shines automatically over itself." 19
‫ل‬ ‫ی لجال و اف‬ ‫صو‬ ‫و بوجه ک ل‬ ‫ن و ن‬
‫س ج عی ح ی‬ ‫م نع‬ ‫ع ی‬ ‫نکه بو ين ت‬

It did not reflect the face of the Almighty

His full form did not appear in it
This picture's reflection of the distinctions
Was incongruent with divine unity
The context of the concepts outlined by Jāmī is extremely rich. The reason perhaps is
that Jāmī's contemporaries, like āfiz's contemporaries, especially those close to the poet,
were familiar with his worldview. The present-day reader, however, is quite at a distance
from that world. As mentioned, in one bayt Jāmī presented four fundamental worlds, each
of which is subject for a lengthy discussion. Let us cast a glance at those worlds.
Although Jāmī does not use these exact words, the four worlds he refers to are
generally identified as: lāhūt, jabarūt, malakūt, and nāsūt. 20 Before entering a discussion
of those worlds, it should be mentioned that there is a fifth world, hāhūt, that precedes
those four worlds. It is the world of the dhāt of the essence of the Almighty, a world
absolutely beyond the intellectual capacity of human beings. In Farīd al-Dīn ʿA ār's
words, it is the abode of the Sīmurgh, on Mount Qāf. In Lavāyeḥ, Jāmī refers to this
world as the world of lā ta ayyun or the indeterminate, unlimited world. 21 Since this
world lies outside the system that he uses in the poem, we shall not include it in the
worlds discussed below.
The world of lāhūt is the world of the Almighty's names (asmā ) and attributes ( ifāt).
It is a world that is outside man's grasp. The next world is called the world of jabarūt or
the world of the Almighty's power. It is a world that is relatively more accessible than the
worlds that precede it. In reality, entrance into this world is like entrance into the essence
of the Almighty. The next world is the world of malakūt, the world in which spirits and
angels reside. This is the first world that can be accessed by those who develop their
intellect and spirit in a particular way. Finally, there is the world of nāsūt. This is a world
that is accessible to us through our senses. It is the world of nature, the phenomenal world.
Now, if we return to our discussion of the divine observations, we can relate the first
divine observation to the world of lāhūt discussed above. That is the world in which
everything is amalgamated. Consequently, amalgamation masks all multiplicity.
Therefore, if we look from jabarūt into lāhūt, all we can see is unity, a unity seeming so
absolute that intellect cannot penetrate, and to which knowledge has no recourse.

19
Jāmī's Lavāyeḥ, pp. 26-27.
20
See Trimingham, 1998, pp. 160-165.
21
Lavāyeḥ, pp. 46-47.

 Jami's Perfect Man

When Jāmī moves out of the world of the first divine observation (here same as lāhūt)
and moves to the world of second divine observation, it is tantamount to moving into the
world that receives the essence of the dhāt of the Almighty in a multiplicity. But the
essence comes in a package that cannot be easily accessed. That is where matters become
complicated. Two things have to be considered, first separately and then in tandem. One
is the content of the worlds revealed, i.e., the worlds of intellect ( uqūl), spirits (nufūs),
imagination (mithāl), and senses (ḥiss). The other is the perfect man and his role in the
scheme of things. Consider the following:
‫و بج ه ص ت‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ش عي‬ ‫گ ت آ جای ين م آت‬
‫ت و ص ت و امع‬ ‫س‬ ‫مظھ ی گ ت ک ی و ج مع‬
‫ھ ه س ء ب نگ يک يگ‬ ‫متج ی ش ن ين مظھ‬
‫ب م ل تعين ول‬ ‫مج ل‬ ‫ش ت صيل کو‬
‫آخ ين نق ه عين ول ش‬ ‫مک ل ش‬ ‫بوی ين ي‬
‫ھستيش غ يت ھ ه غ ي ت‬ ‫مص ی گ ت ج مع آي ت‬

The perfect man became the polish for that mirror

Reflecting the essence and the attributes in full
A complete and all-encompassing point
Emanating the mystery of the dhāt and the ifāt
Within this luminous point of light
The names shared their color
Multiplicity was achieved again
As was in the first divine observation
With the perfect man the circle closed
The last point became the first
He became a holy scripture with all the signs
His existence became the purpose and the end.
In order to understand the worlds that emerge in jabarūt, the reader needs to know the
development of the nafs from when it is a fetus in the womb until it reaches the level of
aql-i kull (perfect intellect). Since a full discussion of these levels is not possible in an
article, here we shall provide a very brief outline of these worlds. Serious readers are
urged to follow up the discussion by themselves. 22
The fetus is a mawjūd without aql. His journey in life is a mission to acquire aql,
i.e., soar through the many levels until he reaches the realm of the uqūl (see below) and,
eventually the dhāt of the Almighty. After he is born, the fetus develops his nafs and goes
through a journey in the nāsūt. In the course of this journey, his nafs is educated by
passing through plant (nabāt), animal (ḥaywān), and human (insān) stages. All through
these changes, his dhāt remains the same, while his dhāt's aspects, i.e., ẓāhir and bāṭin,

22
See, for instance, Bashiri 2014a, pp. 149-163.

 Jami's Perfect Man

change. The following shows Jāmī's view of this change as discussed in Lavāyeḥ, "If we
take away insāniyyat (humanness) from insān, we will reach the level of ḥaywān. If we
take away ḥaywāniyyat (animality) from ḥaywān, we reach jism-i nāmī (living matter or
nabāt). If we take away life from jism-i nāmī, we will reach jism (matter). If we continue
this process, we will reach jawhar (essence), mumkin (the essence of the phenomenal
world), wujūd-i muṭlaq (absolute existence), and finally, wujūd. 23
After death insān's nafs moves from what Jāmī calls the world of ḥiss (senses) to the
world of imagination (mithāl). This is a world very much like the world of ḥiss but it is
devoid of time and space dimensions (cf., malakūt). Beyond this is the very complex
world of uqūl beginning with aql-i mustafād (acquired intellect), followed by aql-i
mufāriq (separate intellect), an aql that is quite close to the ultimate goal of nafs. And
aql-i kull (active intelligence) that lies directly below Jāmī's first divine observation (cf.,
jabarūt). This is the essence of the first discussion mentioned.
The second important discussion before moving forward to discuss the rest of the
poem is how these two worlds communicate with each other. Jāmī already said that the
world of the first divine observation (read lāhūt) opens up onto the world of the second
observation (read jabarūt). But with the same breath, he told us that all those worlds were
reflected in a mirror that is in need of polish. In other words, they were potentially visible
but actually in need of assistance before they could reveal themselves. A brief discussion
of wujūd, and the perfect man's role in it, might solve that problem. Consider the
following diagram:

lāhūt
jabarūt
wājib al-wujūd
malakūt
nāsūt

wujūd
insān
ḥaywān
mumkin al-wujūd
nabāt
jamād

The question to be answered is the following: How can the mumkin al-wujūd access
the world of the wājib al-wujūd and observe what is hidden on the mirror of creation in
the second divine observation? The answer is summarized in the dual aspects of dhāt
mentioned above, its mumkin or ẓāhir and its bāṭin or wujūb. The ẓāhir aspect is the

23
Cf., Jāmī's Lavāyeḥ, pp. 33-35.

 Jami's Perfect Man

development that was explained above with respect to the fetus and the nafs. The bāṭin is
related to the ālam-i ghayb (the unseen world). So what is ālam-i ghayb?
In our daily life, two processes of seeing take place at the same time. One is what we
normally experience, i.e., observation of events with our bodily eyes. The other is an act
of seeing that we cannot observe, but one with which we are familiar through its effects.
This latter act happens in the bāṭin of dhāt or in the ghayb, away from our physical senses.
Only an insān-i kāmil has the ability to travel in the ghayb and see this act, as does God
(hua yudrik al-ab ār).
The insān-i kāmil is an inward-looking individual, who is devoid of the worldly and
who has the talent for reflecting the full face of the deity. The world in which insān-i
kāmil travels is the world of the ghayb, an expansive aqlī world that is closed to ordinary
eyes.
Unlike ordinary people, who gravitate to the world of the senses (maḥsūs) and view it
through ordinary eyes, insān-i kāmil views the aqlī world through ghaybī eyes. In other
words, for him the aqlī world, or ālam-i ghayb, does not present the mystery that baffles
the senses of the ordinary individuals. Earlier we stated that the resolution to the problem
of the mirror without polish lies in alam-i ghayb and in insān-i kāmil. Therefore, we
looked at those two contributors separately. Now we are about to consider them in
tandem.
Recall the fetus in the womb acquiring plant, animal, and human nafs. Those nafses
are imkānī nafs. With the death of the body the imkānī nafs, too, perishes. The bāṭinī or
ghaybī nafs, on the other hand, being immortal, joins the malakūt (read third divine
observation in the case of Jāmī) and ascends the inward "ladder" of 'aql, moving ever
farther away from the nāsūtī world and closer to the divine. 24 Eventually, as aql-i kull, it
learns all the ifāt (attributes) and asmā (names) of the Creator. Consequently, he
becomes able to create unity between the nāsūt and the malakūt.

IIn summary creation were a circle, the perfect man is the one who begins at azal
(beginning of time) and, from this lowest of the low reaches waḥdāniyyat (unity). On the
way, its intellectual content is purged of material values and its talent to attract the light
of waḥdāniyyat is increased. It is this special talent that serves as the fuel for sustaining
and increasing the light that eventually is enhanced by the light of ḥaqq. That is the
crucial moment when the perfect man, through his ghaybī existence, can serve as the
polish for the mirror that Jāmī mentions. He can release the content of the mirror of
creation for the world to see and appreciate. In Jāmī's words, he becomes a mu ḥif
(scripture) and a rasūl (prophet) to return to the nāsūtī world and provide it with a sharī a.
As for the poem, on the one hand, it deals with the complexity of the impenetrable worlds
of the Creator and, on the other hand, with the perfect man, whose access to the ghaybī
world serves as a key for unraveling the mystery of divine observations.

24
Dinani, "Nobuwwat and Wilāyat," Ma rifat.

 Jami's Perfect Man

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