From Glorifying the Human Being to Knowing the Human Being: Toward a Re-foundation of the Humanities
Mohammad Kawrani — 2026.08.23
Modern humanities need a profound reconsideration of their point of departure: Which human being is their subject?
When “human-centeredness” turns into the absolute glorification of the human being simply because he is human, it becomes possible to place the savage, lustful, murderous, ignorant, heedless, and tyrannical human being on the same level, in terms of human value, as the rational, just, purified, merciful, enlightened, and wise human being who controls his intellect over his desires and impulses.
At that point, the study of the human being becomes a glorification of humanity as it is, rather than a science that investigates the human being as he ought to be.
The Islamic mystical (‘irfānī) perspective, however, begins with a more rigorous question:
Should we glorify the human being simply because he is human, or should we first seek to understand the reality of the human being and the degrees of his perfection and deficiency? And should we honor and exalt him because of the spirit that God breathed into him?
Here, the famous statement:
“Whoever knows himself knows his Lord”
becomes a profoundly important epistemological key, while noting that this statement is well known in Sufi and mystical tradition, although scholars have discussed the authenticity of its hadith chain.
When a human being truly comes to know himself, he does not discover that he is the absolute center of existence. Rather, he discovers precisely the opposite: that he is poor, originated, dependent, limited, changing, and not independent in his existence.
I exist, but I did not bring myself into existence.
I am rational, but my reason is limited.
I have will, but I did not choose the origin of my own existence.
I possess knowledge, but I need the One who taught me, brought faith into my heart, and strengthened it through certainty.
I search for truth, but I am not the absolute Truth.
Thus, the human being becomes more humble before existence, not less valuable.
The Qur’an expresses this reality with great force:
“O mankind, you are the ones in need of Allah, while Allah is the Self-Sufficient, the Praiseworthy.”
(Qur’an 35:15)
Human beings do not attain their greatness by denying their poverty and dependence; they attain it by recognizing them.
Here we see the distinction between the natural human being and the Perfect Human Being in the mystical conception.
The Perfect Human Being is not someone who has liberated himself from every moral and human standard. Rather, he is the human being who has reached the highest degrees of servitude, knowledge, and purification, thereby becoming more capable of embodying reason, justice, mercy, and wisdom.
Therefore, the purpose of the humanities should not be to tell human beings:
“You are perfect simply because you are human.”
Rather, they should ask:
What is the human being? What are his limits? What corrupts him? What completes him? What makes him just rather than unjust, rational rather than heedless, merciful rather than murderous, and capable of controlling his desires rather than becoming their servant?
From here, we need to reconsider the humanities as a whole: psychology, sociology, economics, political science, education, anthropology, and the philosophy of the human being.
The savage, lustful, and ignorant human being should not be treated as the ultimate model by which humanity is measured, nor should the mere satisfaction of his desires become the criterion of his progress.
Rather, the Perfect Human Being should become an horizon of inquiry: the human being who knows himself, recognizes his poverty and dependence, knows his Lord, purifies his intellect and soul, and rises from necessity, desire, and heedlessness toward reason, justice, knowledge, and servitude to God.
Thus, the humanities can move from the question:
“How do we understand the human being as he is?”
to a deeper question:
“How do we understand the human being as he is, so that we may understand what he can become and what he ought to be?”
For knowledge of the human being begins with acknowledging his deficiency, and does not end until the search for his perfection.
Whoever knows himself as poor and dependent begins the path toward knowing his Lord.
And whoever knows his Lord can no longer deify the human being. Rather, he becomes capable of understanding the human being in his proper rank:
a honored creature, not a god; capable of perfection, but not perfect in himself.
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