I generally want to be really cautious when it comes to incorporating Isra'iliyyat . But I've been reading about the concept of Adam Kadmon and have been struck by how much it resonates with certain Islamic ideas and certain passages in the Quran and hadith. I'm not saying that Adam Kadmon perfectly fits into Islam. But seems like there is enough common ground for there to be conversation about similarities and differences.
Adam Kadmon is a spiritual/ heavenly /metaphysical Adam which is distinct from, and existed before the flesh and blood Adam. There are all sorts of resonances with the idea of the Perfect Man (al-Insan al-Kamil) ,the Nur (light) of Muhammad (saaws). There is also idea of the Covenant of Alast when in pre-eternity all human beings were somehow taken out of Adam (which Adam?) and asked by Allah,. "Am I not your Lord?
(from Wikipedia)The first to use the expression "original man," or "heavenly man," was Philo, in whose view the γενικός, or οὐράνιος ἄνθρωπος, "as being born in the image of God, has no participation in any corruptible or earthlike essence; whereas the earthly man is made of loose material, called a lump of clay." The heavenly man, as the perfect image of the Logos, is neither man nor woman, but an incorporeal intelligence purely an idea; while the earthly man, who was created by God later, is perceptible to the senses and partakes of earthly qualities. Philo is evidently combining philosophy and Midrash, Plato and the rabbis.
(Side note: The concepts aren't the same but the phrase "original man" makes me think of the Nation of Islam catechism, the Supreme Wisdom Lessons: (Question: Who is the Original man? Answer: The original man is the Asiatic Black man; the Maker; the Owner; the Cream of the planet Earth - Father of Civilization, God of the Universe.) Perhaps the Nation had more of a mystical bent than they are usually given credit for?
(Again from Wikipedia)KabbalismIn Kabbalah, before creation began, all that existed was God's Infinite Light. The first stage of creation began when God contracted His Infinite Light to create the vacuum. Then a ray of divine light penetrated the vacuum and the persona of Adam Kadmon was projected into the vacuum. The first stage of Adam Kadmon was in the form of ten concentric circles (igulim), which emanated from the ray.
So is the "perfect image of the Logos" somehow connected to the Light of Muhammad? Is this Light connected to all the prophets (alaihi salaam) or just some of them? Can Muslims gain benefit from studying the kabbalah, the Tree of Life and the 10 sefirot?
Allahu alim.
Wikipedia: Insan al-Kamil
Planet Grenada: the light of muhammad (saaws)
Wikipedia: Adam Kasia
Jewish Virtual Library: Adam Kadmon
New Kabbalah: Adam Kadmon: Primordial Man
Jewish Encylopedia: Adam Kadmon
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